Level 1 Class:: Take 2 and Maggie's 1st Surgery

Maggie and I geared up all week for redemption at Level 1 class.  I must say she impressed me by the end of the week!  Just 10 minutes a day of practice can do wonders for a dog!  Not only would she sit and stay, she would let me walk around her and go upstairs where she couldn't see me before moving! 

...Well class was once again another story.  I must say she did a lot better but once again I couldn't help but laugh at her lack of listening skills.  Joe (finally) made it to one of the classes which was very nice (for me) to have him understand what we do every week.  We'll keep working at it!

Maggie got her big surgery on Friday.  She got her umbilical hernia repaired, spayed, had 2 teeth pulled, and had a microchip placed.  (THANK YOU so much for everyone who took care of her on Friday!!!)  Our weekend has been full of snuggling!  She has been such a little stinker... She's really good about not licking her stitches... But she definitely knows how to work it with me.  She wouldn't let me be within 5 feet of her.  If I was cleaning in the kitchen she would come sit on my feet.  If I sat down she would plop down in my lap.  If I tried to put her down she would twist and try to hold on to me.



Recovering... still sleepy!



This pretty much sums up our weekend...

 I could tell she was having a little bit of pain because she would be sitting and all of sudden jump up frantically trying to find a new comfortable spot.  At bedtime we tried two nights of the "cone of shame".... and well I think I now know how Maggie feels when my wild feet kick during the night.  I can't count how many times Maggie frantically jumped up trying to find a comfy spot and I saw the faint outline of the cone B-lining to my face.  I'm surprised I survived the encounter without a black eye!

Cone of SHAME

Just pitiful

...SO meet Plan B::

I don't think it really bothered her... Afterall it was this or the (da da dahhhh) the CONE

I bought Maggie a onesie and cut a hole in the butt for her tail.  It also works great because she has been scratching herself where her shaved belly is (thankfully missing the stitches!).  One of her nails must have been cut a little jagged because she has been leaving little scratch marks on her belly.

I'm sure you'll hear from me again soon with an update on Maggie's recovery!  Class should be interesting on Wednesday since we haven't been able to get much practice in.  Hoping for a quick and healthy recovery... Lucky puppy has her own personal nurse to take care of her :-)

Maggie's a STAR!

  Joe, Maggie, and I took pictures for Christmas cards (eek! already!?) the other day with the wonderful Graddy Photography. We went to an apple orchard in Northfield... Maggie had lots of fun!  If you're looking for some awesome pet photographers, check out Graddy Photography's website here.

Maggie's Level 1, Day 1 FAIL and Unexpected Expenses

Maggie Moo made this little lady look like a fool on the first day of Level 1 class!  The little stinker would not behave and wouldn't even do a simple sit or down.  Tiana, I PROMISE you we have been working on her sit's and down's!!  I don't know what her deal was and why she was acting up! 

We worked on "heel", "ready", and "stay".  I am determined to get Maggie to do this - regardless of how silly I feel telling my little 10lb dog to "heel" as if I'm attempting to tame some wild beast!!  I was so happy to see there was another little dog in the class - Maybe she'll make a new friend or two!

Dr. Cindy Sellin was also downstairs watching the dogs.  She likes to watch the first and last days to see how they all progress... Let's pray there's hope for Maggie and her listening skills!  Cindy, I promise you Maggie is more well-behaved than that, too!  I also need to work on getting the husband on the same page with training.  He rough-houses with her and she's been enjoying gnawing on some fingers... which she made apparent tonight.  I had to put some bitter tasting spray on my hands so she wouldn't keep biting them!

I also talked with Dr. Sellin about Maggie getting spayed and fixing her herniated umbilicus.  She also (unfortunately) noticed Maggie's baby canines haven't come out yet... which means she'll most likely have to get those pulled when she gets everything else fixed up.  Ughhh, Maggie!!!!!  Are you trying to be my expensive little puppy!?  Note to self - budget for unexpected puppy expenses.

I've noticed she's been getting more startled around other dogs... I know that's one thing I haven't been working on with her.  Maybe we'll have to venture out on some new trails this weekend since it is supposed to be gorgeous - Maggie's going to be in for a real surprise when some white stuff starts falling on the ground and all of the green disappears!

Maggie also had some pictures taken today for fall family pictures... Maybe that was why she was acting up!  We took some as a family and our photographer snapped a few of her solo.... I got a good laugh out of it.  I'm curious to see how they turn out.  We took them at an apple orchard and we put her in one of those old fashioned wooden crates... Hopefully they're cute!  As soon as we get a preview I'll be sure to post them!

Now that Maggie is back in school every Wednesday I'm hoping to update the blog more with her progress.  Should we take bets on how she'll do at the next class?

