Dying Dog Gets A Special Heartwarming Surprise From Her Family, A Mountain Of Snow That She Could Enjoy One Last Time
Each season is special in its own way, but if you asked this Saint Bernard/Newfoundland mixed dog, she would certainly tell you that winter is the best season. Maggie has always loved winter, and since she was a little pup, the best place in the house for her was the coldest one.
When she saw the snow for the first time, it was love at first sight. She felt most comfortable in winter and really enjoyed playing outside in the snow, as her mom, Marianna Wilson, said,
“Being this 120-pound dog, she’d flop over onto her back and just slide in the snow. It was just so much fun to see a dog experience so much joy from being in the snow.”
But when this family received tragic news about Maggie’s cancer diagnosis in July, it was a game-changer for them. They decided to fulfill her last days with happiness and enjoyment, and being the active dog that Maggie was, they prepared something special for her.
For the past 10 years, Maggie followed her parents, Elijah Saltzgaber and Marianna Wilson, on all of their adventures. Maggie loved winter-related activities like skiing, but she was also a keen hiker and enjoyed paddle boarding with her mom, so it was natural for them to plan a camping trip.
However, something was missing, and Maggie’s parents knew exactly what it was—snow. So they made a unique request on the Utah Classifieds Facebook group, asking their neighbors if, by any chance, someone had a shaved ice machine.
Within a few hours, they received hundreds of messages with suggestions. Some restaurants even offered to empty their ice coolers, and as a result of this huge response online, Elijah contacted the local ice rink, and they responded, confirming it was all set.
The next day, Elijah drove his van to collect the snow, and when he finally delivered it all, they created a huge pile of snow in the backyard just for Maggie. Maggie was super excited, and that made everyone cry; it was such an emotional moment for them all. Soon after that, she fell asleep. “It really did help her out,” said Maggie’s mom, “Maggie was snoring for a good 20 minutes on that snow pile.”
Love at the first sight.
Maggie loved paddle boarding with her mom.
With her crew, Maggie went on many adventures.
The unique request was put online by Elijah Saltzgaber.
“She was always most comfortable in the winter.”
Maggie’s special mountain of snow.
For one last time, she climbed the mountain.
According to Maggie’s mom,
“She (Maggie) wasn’t sure what to make of it, so I grabbed some of it and showed it to her, and she just proceeded to eat it. We hauled what was in the van to a corner of the backyard, where we’d set up a shade tarp, and Maggie still hadn’t warmed to what was going on, so we leveled it out a little bit and threw her squeaky ball into it, and it was game over from there. She pounced on it, buried her ball the way she would, and then she came to rest on top of the snow pile, and she was perfectly at ease and comfortable.”
Emotional moment for them all.
Maggie’s last nap in the snow.
Maggie spent her last moments doing what she loved the most. She was outside playing in the snow and was definitely surrounded by her family’s love and attention.
Saltzgaber and Marianna Wilson showed the world one more time that the bond between a family and a pet is unbreakable, and even though Maggie was dying, they still wanted to do something special for her. They knew what she loved the most, and they succeeded in making that happen; isn’t that beautiful?
But what makes this heartwarming story even more beautiful is that the whole community got involved. The power of community made this dying dog happy for the last time in her life.
Share this article:
