Preview of Charlotte Dogs

Have you gone out and gotten your copy of Charlotte Dogs yet from Park Road Books? If not, here is a little preview of the essay about Maddie Sue who was an All Wags pup who passed away in 2008. She missed her time in the spotlight as a famous "Charlotte Dog," but her best friend Mandy was happy to go to the publication party in her place and enjoy all of the love and attention and we know that Maddie is looking down so happy that such an amazing book has been published that showcases all of the awesome dogs who live in Charlotte!

There is an amazing little being that lives in my home. She is smart and loving, loyal and attentive, and she is the best little snuggle buddy that I have ever met. Her name is Maddie. She has four legs, a tail, and a snout. Her body is covered with black fur, with just a few white patches and she loves to be pet on those white patches. Maddie is the fabulous little dog that almost wasn’t. When Maddie was 2 months old, she was found tied to a tree outside of an animal shelter, she was very thin and had mange so she had hardly any fur. The prognosis didn’t look good, but Maddie was put into foster care and with love and attention, things started to turn around. Soon, Maddie was ready to be adopted and was brought back to the shelter. A family came and adopted Maddie when she hadn’t been there very long and I can just imagine her excitement to be leaving the shelter, however, what she didn’t know is that she would be coming back very soon. She was returned by that family. She needed a lot of attention given her troublesome beginnings and they just didn’t have time for her. Maddie was given a few labels then “doesn’t get along with children,” “may need behavior therapy,” “training recommended.” Well, it’s already tough enough to get adopted in a shelter without the labels. She got a lot of looks, though, because at four months old, she was a perfect looking little puppy, but she didn’t get a lot of second looks after her labels were read. My husband I then happened to go to that shelter one night after work and when we saw her, we gave her a second look and a third and a fourth. We had found our new family member. The volunteers at the shelter reminded us of her labels and also informed us of another: this shelter was full and we were her last chance. We were happy to take her to our home. Yes, we had rocky beginnings with Miss Maddie, and we got her training, lots of training and she also saw an animal behaviorist, but what Maddie needed the most was a loving home. We took a chance with Maddie and it was the greatest chance that I have ever taken. She is truly the best friend that I could ever have imagined and I’m as happy to be her best friend as she is to be mine. This special little dog with the rough beginning has touched my heart deeply and continues to everyday. I love waking up to her kisses every morning and feeling her snuggle up against me as I sleep. I love throwing one of her many squeaky, yellow, tennis balls and having her bring it back to me. I adore watching how she licks a Frosty Paw treat. Maddie has a few new labels these day “fan favorite,” “little baby girl,” and most importantly “my best friend.”