Saying Good-bye to Maggie

Saying good-bye is the most difficult part of loving our canine friends. We're so sad to report that Rick and Lauren Johnson's beloved Maggie died of a stroke last Friday.

That's Maggie on the left with her partner in reading, Baguette, at their annual Halloween party in 2008.

Both Maggie and Baguette have been SitStayRead dogs almost from the beginning. They were certified in 2004, just a year after the founding of the organization, and continued to spread joy year after year.

Maggie's sweet, calm presence made her a favorite with kids and adults alike. Her enthusiastic tail wag in greeting always brought smiles--and if she was lucky, a treat from her admirers. Maggie will be greatly missed by so many. Thank you, Rick and Lauren, for sharing her with us.

Reflecting on the Pact We Make With Dogs

It's a year today that we said good-bye to our beloved Shandy. She enjoyed life to the end--that's her at a concert in the park on our last evening together.

I miss my brown-eyed girl every day, but I also feel her presence every time I think of her, which is often. At night I sleep with my legs bent to keep her spot on the bed--a 17 year habit is tough to break even if you want to, and I don't. I wish I could still hear her gentle snores.

A lot has happened this year, some good things, some not. But even in the not so good times, I get comfort from thinking of Shandy. And from remembering my friend Johanna's blog post "On The Pact We Make With Dogs". It's a beautiful piece. Her phrase, "Their partnership was legendary", helps when I'm particularly sad because it feels like I did justice to Shandy's many gifts--most especially her love of children. Shandy led, I was just her human partner on the other end of the leash.

Johanna lost her beloved Oskar recently and I wish I could return her kindness with a similar comforting thought. I don't have her gift though so all I can say is, "Johanna, you walk in integrity wherever you go and Oskar, Ulani, and all the animals in your life are the luckier for it. You honor them by acknowledging them for who they are. Thank you for sharing your stories."

Remembering Tibbie

Tibbie

It is with a very heavy heart that I report that our dear Sit Stay Read dog, Tibbie, left this world today. He was in liver failure and his family made the difficult decision to let him go. Seth tells us, "He went peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. . .we should all be so lucky."

Tibbie was always a favorite with the kids--one look at that face and you can see why(click on photo to see more.) Only last week he and Seth were part of the team in Ms. Nolin's classroom helping more kids learn to love reading. Kennell, a second-grader dedicated his book to Tibbie: "I dedicate this book to Jerry and Tibbie because Tibbie is a loving dog and I take care of him."

Thank you Seth for sharing Tibbie with so many. We are forever grateful for having you both as a Sit Stay Read team.

Sara, Farewell to a Special Dog

We are very sad to report the loss of Sara Schwab, a special Sit Stay Read dog. Sara was a loving, calming presence for so many children in our programs and a faithful companion to Gail and her family.

Sara and Gail were certified as a Sit Stay Read dog team in March 2005 and volunteered at our very first session at Manierre School that fall. They've been there every year since and you can see this wonderful team in action at Manierre last spring in the online local NBC news video.

Our condolences to Sara's family and many friends and admirers. You will be missed, dear one. Nine and a half years was just not enough time.

Denali, Farewell to a Friend

We were very sad to learn today that Denali, Bandit's first best friend, died unexpectedly last week from an infection. She was only five years old.

They were just puppies in the photo of them playing together and Bandit is getting the better of her but as they grew, Richard would tell Bandit, "She's bigger, faster, and smarter, than you Bandit. You don't stand a chance." But Bandit didn't care. He loved playing with his friend, Denali.

The hardest part about loving a dog is knowing that one day they'll be gone. But how lucky we are to have them when we do.

Denali didn't get to be a Sit Stay Read dog but she contributes to all our programs. Her mom, Lee Rigby, was one of our first volunteers and, although Lee and her family moved to the east coast, we still use photos of Denali in our dog safety talk. The kids love to learn that the little puppy curled up asleep is the same big dog that's playing tug of war.

Thank you Lee and Graham for sharing Denali with us and all the kids in our programs.

Dillon, Good-Bye to a Dear Friend

We just received the sad news from Jan that Dillon was put to rest yesterday. He was slipping away and the reality was that he wasn't going to get better. Jan sends her thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

For anyone who knew Dillon, I don't have to tell you how much he'll be missed in the programs. His gentle presence was a great comfort to young readers.

Many thanks to Dillon for his hours of work and to Jan for sharing this special dog with so many.

Missing Sabrina

It's a sad day for Shandy and me at the office today. We just learned from Sonia Ravin, that her lovely Sabrina died yesterday. Sabrina and Shandy were the matriarchs of Sit Stay Read and seemed to acknowledge each other as such when they worked together. No rowdy puppiness for these grande dames.

Sabrina's gentle, loving presence is a loss to the kids who won't have the chance to read with her. Our hearts go out to Sonia and the many friends who mourn the loss of this wonderful dog.