Maggie May

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

Maggie May’s mother was rescued from a puppy mill in Winnipeg, Manitoba last winter. She, along with her puppies, were adopted out by an animal rescue shelter, and Suann DeCourcey decided she’d like to give one of the puppies a home. Maggie May joined the DeCourcey family on May 19, 2007 and quickly set about teaching Suann and her husband Cyril how to parent a Wheaton Terrier puppy! Maggie May also demonstrated how grateful she was to be rescued and given a good home when she saved Suann’s life last winter.

On November 16, 2007, eight-month-old Maggie May and Suann were at home together when Suann started to feel unusually tired and lethargic in the early afternoon. She decided to lie down for a quick nap on the couch, with Maggie curled up at her feet. She awoke a few hours later to Maggie sitting right up on her chest, licking her face and whining quite loudly. Suann, who is deaf in one ear, thought Maggie’s behaviour was very strange and sat up, at which point she heard the carbon monoxide detector going off.

Suann felt very disoriented and wasn’t thinking clearly. She went over to the alarm and tried to take the batteries out, as Maggie was quite distraught (Suann thought it was the noise bothering Maggie May!) Confused and disoriented, Suann called her daughter Tracey to find out how to turn the carbon monoxide detector off. After learning more about the situation and concerned for her mom’s safety, Tracey urged Suann to call the fire department, who told her to exit the house immediately with Maggie May. The fire department arrived within minutes.

The gas company arrived soon after, and told Suann she was very lucky not to be a victim of poisoning, as her furnace was omitting dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide.

If it wasn’t for Maggie, Suann would not have heard the carbon monoxide detector going off and may not have woken up. She could have fallen very ill or much worse. Since that day, Maggie May and Suann are closer than ever, and they are both each other’s true hero. Suann thought she was just rescuing a dog the day she brought Maggie May home; little did she know the dog would rescue her right back.