Originally published in 1999 
 
When Joe and Madeleine Mahoney, along with their two Irish wolfhounds, made the long drive from Illinois to Colorado for a summer vacation, they expected to use OnStar. 
 
They just didn’t know how much they’d use it — or how important it would be. 
 
One day, after calling OnStar to get directions to a lake area, the Mahoneys decided to stop at a recreation spot not far from the lake. Since nobody was around, the Mahoneys let their dogs, Maggie and Fahey, run around while the couple explored the scenery. That’s when Maggie disappeared from sight. 
 
When the Mahoneys found their three-year-old dog, she was whimpering and holding up her right paw. “We thought she had broken her leg,” Madeleine says. They helped her back to their SUV, pushed their blue OnStar button* and asked an Advisor for directions* to the nearest animal hospital. 
 
Fortunately, good news was waiting for the Mahoneys at the animal hospital: Maggie had not broken her leg; she tore the ligaments. The vet put Maggie’s leg in a splint and said she would be completely recovered within six to eight weeks. 
 
“OnStar is such a great service,” Madeleine says. “I knew I would be using OnStar for traveling, but I never expected it to help us in a real emergency. It’s a wonderful service, and I’m sold on it. We expect to be customers for a very long time.”