I'm growing up!

i'm growing up!

I'm now a year and two months old. Hard to believe, huh?

I still like to steal shoes and rip up magazines. In fact, I even ripped up one of mom's magazines just this morning! I also like to jump on my uncles, Dexter and Murray, as well as any people who come to visit me.

But, I am getting a lot more laid back. My favorite thing to do now is take a nap on top of the loveseat. I'm over thirty pounds, so I'm starting to put a dent in the cushion, but mom doesn't mind because I am so cute.

Last night I thought it would be fun to crawl under the bed. Mom couldn't find me until finally she pulled the bedskirt up, and there I was! I was resting my head against a piece of wood on the bottom of the bed. I like hiding down there. After I crawled out, I got really excited and started jumping all over the bed.

The other new thing I've discovered is finding beetles in the backyard. I sniff around, dig them up, and sometimes I even bring them inside. Mom doesn't like that, though. I try to be careful and keep them alive because I like to watch them crawl around. I always lay beside them and wag my tail. Then, when I get bored, I toss them in the air. That's usually when mom finds that I've brought one inside. Sometimes I get in trouble for trying to dig up bugs when I'm supposed to be going outside before bed, but I can't help it. I love looking for them at night.

Well, I better go. Nap time is calling.

Happy Birthday to Me!

A few days ago, I had my first birthday! It as so much fun! Mom invited my Grammy and Grampy over, and the Puncles (puppy uncles... that's what mom keeps calling them), Dexter and Murray, came over too! Boy, I love playing with those guys! They seem a little afraid of me. I know it's probably just because I jump on them so much, but I can't help it. I am always just so excited to see them. They brought me a really fun new frisbee that I keep trying to eat and mom keeps taking away from me. I loved it! They are so nice to me. I usually cry whenever mom and dad drive me to their house because I love them so much.

Mom and dad bought me a new toy and some birthday puppy cookies. I love playing with my new dragon toy, although I already got the squeaker out. I keep chewing small pieces off and swallowing them before mom can get them away from me. I also really love eating the birthday cookies... they are so delicious. Every time mom gives me one, I cry for a few minutes and try to find a good hiding spot for it. I like saving the cookies until the perfect time. Mom gave me one when she put me in my crate the night of my birthday, and I fluffed my covers in my crate, covered up my cookie, and kept it there until morning. When mom let me out of my crate in the morning, I took the cookie into the living room and ate it. I just wanted to save it. Mom says I take after her.

I have learned a lot of puppy tricks since the last time mom wrote a blog. I've been trying to get her to write more often, but she's always got papers to grade and boring stuff like that. I can give high-fives, shake, sit, lay down, and stay. I sometimes only do tricks when I can see that you have a treat in your hand. I'm smart like that.

I'm really looking forward to being one years old. Mom's going to try to schedule more play dates for me, even with my brother, Benny. I ran into him once after we both got adopted, and he looks just like me. His parents say he likes to hide under the bed and get into trouble too.

Goodnight, everyone. I'll make sure mom writes more soon.
-Maddie

What a fun day!

I am so exhausted from all the fun I had today! My mom invited my grandparents and my uncle dogs Dexter and Murray over for a sleepover last night! We partied until we dropped... literally! I laid down on the tile after they left and have been sleepy ever since.

This week has been full of adventure. I'm learning that I can reach the table if I jump up and reach high with my paws. So, sometimes my mom leaves her books up there and if I'm really lucky I can get one and chew on it before she catches me. She always says, "Put that down!!!" but I know she really likes it when I take stuff. It makes her laugh.

She also has been trying to switch me to a high quality dog food, since the stuff they fed me at the shelter was full of stuff that isn't too good for me. I wish she would just give me my old food, though! This new healthy food isn't nearly as delicious. I've found that if I refuse it eat it, though, mom gets worried and lets me eat it out of her hand. I'm getting used to the taste of it, now, and it is making my hair feel really soft and look really shiny, but I'm still letting mom think I don't like it. That way, she'll keep feeding me by hand!

Mom took me to the vet again this week. She is so paranoid, but I put up with it. She found a lump on me and sort of freaked out. The nice lady at the vet said it wasn't anything to worry about. The lump is probably just inflamed tissue from when I got my worming shot a couple weeks ago. Sometimes lumps don't show up from shots until a couple weeks later, which is what happened with me. Also, good news! The vet said I don't have a luxating patella because my kneecap feels good. I probably just pop because I strained something in my knee. We are going back to my regular vet on Tuesday for my flu booster shot, so mom is going to ask him what he thinks about my knee, just to be sure. He wasn't in the office last week when mom got worried about the lump on my back.