Ugh... Until next time,
Brit and Maggie

The (MIS)adventures of Maggie Moo

Having a puppy is not all puppy kisses and dog bones...
Here are a few of the funny and not so funny things Maggie has gotten in to::

While we were camping, Maggie decided to sniff a sticky bug catcher that was on the floor of the camper.  It scared her and she ended up flinging it up from her face and on to her tail.  Her fur got matted on her face and tail... which lead to Maggie vs the scissors.  Thankfully the scissors won and Maggie escaped with a semi-decent new (home-made) haircut.... Just in time for Christmas card pictures!

I left the house to go out of town.  My sister-in-law was coming to get Maggie for the weekend a few hours after I left.  I got a phone call from Shannon asking if I still locked Maggie up while I was gone... I guess someone (ehh... ME) forgot to latch the kennel and the little rascal had free range of the house.  I keep wondering if she had fun or was scared wondering where I was.  Luckily there was only one small accident on our bathroom floor.  What a smart puppy to choose peeing on a bathroom floor.  Now only if I can teach her how to use a toilet....

My husband took Maggie outside while I was driving off to work.  I rolled down the window to say good-bye.  Joe set Maggie down thinking she would follow him back inside.  Wrong!  She BOOKED it towards my car and I guess ran all the way to the end of the neighborhood.  She took a good nap for Joe after that exercise stint!

I just got home after a long night at work and all I wanted to do was go to bed.  I let Maggie run around for a little bit and took her outside one last time before heading to bed.  At the same time the sprinklers started and she thought it would be a good idea to run through them at 2am... Not cool.

On a good note - Maggie is a big girl now!! She officially survived her first time in the kennel (without someone letting her out) while I was at work - and NO accidents!  This is a HUGE thing for me, too, because (as mentioned before) I'm stubborn and hate asking people for help.  Now I know she can do it!  On days we have to do that we make sure we get A LOT of exercise in the morning!  With her having to be in her kennel for so long there's no way I have the heart to put her back in the kennel at bedtime.  We get in LOTS of snuggle time and that way I don't feel so bad!

Maggie is also going back to puppy school starting this Wednesday... She's advancing on to Level 1 :-)  We had to miss the first class since it was the one Wednesday I couldn't get off of work.  It will be interesting teaching a little dog like her to "heel"... It makes me chuckle!  Excited to see what else she will learn!

Here are a few random pictures of Miss Maggie!

Maggie playing with Nala the weekend I was out of town

Yes, she's tucked in under the covers smack dab in the middle of our pillows!  Do you see why it is so hard to wake up in the morning!!!??

I can't remember why we were so pooped out but needless to say Maggie and I crashed in the car!

Wackiest Pet Names of 2011

Ozzy Pawsbourne and Almost-A-Dog top this year's list of quirkiest monikers.
Fido, Spot or Fluffy? For some peculiar pet owners, these names are just too traditional. Although "Bella" and "Max" currently lead the pack as the nation's most popular pet names, thousands of other four-legged friends have much more distinctive names.


So drumroll, please... the 10 Most Unusual Dog and Cat Names for 2011:
Dogs

1. Almost-A-Dog
2. Franco Furter
3. Stinkie Mcstinkerson
4. Sir Seamus McPoop
5. Audrey Shepburn
6. Dewey Decimell
7. Knuckles Capone
8. Beagle Lugosi
9. Shooter Mclovin
10. Uzi Duzi-Du

Cats

1. Ozzy Pawsbourne
2. Mr. Meowgi
3. Murderface
4. Fuglee
5. Scruffernutter
6. Corporal Cuddles
7. Cat Masterson
8. Spam
9. Tape W. Orm
10. Louisiana Purchase

For The Love of My Puppy (and other little updates!)

I can't say over and over again how much my life has changed since getting Maggie.  Whether good or frustrating... I love everything about my Miss Maggie Moo and how she has changed my life.

I was thrilled at work when I was (finally) granted 12-hour weekends.  This means I would work every 3rd weekend instead of every other and I would have 5-6 days off before my weekend I work.  After giving it 3 months I've decided I can't handle working 12 hour NIGHT shifts.  It wasn't fair to Maggie to bring her somewhere else to spend the night and then expect her to sleep all day with me.  It not only screws up her schedule, but mine as well.  I've now decided to switch back to 8-hour evening weekends.  Even though I'll be working every other weekend, I'll have some consistency with my schedule so Maggie can get into a routine.  (It also means I won't always have to rely on someone to watch her or let her out! Thank goodness.)

