Maggie and her half sister!

I've been meaning to post this for quite some time...When we were at the Ann Arbor 4th of July parade, we spotted a puppy and knew right away that she and Maggie were related. We introduced ourselves and learned that, yes indeed, they have the same mama. They were so cute playing together and Stella's "parents" were kind enough to send me this lovely photo. What cuties!

Fall is in the air!

What a gorgeous weekend! The colors are brilliant, it was sunny and we spent a lot of time outdoors. Here's Ms. Maggs in Black Pond Woods.

Boy, oh boy, did Maggie have fun this weekend! She just loved playing with my son and his friends in the leaves. They loved teasing her by burying the tennis ball deep in the leaves. She is VERY motivated by that tennis ball!

I am always sad to see the summer go, but the fall is so beautiful around here that it is hard to be sad for long!

End-of-the-year dog swim

Those of you who know me know that I love to have fun, I love dogs and I love all of the quirky activities that are available in Ann Arbor. The end-of-the-year dog swim at Buhr Pool satisfies all of these criteria! This is the first time that I joined in the fun. My son and I took our one year old golden retriever, Maggie, who had a blast! She was a bit hesitant at first, but there is nothing that can stop her from a tennis ball. By the end of the session she was diving willingly and gracefully. The pure joy of 30 dogs together with balls and water is beyond description. I will definitely make this an annual tradition!

Maggie goes to doggie overnight camp!

My dear friends, Lynette and Macklin, agreed to take Maggie while I went off on a long weekend. Maggie was extremely well taken care of and she and Millie clearly had a blast. As for Lynette and Macklin, I'm not so sure...

They played ball...they went on walks...they went inside, then outside again...they lounged in the myrtle...they even escaped a time or two! All in all, it sounded like a great time was had and Maggie was pooped when she got home. Not that it takes her too long to recover!

Rite of Passage

Poor Maggie endured an inevitable rite of passage this morning. We headed out for our walk early this morning. I was hoping to take her on a long walk to make up for the short walks in the rain yesterday. The only good thing about the rain was that it was a good opportunity to give Maggie a much needed bath and then keep her inside all day. As we were about to enter the woods, Maggie came running back to me, squealing all the way. She cuddled up against my leg, whimpering and blinking her eyes constantly. And then it hit me. The stench of skunk was everywhere! Aaargh. So much for that great bath I gave her yesterday. She then proceeded to roll in the mud to sooth the irritation. Sigh. She is now recuperating from her second bath in two days (in her crate in the garage- where I hope she won't need to stay for too long...). I think I might just make it a point to wait until the sun is really up before venturing out...

Sweet new puppy friend!

We had a lovely walk on Friday with Barb, Khegen and their brand new, adorable pup, Supernova (Nova, for short). He did a great job with the big dogs and was very good on his first off-leash walk. He is sweet and gentle, very easygoing and oh-so-snuggly! Welcome, Nova!

So many deer bones, so little time...

Dear Millie brought me another deer foot in the woods. Appropriately, she dropped it when asked, but Maggie decided to run with it. Literally. It would have been comical had I been watching. However, being the chaser it wasn't terribly amusing. Lynette, when you get home, remind me to tell you the whole story about the mystery of the three deer carcasses...

Let's see, what else have these pups been up to? Oh yes, Maggie jumped off the bridge over Black Pond. She never would have considered that, but she was simply following Edgar (a big sweet lab) and that's where he went. Sigh. A bath was long overdue anyway so it all worked out in the end. Millie sampled the water to her belly, but decided against it.

Millie looks fabulous just having come from the groomers. Little red bandana and all. And, fortunately, I got no berating for bad grooming behavior.

More puppy fun

Maggie LOVES to chase the tennis ball and Millie is learning to love it too. Here is one area that Millie actually needed a bit of instruction. I have now whipped her into shape and she is now returning with the ball, rather than running off with it, and I can even get her to drop it now most of the time. It's fun to watch those dogs run after it. Millie is built to run. Her lithe form is fast and agile. But Maggie gets to it first at least half the time just from sheer determination. (She loves that ball!) Okay, truth be told, I probably favor Maggie some of the time. I mean, she surely deserves a handicap against this lightning bolt. Not only is Millie fast as the dickens, she's smart. Not that Maggie isn't smart, but it's probably not the first thing I'd say about her. If I'm completely honest, I think she's the right amount of smart. I mean, how smart do you really want your dog to be? We took care of a golden doodle last summer and she figured out how to do things dogs shouldn't be doing. I half expected to come home and see her reading the paper. Love and loyalty: these are the best characteristics of dogs!

