For Luke and Ashley Bibby, of Elgin, Minn., they found their family hiking partner back in 2014 at Camp Companion in Rochester, Minn.
The day they met, Luke thought they were heading to Home Depot to run some errands. His wife, Ashley, had a surprise in store.
She had applied to adopt numerous dogs, and finally connected with the one they would end up taking home.
Maggie, a Belgian Malinois, was a rescue dog from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. As Luke said, “They had an unfortunate incident there, so the authorities kind of had to round up any dogs that weren’t for sure in homes.” That’s how Maggie ended up Rochester.
Their veterinarian estimated Maggie was around four months old when Bibbys took her into their home.
Over the years, there have been a lot of adventures with their growing family. Luke, Ashley, their two girls, and Maggie like hiking the trails at Carley State Park near Whitewater, along with trails up around Frontenac and the Wabasha area.
During their hikes, Luke likes to snap a few pictures. He has submitted quite a few that have been published in the magazine and on the Visit Bluff Country social media platforms.
This year’s magazine cover shows Maggie leading the Bibbys down a path that narrowly disappears into the sea of Bluebell flowers that only show their presence in April and May each year.
Maggie, now 12, was not only the inspiration of this year’s cover, but also the shirts the team at Visit Bluff Country Magazine is giving away each week over the next several months. The shirts show an image of a dog similar to Maggie with the words “Eat. Play. Sleep.” That’s the life of a dog, and that sounds like a pretty good life.
For those interested in adopting, Camp Companion currently has 42 dogs looking for a good home accessible at www.campcompanion.org
We also encourage readers to submit photos for next year’s magazine, sharing the unspoiled scenic beauty of History Bluff Country.
Thanks to Luke and Ashley for sharing their story about Maggie, and for helping us make this year’s cover extra special.