So, let's get to the good stuff. Last night, I was SO excited that my grandparents and uncles (the uncles are the dogs) came over to play with me! Dexter and Murray are grown adult dogs, so sometimes I think I annoy them with my energy. I can't help it, though! I just love them so much that I have to keep kissing them! They growl a little when I get in their faces. This morning though, I figured out that they won't bite me, because I stayed close to them even though they were growling, and all they did was keep growling! So, I kept licking them and tried to shake hands with their heads. I do that when I like other dogs.

Yesterday, we were going on a walk in my neighborhood, and a big black dog saw us and tried to follow us! I wanted to be friends with her, but my uncles started barking loudly at her, so I figured I better bark loudly too! She followed us all the way home, so mom took my leash and took her back home. I would have liked it if she could have stayed for a little while.

This morning, I woke up, and the dogs were STILL here at my house! My mom was sleeping, but I really wanted to play with my uncles, so I quietly cried until she woke up and let me out of my crate. I then ran straight to the room my uncles and grandparents were in and scratched the door! Mom said I shouldn't do that because it was only 7:45 in the morning. After I went outside, she put me back in my crate and said she wanted to sleep some more because she was still tired! I really didn't want to sleep, though! I wanted to play with my uncles. So, I started barking, and then Uncle Dexter started barking back from across the house. He thought it was fun, but mom made me stop barking and go back to sleep.

Finally, after what seemed like half my lifetime, mom let me see Dexter and Murray! I was so excited and jumped all over them. I don't think they like it when I jump on them. I try to tell them it's ok, though, by licking their faces!

I love to follow them around and see what they are doing. Right now they act like they are still a little scared of me, but I'm really working hard to make them my friends. Little by little, I can tell I am winning them over. I was so happy to see my grandparents too! My granddad lets me chew his fingers, and he says funny things. Grandmom always puts treats in my Kong and snuggles me. I love them!

I hope I get to see my uncles again soon. They sure are nice guys.

-Maddie

I have one of those overprotective moms.

So, let me start by saying I may or may not have walked through and sat on a lawn that he been sprayed with pesticide. My mom totally freaked out about it because she didn't see the sign in the neighbor's yard until I'd already smelled the grass to figure out why it smelled so funny. She made me get out of the yard and walk in the road, which was way less fun. Then, she kept watching me. This all happened on Wednesday. So, on Thursday night in the middle of the night, I woke up and started panting. I was really just upset because I didn't want to be in my crate and because I was very thirsty. I had eaten right before bed and hadn't drank enough water. Mom convinced herself I was having some kind of reaction to the pesticide yard, though, and her and dad didn't get much sleep that night because they were worried about me. I didn't mean to wake them up with my panting, but I was thirsty!

Mom looked up a bunch of information about pesticides online, and she says you should definitely not spray that garbage in your yard! She says it can not only hurt dogs, but it can also hurt kids and even grown adults! All sorts of bad things can happen. Lucky for me, the stuff was dry by the time I walked over it in the neighbor's yard, and no damage was done! It's pretty awful how bad it is for you, though. I'd rather just have grasshoppers and ants. Grasshoppers are fun to chase, anyway.

So, mom got me a new crate that's a lot bigger to help with my anxiety since I am so much bigger now. I like that my water bowl fits in it, and I like that she keeps hiding treats in there. Beyond that, though, I'd rather be sleeping on the couch.

Speaking of the couch, my back knee has started making a popping noise when I jump. It doesn't hurt me at all, and I really don't think it's anything to worry about, but mom said she is going to ask the vet about it when I got to get my second flu shot. She thinks I have patella something another. Basically it means my knee cap isn't situated right. I'm not to upset about it, because even if there is something wrong, mom says I'll get to have treats with glucosamine in them. Uncle Murray eats those because he has hip displasia, and he really likes them. Boy, I sure do like Uncle Murray and Uncle Dexter! They came to play at my house last Saturday. I don't understand why they are so scared of me! Before they left, Dexter was laying on the couch, and I wanted to give him a hug, so I jumped up there and snuggled him. He acted like he was really scared of me, so I licked him. Uncle Murray is getting less and less scared of me, though, which is good because mom says I can play ball with him someday.

Last night something very scary happened. I noticed the fireplace for the first time, so I started barking at it. A lot. And loud. Mom said there isn't anything to worry about.

My mom got me this new food called Natural Balance. It is so delicious! She's mixing it with my Puppy Chow right now, but I wish she would just let me eat only that because it is good. She said it's very healthy, so I should have more energy. I am a growing girl, you know.

I wish mom would stop taking cool stuff away from me. So far, she has taken away socks, underwear, the camera, multiple shoes, the end of the doorstop (which, incidentally, I worked hard to get off), pieces of toys I've bitten off, leaves, sticks, water bottles, and even bugs.

Well, I better go now. Mom and dad are both still really tired from not sleeping the other night. Sometimes they can be a little overprotective, but I love them anyway.

-Maddie

We are all tired...

