From Ring Bearer, to being Borne within the Rings
Christina Lehner
I had the honor of meeting a kind and gentle family with their sweetheart, Maulie (pronounced like Molly), a mini Aussie/border collie mix. Maulie was her mom’s “heart dog” and she always knew how to cheer people up. When she was first adopted, her mom had gone through SO much heartbreak. She did not have a family and had been by herself since she was 15 years old. She was so alone, but Maulie mended her broken heart and together they were a new family. They did everything together! Especially travel. Once they were together, their adventures took them to both coasts, three great lakes, across 16 states and lived in four of them. They had spent over 7,000 miles on the road together. Maulie even went to work with her mom! They worked with autistic children and Maulie was MADE for this job. She did so great with the kids and knew how to interact with them in such sweet and gentle ways.
Maulie was a sweetheart off-the-clock too, becoming a huge daddy’s girl when he entered the picture. He would hold up different outfits for her to choose and she would pick a different one each time. She loved wearing her dresses, especially pink ones! She would prance around proudly when wearing them. The three of them were such a happy family.
As time went by, dad proposed to mom, and wedding plans were in the making! Who better to be the ring bearer than their beloved Maulie? She was such a good girl and has been there for them throughout their entire relationship. She of course would get to pick her dress for their big day.
Before that day could come, her parents noticed a swelling on Maulie’s face. They went to their veterinarian where she was diagnosed with a fast-growing cancer and she wouldn’t be able to make it until the wedding. They were so heartbroken about their little girl and made her as comfortable as possible before giving Creature Comfort a call to help her end her pain.
On her day, both mom and dad showed me pictures and videos of their little Maulie doing all kinds of things, including how she would get excited when her dad went to the closet to pick which outfit she wanted to wear. It was so cute!
While Maulie was getting sleepy, we turned the lights down and her dad sang her a song. It was “The Last Goodbye” from The Lord of The Rings movie trilogy. It was such a beautiful song that ended with “I bid you a very fond farewell” and I couldn’t help but get teary-eyed from such a touching song. I highly recommend you have a listen.
Maulie’s parents took such amazing care of her throughout her entire life and she was more than just a dog - she was family. She meant so much to both of them, that she would even be their ring bearer. Even though there wasn’t enough time for her to do so, they did the next best thing: they agreed to have Maulie cremated and have her ashes be placed in both of their wedding rings.
So even though Maulie was not the Ring Bearer, she is still gets to be Borne within the Rings and can be close to them forever