Maisie Mae Gilman

September 12, 2012 (approximately) — September 26, 2025

From the first moment Wendy saw Maisie (then known as Midnight) on PetFinder, she was smitten. A sort-of-weird looking dog, rescued from Tennessee through Homeward Bound Dog Rescue, Wendy just knew she needed a family to love her. And love her we did.

Maisie joined the family in April 2021 as a skittish, Velcro-like dog who needed to always be with her people, including sleeping with Wendy and Charles. She hated fireworks, thunder, and loud noises. Shortly after joining the family, something scared her on a walk; we couldn’t head down the sidewalk to the right ever again!

She was probably part mountain-goat. There was not a piece of furniture she wouldn’t climb. Wendy came into the kitchen a few weeks ago and found her standing on top of the kitchen table; that explains the chewed up tissues from the box at the far end of the table we would occasionally find. She ate furniture: a destroyed coffee table, chewed/scratched couches, and nips on the grandfather clock made by Charles’ grandfather. She destroyed the two oriental rugs on the first floor. Shoes, gloves, a pom-pom but not the hat, a plant. A ripped open bag of mini-marshmallows, although she ate only a few. She had a cast iron digestive system as we had ample evidence that the things she destroyed were, in fact, eaten.

Maisie loved car rides. If our van was parked out front, she would walk around it, hoping to be let in. She was a “practice dog” at SUNY Cobleskill for two semesters and especially loved the car rides back and forth.

She was the best snuggler and she adapted to how you wanted to snuggle. She loved to lay on the basement couch when her people were working in the basement. She would move back and forth across the couch hunting for the best spot. If you got up from the couch, you might find Maisie in your spot when you got back. 

She loved sitting in the sun, when allowed on the deck she would lay down in the sun for a few minutes and then move into the shade to cool down. She would follow the path of the sun as it made its way across the deck.

She and Lola got along well and Lola often initiated play fights with Maisie. Other than Ruby (our first dog), Lola hasn’t gotten along with any other dogs. One of Maisie’s favorite things to do with Lola was to flank Charles as he moved around the house. They were especially active in the kitchen — hoping that if they tripped someone up that they could snag a treat or two.

Just over a month ago, we discovered Maisie had “masses” (tumors) on her spleen and liver. We chose to make her as comfortable as possible. Last week she started a few new meds, perked up and began eating well. We thought we had more time, but unfortunately, just before 11 pm on Friday evening, she suddenly passed away. The vet had warned us that the tumors could burst and she would bleed out internally. Although scary for the humans, it was quick and painless for Maisie.

Thank you to the vets at Troy Veterinary Hospital and Upstate Veterinary Specialities for taking such good care of our girl. Paula and the team at Henry Loves Betty provided many walks, lots of great pictures, and weekends in the country. And special thanks to Dr. Roger Blankfein from In the Comfort of Home for coming to our home on short notice on Saturday to provide Maisie with dignified aftercare.

Sweet Maisie, we only had four years with you but we loved you very much and will miss you.