On a completely different note...Millie trotted up to me in the woods with a great find (or at least she thought so): a deer hoof. Still furry, and apparently very tasty. She was not happy to give it up, but she has been well-trained so she did, reluctantly...

Three Dog Night...errr, weekend, I mean!

We actually had three dogs for the whole weekend! Just like the old days. I thought it was a real treat, but Tom isn't too thrilled at what his lawn looks like. I never did quite get the man and his grass thing. Alas, I try and be understanding, but when it comes to dogs vs. grass, I'll take dogs every time. We had Maggie, of course. Who, by the way, is still in need of fine polishing, in case there are any master trainers out there who would like to volunteer their services. She is very wonderful on her walks, and splendidly lovable, etc, but she still likes to jump up in her exuberance to say "hello". Oh, and there's that pesky little problem with trying to steal food off the counter...Back to the point. And we had Shelby, who is a 10 year old golden retriever who is sweet as can be. AND well-trained! Imagine. And Millie, who is a whoodle (wheaten terrier and poodle mix). I'd have to say that they all had a ball. I think they thought they were at summer camp. Shelby would often stay to the side and watch the youngsters play, but she seemed entertained more than annoyed. And tired. Shelby has since gone home, but Maggie and Millie are continuing their fun together for most of the rest of the month. Can you believe her parents didn't want to take her birdwatching with them in Bhutan?! It's actually been wonderful weather, so it has been doubly enjoyable romping outside with the sweet furry girls. Oh, did I mention that Shelby's parents shaved her? Yikes, so she's not so furry anymore. I immediately let Tom know that he better NEVER do that to my lovely dog. Sheesh, so embarassing...

Doggie in Real Estate

Usually after her morning walk, my sweet pup, Maggie May, is content to hang out with me at the office when I can have her along. This morning, however, she just wants to have fun! She keeps nudging my leg and putting her nose under my hands for pets. I have to admit it's a bit of a distraction!

Yesterday I was at Trader Joe's (following a muddy walk with Maggs) and saw a woman with a pup that looked almost identical to my baby with a few notable exceptions. First of all, my dog was, at that moment, a completely different color having just walked, run and practically bathed in mud. The other pup had clearly just come from the groomer and had perfectly clipped fur as well as a dignified manner. Maggie, as much as I love her, is not what I would deem perfectly trained. This pup (her age!) was INSIDE Trader Joe's and was the model citizen. Being trained as a guide dog, she looked ready for her first assignment already! VERY impressive. I admit to a fleeting thought about what would happen if I secretly made a quick switch. Would anyone notice? Tee hee. Of course any dog lover knows I'm just joking. Despite the continued kitchen counter exploration, I wouldn't trade her for anything!!! She is darling, isn't she?!

Lazy morning, hanging out with the pup

Maggie and I had a lovely walk this morning in the "wintry mix", as the weather folks so like to call it. We returned to find my son, missing us terribly. He and Maggie have a habit of lying in the middle of the happenings, which of course is the middle of the kitchen floor. Some days it's terribly annoying, but invigorated by a wet walk today it was simply cute.

Maggie's surgery

I know it's been a while since I've written and Ms. Maggie May is growing up fast. She had her first Christmas and we enjoyed sending her photo (along with my son's) on our Holiday card. Despite her desperate need (actually ours) for additional training, she is a pleasure. Hard to describe how much I've come to love her. She went in to be spayed last week. We missed her so much when she was only gone for a night! The surgery went well and she seems to be healing up fine. She's going a little crazy with no off leash walks, but we'll survive. The most amazing thing about this last vet trip, actually, is that we found out her current weight. 48 lbs. 13 oz. Holy moly! How did that happen?! At only 6 months old! My son has suggested that we feed her coffee to stunt her growth, but I've turned him down so far!