It was cold, 15 degrees cold. But it wasn't just the temperature that had Maggie shivering. Two traps, one on her front right paw, and one on her left back paw, were sinking painfully deeper into her paws.

Still, she trudged on. Two days away from the safety of her home, Maggie, an 18-month old Corgi-Lab mix, refused to lie down and die. She not only walked with the traps savagely gnawing into her flesh, Maggie dragged one of the stakes with her, too.

She was desperate, and she would let nothing stop her from reaching the loving arms of her family, Jennifer and Erik Yesbeck. And Jennifer was plenty worried, too.

For two days, Jennifer and Erik had searched the area where they lived, calling Maggie's name but to no avail. And with a nine-week old daughter to care for, Jennifer and her husband had their hands full.

The stress of losing her beloved dog drove Jennifer to the breaking point. "I couldn't sleep," she said. "I just kept thinking about where she might be, and how scared she probably was."

Maggie was plenty scared. But she wouldn't let her fear or the excruciating pain stop her from going home. After two days, Jennifer heard another one of her dogs, Bruiser, barking. She instantly knew Maggie was home! Jennifer bolted out of the house, jubilant, expecting to see Maggie with her tail wagging, her tongue hanging out, thirsty and tired.

What she saw instead made her heart stop cold. Maggie was dragging her body with two steel traps clamped down on her front and back paws. Jennifer rushed to her dog's aid, tears streaming down her face.

Gangrene had already started setting in on her front leg. "She was in a lot of pain, we could tell that," Jennifer said. "But still, we were so happy she was back and even through her pain you could tell she was happy, too."

Evidently, Maggie had wandered into the woods and stumbled upon a pair of steel leg traps along the way. By law, traps are supposed to be checked twice a day. If the owner of these traps had abided by the law, Maggie would not be facing the amputation of one of her legs.

This brave young dog did the unthinkable. Somehow, she dug up the stakes and made a truly incredible two-day journey back to the ones she loved. There is no way Maggie should have survived. Can you explain it?

It's the power of love. Maggie's determination to reunite with her beloved companions, Jennifer and Erik, saved her from certain death. She simply refused to die alone. " I just can't believe she made it back," Jennifer said, her gratefulness obvious. "I was thinking the whole time she had either gotten hurt or someone had taken her. But I kept having this feeling that she was going to come home. And she found a way and we are so grateful that she did!"

Maggie has endured several surgeries because of the trapper's negligence. The Yesbecks face mounting bills with the cost of surgeries and daily trips to the veterinarian's office to clean Maggie's wounds and change her bandages.

With the birth of their daughter, 9-week old Emmaleigh, the Yesbecks are also adjusting to their new role of parenthood. The stress of Maggie's ordeal, the mounting bills accompanying her recovery, and the joy of having Emmaleigh as part of their family, has made for a true rollercoaster ride for the Yesbecks.

But the Yesbecks feel they've been given a gift. And most certainly they have. They are thrilled to have Maggie back. "It's great just knowing she's back. "It's great just knowing she's all right," Jennifer said. "But still, who leaves traps like that without checking them?"

The Mosby Foundation wholeheartedly agrees. We feel that these steel traps should be banned completely and not be used on any animal. That's why we helped the Yesbecks with their veterinarian bills. It was the least we could do to honor the courage of this wonderful dog. In spite of Maggie's ordeal, she's still the same lovable dog she was before the incident.

The will to live and the desire to live in the love you know is a powerful, some would say miraculous, motivator to return to the people you love. And if you don't think so, just take a good long look into Maggie's eyes.

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