MacAiogdh 's Memorial

MacAiogdh
(2008 - 2012)

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General Details

Name: MacAiogdh
Gender: Male
Type of Pet: Dog
Breed: Beautiful Border Collie
Age: 3 years old
Lived: Sunday, 31 August 2008 - Saturday, 7 January 2012

My Story


Our beautiful furry "kid" and "grandkid", Hillcrest the Power of Myth MacAiogdh, passed away last Saturday. He was only three years old, but had a very severe case of canine epilepsy which had been getting progressively worse and was not responding to medication. Last week he began having grand mal seizures every two hours around the clock, so after a lot of heartbreaking soul-searching, Kerrie made the tough call and had him put to sleep. John, Diane, and Kerrie were all able to be with him and he passed away peacefully in Kerrie's arms.

MacAiogdh was named in honor of the Scottish poet George MacKay Brown, "the voice of the Orkney Islands". (We wanted to give him the Gaelic version of the spelling and then discovered that we'd misspelled it! However, by that time we'd already registered the name with the AKC and put it on all his tags, so we decided just to keep it. It is, at least, very distinctive. :) He was an incredibly smart and eager to learn little guy who mastered all of the novice AKC obedience exercises and had even learned several service dog behaviors, which were a great help to Kerrie with her vision difficulties and episodes of chronic pain. It's going to take her a while to get used to finding her own shoes and carrying her own laundry to the washing machine.

MacAiogdh was always eager and ready for anything.  If you asked MacAiogdh "Do you want to..." you never had to even finish the sentence; MacAiogdh's answer was always a bright-eyed, prick-eared and tail-wagging "YES!!!"  He was an extraordinary athlete who, despite a severe tendon injury when he was a year and a half, could still run like the wind and jump over Kerrie's head after a frisbee.  He loved to learn tricks and often added his own unique touches to them, such as barking furiously every time he "rolled over" and crossing his paws whenever he "sat pretty." Dr. Keith Sides once nicknamed this posture "Poodle Paws" (you can see it in MacAiogdh's memorial photo, above. :)

MacAiogdh was a great help and inspiration for Kerrie's growing literary career.  He began modelling to illustrate Kerrie's magazine articles for The Indoor Gardener when he was only 4 months old and went on to appear in several issues.  Kerrie also just found out that her short story about MacAiogdh and Diane, called "Walking the Grandbaby Back Home", will appear in Chicken Soup for the Soul: I Can't Believe My Dog Did That! when it is published in September of 2012.

During his quiet times, MacAiogdh loved to sit with his special blanket, an Irish Chain quilt Diane had originally handmade for Kerrie which somehow or other quickly became his (how *did* that happen anyway, hmmm? :)  He would spend hours gently mouthing this blanket and kneading it with his paws like a kitten, something none of us had ever seen any dog do before.  He also liked to "redecorate" with it, dragging it from room to room and pulling and pushing it until he got it just right.  The quilt was too big for MacAiogdh to have with him during his final days in the WSU ICU, but Kerrie left her favorite sweatshirt with him instead, and the vet techs told us that he did exactly the same thing with it. 

Those of you who have been privileged to have animals in your lives who were more than 'just pets', who were friends and partners as well, will understand what an honor it was for us to have this sweet, bright, beautiful little spirit in our lives. He will be sorely missed.

Latest Tributes

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Comment Memorial Tribute
From: montyh
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Someone sent me your dog MacAiogdh's memorial. I am so very sorry for your loss. He sounds wonderful. He also sound...
Song Dedication Memorial Tribute
From: bbmtl
Song Name: Beauty Queen
Artist: Roxy Music
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“[…] All of my hope, and my inspiration I drew from you Our life’s pattern ...
Song Dedication Memorial Tribute
From: kerrieb
Song Name: Wild Thing
Artist: The Troggs
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"Wild Thing You make my heart sing..." I'm sure everyone else in the univ...
Song Dedication Memorial Tribute
From: kerrieb
Song Name: Open Your Eyes
Artist: Snow Patrol
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"Everything here is strange and untrue And I won't waste a minute without yo...
Incense Memorial Tribute
From: lizm
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Sadly we never met in person. I had hoped to maybe see you when I would get around to visit within the next few years...
Stone Memorial Tribute
From: TomatoCarl
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Somehow a stone seems approprite for MacAiogdh. His place in our hearts is a solid as a stone. The many ways he tou...
Incense Memorial Tribute
From: kerrieb
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I'm sure non-cyber incense would have made you sneeze, but I wanted to do something different. Still miss you, angel...
Heart Memorial Tribute
From: Realth
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Right now I keep remembering MacAiogdh's big heart and generous spirit. If a group of people were playing with him, ...
Flower Memorial Tribute
From: Realth
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Flower Memorial Tribute
From: kerrieb
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I keep thinking it should get easier not having you with me, but as I slowly return to my daily routine again it actu...
Candle Memorial Tribute
From: TomatoCarl
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From my very limited perspective, we spent far too little time togehter. But I will always remember how you showed y...
Candle Memorial Tribute
From: Tovie
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Doesn't seem like it's been almost 3 1/2 years since Kerrie brought you home, but then again, I find it hard to belie...

Biography

Owners Names: Kerrie, Diane, and John
Country: USA
Unique Markings: "M" shaped line at the top of his nose
Traits: Brilliant, sweet, faithful to the end

Interests

Favourite Toy: Green Squeaky Froggy
Favourite Place: Wherever Kerrie was!
Favourite Game: Chase-the-yellow-ring, Herding Humans, "redecorating" with his favorite blankies
Favourite Trick: He loved doing anything Kerrie taught him.
Favourite Music: Whatever waltz Diane hummed when she danced with him.
Pet's Peeves: Having his people come home late.

Passing

Place of Passing: WSU Teaching Veterinary Hospital, Pullman, WA
Date of Passing: 7 January 2012
Cause of Passing: Euthanized because of untreatable epilepsy.
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1,233 Visits    |    Online Memorial Created By: kerrieb on 11 January 2012    |     Back to Top





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