(I got the sense these blogs would be more interesting in Maddie's voice.)

So, my mom has been having a lot of fun playing with me. I'm still a little scared because I'm worried my mom and dad are going to take me back to the shelter. It's only been a couple weeks, and last time I got a home, I got taken back afterward. Whenever mom or dad leaves me in my crate, sometimes I bark or cry, but I'm getting better about that because I'm starting to trust that this is my forever home. I've also noticed that mom and dad have been acting a lot more casual about leaving me in my crate whenever they go out to lunch rather than making a big deal out of leaving. Whenever they seemed like they felt bad for leaving me, it made me worry that they were going to leave me for a long time. Now that they act like it's not big deal though, I'm a lot less anxious. Mom's also been putting this stuffing inside my Kong and leaving that in my crate. I always thought my Kong was kind of fun to chew on, but now that it has treats inside, I love it! It keeps me distracted while I'm in my crate.

I don't know why they keep taking everything away from me. Naturally, I assume everything in my sight is edible and or a toy. For some reason, my mom keeps putting her fingers in my
mouth and getting stuff out when I try to eat it! I worked really hard to get the cap off of the doorstop, and then right away my mom freaked out and got it out of my mouth! Sometimes she is a little overprotective.

I learned today that I really like V8 Splash. Mom left a glass of it on the side table at lunch while she went to microwave her soup, so I leaned over and tasted it. She caught me before I could get very much, but I did really enjoy the few licks I got!

I'm sitting with her right now and trying to type on the keyboard. I don't understand why she won't let me lick the screen. I just wanted to check out what it tasted like.

I've been going on a lot of walks, which I really like. I've been getting better about barking at things. I'm still pretty scared of dogs, which my mom doesn't understand since there were so many dogs at the shelter. It's just different now that I have a home. I would like to play with the other dogs... I always wag my tail when I see them. I just bark a lot because I'm scared. I don't bark at people anymore, though. I really love playing with children. I'm pretty good about walking beside mom as long as there aren't children around. When I get excited, I like to pull the leash really hard. Mom just walks too slow!

Mom said she and dad want to get me used to other dogs before October, because our humane society is having a special event then and some of my friends from the shelter would probably like to see me. I just hope she doesn't dress me up in some silly outfit. Our humane society is also having a contest for the cutest dog pictures. So, my mom keeps following me around with the camera, taking pictures of all the cute things I do. I think it's a game, so I either run away before she can get the picture, or I try to eat the camera. I really like licking.

I hope I get to play with my uncles Dexter and Murray again soon. They are very scared of me because they are only used to playing with each other, and I bite their ears and try to get them to play. I'll eventually win them over. Mom says they are really nice dogs and really fun to play with. She thinks Murray and I will be good friends because he likes to chase bugs as much as I do. Speaking of which, I don't know why she keeps acting surprised when I eat bugs I find. What's the point of finding bugs if I don't eat them?

Mom is trying to switch me to Blue Buffalo dog food. I think it tastes delicious. She says I can only have a little at a time until my stomach gets used to it, though.

My favorite thing is going into the laundry room or the closet, finding a sock, and running away with it before my mom can catch me. Mom and dad both chase me all around the living room, but I am too fast for them! Finally, I slow down when I can tell they really want the sock back.

Right now I'm going to go lay on the tile while Mom does some homework. I like laying there because it keeps me cool, especially after walks. I can't wait to see what adventures I find tomorrow!

-Maddie

Three O'Clock Comes Early

So, we decided to leave the door to our bedroom open and put Maddie's crate right at the edge of the door last night. It worked great for both puppy and husband, as she was close enough to see us but far enough away to keep Matt's allergies from flaring up. We think the allergy problem was just because she was so dirty. He has been doing much better today.

So, one of us have been getting up to take her outside at 3:30 all three nights she's been with us so far. Since Matt took her the first two nights, I volunteered to take her last night. She was so adorable! She was so happy that I let her out of the crate in the middle of the night, but she seemed disoriented. She took care of business quickly when we got outside because she was obviously just as tired as I was. After letting her outside again when Matt went to work, I laid down for about an hour more and she let me with no problem. She's such a good puppy. The only time she cries is when she can't see one of us. As long as she knows we are nearby, she is fine. Our 7 o'clock trip to the yard was an interesting one because Maddie likes to chase bees and mommy likes to run away from them.

She seems to be getting increasingly more comfortable with her crate. I have been putting toys inside of it, but it's only been since late yesterday that she has wanted to play with them. Prior to that, she just wanted to find a way to break out of the crate.

She met her Uncle Murray and Uncle Dexter today. She did so well with them! She barked a lot at first because she was uncomfortable, but she was wagging her tail the whole time. They were more scared of her than she was of them. My mom and I took her for a walk with Dexter and Murray (my parents' dogs, in case you didn't pick that up earlier), and I found out that she seems to already know how to walk properly. She pulls against the leash big time when she gets excited about seeing something, but other than that, she walks right beside you. She even walked to the far side of the road when she spotted a car coming. It's so fun to discover things she already knows.