There have been many opportunites to travel or go here or there with friends.  Having Maggie has either put a kink in the plans or cancelled them all together. It's a lot harder to pack up and leave on a whim these days.  I have to make sure I'm not gone for too long... which means I have to be home within a certain amount of hours or I'll feel guilty when she's in her kennel too long on my days off.  I'm sure she loves her kennel, though -  It's her time to get caught up on sleep!

Even though there are certain things I can't do right now, I love how much joy Maggie has brought to our lives.  I love coming home to her little wiggly butt and endless kisses.  It makes being home alone a little easier despite it being a lot harder to get motivated to get chores done around the house... I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

My favorite thing Maggie does right now is when she sees me give Joe a hug,,, she gets very jealous!!  She jumps up on the both of us until we pick her up.  Then she covers us both in kisses back and forth.  She loves our little family hugs! (Which reminds me - we are getting family pictures taken in September with Maggie and Graddy Photography! Can't wait!!)

Joe was home for 8 glorious days last week!  Maggie and I got used to Joe being home.  We have been letting her sleep on our bed with us for a little bit after she goes potty first thing in the morning.  She wiggles her way up the stairs after going outside and hops over to Joe's side.  She jumps up and down until I pick her up only to attack Joe with kisses until he wakes up to rub her belly.  The first morning he was gone again she went upstairs with her tail wagging.  I lifted her up on the bed and she sniffed everywhere for him.  She finally settled down on his pillow and sighed.  I snuggled up next to her and said, "I know, Maggie.  I miss him, too!"  It was just pitiful!  She was not herself that day.

Joe and Maggie snuggling

We are still working on her peeing issues when she sees new people.  I was proud of Joe for actually "researching" how to fix the submissive urination!  Maybe he'll start believing the things I say are true and really do work!

Miss Maggie Moo graduated puppy school a couple of weeks ago and I am one proud Momma!  She did great on her last day!  We played games and all of the dogs played together - minus Maggie who wanted to visit with the people or hide under the chair!  I thought it was so cute they held a graduation ceremony and even played the traditional graduation song when they called each puppy up for a diploma and a bone!

Graduation Day!

I'm hoping to enroll Maggie in the Level 1 class where she can advance her awesome "sits" and "downs" into "stays" and "heels" :-) Hopefully we can work it into our schedule!

Here are a few other random pictures of Maggie!

Maggie LOVES our new couches! I had to put pillows up so Maggie wouldn't go behind the couches and secretly poop!

Do you really think I'm going to say "down/off/no" to this face!?

Princess Magg-ster :-)

Lots of Little Maggie Moments

LONG over due for an update on Miss Maggie Moo!

I can't begin to say how thankful we are to have the ability to call a vet after hours.... We have taken advantage of this 3 times in the past few weeks!  Thanks Cindy for all of your help!! (Maybe I should think about that pet insurance??)

Call 1) Maggie was puking after her vaccines.  We gave her Iam's Low Residue wet puppy food - She couldn't eat it fast enough!  She just loved it!
Call 2) The little stinker fell going up my parent's steps and hurt her paw.  She wouldn't walk on it and I was out of town.  My poor Mom was a wreck and felt horrible.  I told her she's fine (and thankfully she was!)
Call 3)  Miss Maggie found a plastic baggy on top of her kennel (my fault) and ate half of it while we were gone.  Lucky for her she got more of her favorite Iam's wet dog food! after that incident!



Maggie wanted to come on our trip, too!

Maggie's Elmo ice pack after hurting her paw!

Maggie now weighs 8.5lbs - what a little porker!  She graduates from puppy school next Monday - so excited!! She's done very well and we'll hopefully have her go on to Level 1.  I think it's funny that she's going on - she's the smallest breed enrolled! :-)

Maggie's first pony tail

This past weekend we were also busy with a garage sale.  Maggie did so well!  She just sat there with her tail wagging until people noticed her!  People would say how amazed they were with how good she was around people.  She loved when kids came up to her because I let them give her a treat!  She's such a well socialized puppy!  We also had fun putting a "priceless" price tag on her.  Everyone thought that was cute!

PRICELESS :-)

Her new thing is to bring you a toy and if you dont pay attention to her she'll keep shoving it in your hand.  If you walk away she'll push the toy against your feet as you walk!  What a needy little puppy! :-)

I'm still working on getting Maggie to hold her pee while in her kennel.  She's up to 8 hours as of this morning!  She must have been pretty tired last night... but it was nice being able to sleep for 8 whole hours.  Even though she woke up at 630am we are going to stay up and get some chores done before my husband comes home.  I'm looking forward to him being home for 8 whole days coming up next week.  He will get a taste of how much work it is to take care of her!  Can't wait!!! Muah ha ha ha!

Maggie ZONKED out - She sleeps under her kennel pad... not sure why!