Rule 776: The Fable of Maggie
I’ve always been partial to fables — a great moral wrapped in a simple story. Maggie, Bobbi’s dad’s dog — more properly, Bobbi’s late mom’s dog — had quite the adventure in the last 24 hours. It has become more than a story; it has become a fable.
As for the background, I defer to Bobbi’s own words:
“Our sweet Maggie is HOME!
I am absolutely certain that every single person who shared my posts, put up flyers, tracked the park, prayed for us, or gave recommendations is truly an angel. When Maggie got out of the car, the right angel was in the right place at the right time. She took Maggie to The Glen Nursing Home — the very same Memory Care Facility before she passed. That is no coincidence, that is a miracle.
This kind lady kept Maggie safe overnight. Meanwhile, friends and family rushed to help search — Connie, Tanya, Sandy, Eddie… all by our side. Then came Kim (another angel! a recommendation from our friend Kelly), a volunteer dog tracker who seemed to appear out of nowhere to guide us, post flyers, and comfort us through an emotional storm.
And then came “Babs,” another angel who asked at The Glen if they’d seen a missing dog. When they said yes, she reached out to me immediately: “I think it’s her.”
The next day, Kim got a call: “We have your Maggie. She’s safe, she’s with my mom right now, and I can bring her to you at the park.”
Tears flowed — mine, my family’s, my dad’s. We were speechless. The miracle is that such a tiny dog was found safe in such a busy area. The miracle is that over 5,000 shares on social media reached the right people. The miracle is the overwhelming kindness of strangers who became friends.
Neither Kim nor Maggie’s “overnight angel” would accept the reward. Instead, the reward will be donated to the charity Kim works with, so that more lost fur babies can be tracked and reunited with their families.
I am humbled, grateful, and forever thankful to every single person who helped. This is proof that humanity and love shine brightest when you need them most.
From the bottom of my heart — thank you, thank you, thank you.”
The Captain, Bobbi’s dad, never goes anywhere without Maggie. She was Barb’s dog — a living reminder of Barb’s love even after her passing. Wherever the Captain went, Maggie followed, a thread still binding him to his late wife.
So when Maggie went missing, panic followed. The Captain searched with a frantic heart, and Bobbi and Sandy searched everything through the night. Maggie’s tag still carried Barb’s name and disconnected number, frozen in time — as if updating it would sever the last tie. What had once been a way of remembering now became an obstacle to finding.
That next day with worry weighing heavy, my sister Donna reached out to Bobbi. She reminded us of an old Catholic prayer my mother had taught us when our dog Tippy went missing years ago. Bobbi and I stopped everything, and together — with Donna’s help — we prayed out loud:
“Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony, please come around; something is lost and can’t be found.”
Prayer is not a bargain, nor a guarantee. Prayer is a surrender — an opening of the heart to God’s will. It is forgiveness for the moments we cannot control and trust that His hand is still present in our lives.
Within 25 minutes of that prayer, a stranger named “Babs” called. Maggie had been found. She had been taken to the very care facility where Barb had once lived. The same halls she and Maggie had walked together. The same place where love had lingered.
Coincidence? Perhaps. But I believe it was a reminder.
A reminder that prayers are heard, though not always answered the way we expect.
A reminder that forgiveness is part of love — forgiving ourselves for panic, for doubt, for the frailty of being human.
A reminder that the bonds we share with those we love do not end with death.
Maggie’s return is a fable for us all: that in prayer there is hope, in forgiveness there is healing, and in love there is a presence that transcends this world.
Maggie is a good dog — and like all good dogs, she has taught us more than we realized.
When we pray with open hearts and forgive with open hands, love finds its way home.