On 3 November 1998, a playmate for Maddie was born - Westor's Grace Kelly, named after the famous actress. Sylvia writes: Well, the 'baby gate' is worthless for Kelly. She quickly learned to hook her little toes in it and climbed right over the thing! I was shocked that she seemed to instinctively know to do that. She's a smart one!

For her Second Birthday, Maddie received many toys - here she shows off one of them . . .

Maddie at her third birthday in 2000 . . .

Where's Santa with MY GIFTS?!?!

Let's play a game of "Where's Maddie?" . . .

. . . while Kelly is EASY to find!

On 22 April 2004, Sylvia writes:

My beloved Maddie is going to have a liver biopsy today.The ultrasound yesterday showed numerous lesions in her liver. This dog has my heart and I will be devastated if something happens to her. She's so young. Please say a prayer it's not as bad as we're fearing.

Later that day:

Maddie's vet just called and Maddie did well with the liver biopsy procedure. He feels they got a good sample, and they did a biopsy of her foot pad as well. He said the liver was "very nodular" and he does believe the sample report will come back with a diagnosis of Hepatocutaneous Syndrome. I'm sure he'll want to start her on the food regiment asap: eggs, high protein foods & vitamins as that appears to be the treatment of choice. We'll need to keep her proteins in line, as well as her sugar given diabetes comes along with this.

The vet was VERY surprised at the fact that my Connecticut friend (Lucy Ryley) had a Westie with the same disorder. He said it's "very rare". He's only seen one case in his career. How did we get this lucky!!?

Prognosis is poor. I am beside myself. I'm blessed to have a vet who is very willing to do whatever it takes to prolong Maddie's life. I keep looking at Maddie and being struck by the fact that time is short. It's doubtful I will have the years I thought I'd have with her . . . just months.

Summer 2005 . . . a picture worth a million words

On 25 December 2005, Sylvia reports:

We put Maddie down this morning around 4 am. Maddie was clearly in pain and throwing up for several hours after we came home from the emergency vet last night. I kept thinking it was gas from the fluids she was given and she'd settle down, but when I took her out to potty around 3, she was bleeding dark blood from her behind. I could not put her through any more. The vet met us at his office. Maddie pushed her head up into my chin as I was holding her after the shot. My life will never be the same.