This puppy absolutely loves car rides. She started off on my lap on the way home, tried to eat stuff in the cupholder, crawled over to the passenger seat, looked out the window there, leaned forward into the air conditioner, opened the cupholder with her paw, tried to eat stuff out of it again, and then finally snuggled in for the rest of the ride on my lap.

She is sitting nicely in her crate now chewing on a sock. I am so glad she is getting so much more comfortable with her crate and our house. She's running around now like she's been here for weeks.

I forgot to mention that she met the neighbor's Jack Russell yesterday. I call him Wishbone, but that isn't his real name. Anyway, he was so excited to meet her, but she was very scared of him. She just kept barking until finally I took her inside. I think if I would have given her a few more minutes, she would've warmed up to him and would've really liked him. He is such a friendly guy. People say Jack Russells can be snippy and aggressive, but this little guy just proves that dog stereotypes are totally inaccurate. He does have a very short attention span like most Jack Russells, but he is such a sweetheart. I hope he comes back to visit so he and Maddie can be friends.

I called the humane society today to confirm that we want to finalize our adoption of Maddie. They were so happy she has found a great home, and they told me to give her a hug for them.

I am awed by the dedication and service of the humane society workers, and thankful that they gave my Maddie a second chance. If it weren't for the humane society taking Maddie's mom, Madison, in when she was pregnant, Maddie would've probably never made it to this world, let alone to us. Thank you, animal rescue workers, for saving animals' lives.

What a Scare

So, today my husband woke up with swollen, red eyes. He walked up to me while I was drying my hair and, with a concerned look on his face, said, "I think we have a problem." My first thought was, "Do you have pink eye in both eyes?" until I realized it was an allergy. Within a few hours, it only got worse, and after coming home to visit Maddie during his lunch break, he started feeling like his chest was tight. Matt is allergic to cats, but never dogs. I was really sure it was just because Maddie hadn't had a bath yet. But then, when his allergy seemed to be getting worse while he was at work, he started worrying more, and so did I.

By the time I got home from work, I started crying. All day, I kept telling myself we would not have to give her back to the shelter. I kept telling myself not to overreact. But then, after hearing how bad Matt's allergy was getting, it hit me for the first time that I might really have to return my little girl to the shelter. And I started crying. Maddie licked me a whole bunch and even laid down beside me like she wanted me to feel better. Then, she started running around the room with her toys and that distracted me quite well. She does the cutest things. She discovered a cardboard crate that previously had water bottles in it, and she likes to drag it around. She gets scared if it flips over. She also thought it would be fun to put her toys inside it. It's so funny to me how she has decided that one spot by the front door is her own toy spot. She keeps taking her toys and clustering them over there.

We went to the vet for her check-up, and he said she is a very healthy puppy. Her stitches from her spay can come out next week, which I am very excited about! Maddie is doing a great job listening when I tell her to stop scratching, but I know the poor girl is itching like crazy. She was scared of the other dogs at the vet, but she loved all the people. She wanted to lick everyone. Our vet said that very rarely are people allergic to dogs and that Matt is probably allergic to her dander. I explained to him that I haven't bathed her because the lady at the humane society told me not to let her stitches get wet. He said that her stitches look good, though, and that he definitely thinks I should bathe her, get Matt some antihistemines, and all should be fine. I left there a very happy and thankful puppy mom.

She is so brilliant. Today she scratched the door to go outside, went to the bathroom out there, and then ran into her crate unprompted when she got back inside! She is getting the hang of crate training and is starting to like her crate more. I had to leave her for several hours longer than normal to go to work today, and she was so excited to see me when I got home.

She did not like her bath at all. She was very scared and tried to jump away from the water. She definitely liked being wet, though! She grabbed her squeaky toy that looks like a cat and kept running all around our house with it. She also snagged her mommy's camera by the handle, ran through the house with it, and slung it in the kitchen before mommy could catch her. My camera was fine, though, and she was just having fun. She calmed down alot after she dried off, and now she feels super soft. And clean. And daddy is feeling much better.

The realization that I could lose her today made me so much more thankful for her. I knew she was a great fit for us, but you always have doubts about whether or not you made the best possible decision, especially since we made the decision so quickly. Today I realized our Maddie could not be a more perfect pet for us. Thinking about having to give her up made me realize that even though it's only been two days, she has already become a part of my family. All I could think about were her unique characteristics and how no other dog could ever be her to us again. I remember looking at her toys and thinking that if we did have to give her back to the shelter, I would want to give them all her toys as well because she loves them all so much.

I want to play with her every day like I did when I thought I might have to say goodbye.