Have you ever fallen in love to just turn around and have your heart broken? Well, that is how Maddie and my story begins. Maddie must have been about 6 months old when someone left her at a local bank branch in Houston where my son worked. She was there all day long. First, sitting patiently by the front door. Then, sitting at the street corner...just waiting. When he left at the end of the day, she was playing with a piece of styrofoam in front of the branch. He opened the car door, whistled for her, and she came running. I met Maddie a couple of days later and it was love at first sight. She had the biggest ears and you just couldn't help but love her sweet face. The vet checked her out and the poor girl had every parasite from mange to hookworm. Fortuntately, no heartworms nor parvo detected. We needed to keep her in isolation while she got healthy. We began to plan for her to move Grand Prairie where I lived. I just knew she was going to fit in nicely with my 2 Rotties. About a week later, I got a call that Maddie was sick. Little did I know, just how sick she was! After a few vet visits and medication, it was determined that Maddie was safe to be around other dogs so we planned the trip to bring her home. On the drive north, we realized something was really wrong. We headed straight to the 24-hour clinic in Arlington. I had no idea that my heart was about to break. The vet spent no more than 5 minutes with us before advising that Maddie had distemper and the prognosis was not good. There are 3 phases and Maddie was in the third phase where it was affecting her neurologically. I couldn't believe that God would let me fall in love to just have her taken away. Boy, did I pour out my heart to God that night! The next morning, the miracles began! It started with a coworker in Houston who had a sister in North Texas who worked for a vet with a special interest in treating dogs with distemper. Seriously, what are the chances of someone I know in a Houston having a sister in Plano that works for a vet that doesn't just have a special interest in this illness, but has a good success rate!!! Of course, I called the vet and they could see us the next morning! We were there at the crack of dawn and sure enough, God sent us to a vet who believed in prayer. He asked me to leave Maddie with him for a few hours so he could examine her. I came back 4 hours later and he agreed to treat her so long as I understood that if she had a seizure we would have to stop and put her down. I told him that I believed Maddie was a survivor and just needed someone to give her a chance. We went home and immediately started a very rigorous holistic approach and I prayed a lot! Poor Maddie's immune system was so overwhelmed, she couldn't fight off the sarcoptic or demodectic mange. Yes, she had both types! But, she was such a trooper that even though she had huge red splotches all over and was covered in bald spots, her tail always wagged. She was always happy to see people...and she has a happy-waggy tail that makes you smile. It is beautiful when it curls up and you can see the color mix in it! After about 6 months, we got our next miracle. The vet officially declared Maddie a "Distemper Survivor!" As much as this was an answer to prayer, Maddie wasn't fully healed. She was still battling the mange! Slowly, but surely, she eventually conquered those stupid mites! I worried that her fur wouldn't grow back, but God answered yet another prayer. Maddie has the most beautiful, thick coat you could ever want to see. It is so soft and fluffy! People tell me all the time what a beautiful dog she is! We thank God for the miracles and for all the people He brought to our journey and who fought right along side of us. We thank God for all the puppy parents who understood that there was nothing wrong with Maddie and would let her have friends to play with at the dog parks. She loves to run and chase her friends. But the best miracle of all...Maddie and I have celebrated 8 wonderful years together. She is my best friend and helped me get through the loss of both my Rotties to cancer. Yes, God knew I needed Maddie in my life! And she has been one miracle after another!

Sherri Razo
SPRING, TX