A Golden Retriever Can Never Get Enough Water!

Maggie is so lucky because she has a friend, from her school days when she was a puppy, who has a pool. Luckily, she gets invited over during the hot summer days ... Maggie can never get enough swimming and I know it's really good for her hips ... she will stay in the water all day if you let her ... she's been known to do so much that she's worn her little pads "raw" on her feet from running around the pool deck ... Today she is just relaxing and enjoying the water ... I just love this dog of mine!

Maggie and Her New BFF, Andy ...

Every one in a while I get a call from Kim to see if I want to watch Andy. Andy is also a golden retriever, red in color, and a few years older than Maggie. He is such a good dog but I'm sure if he hangs out with Mags, it won't be long before he picks up a few of her habits ...

The doorbell rings and in comes Andy ... Maggie is so excited ... they "storm" thru that dogie dog and play outside with each other ... in and out they go, just having a great time ... Maggie won't leave him alone ... "come on, let me show you this," she's saying ... it's so nice to see them get along so good and see Maggie so darn happy ... it's not that she's lacking for affection ...

I will say one thing though, Maggie never went on the couch before Andy came over. I guess he has the love seat at his house that is all his ... needless to say, this is what I walked in on ... "Hey, where do I get to sit?"

Love you both!

ps Thank you Kathy for the throw you gave me for Christmas for the couch ... as you can see, it's really comfy!

Oh, Did I Mention My Glasses?

Now, ever since I turned 45 I've become blind as a bat as far as seeing near. It may be because I made so much fun of my sister, Michelle, who I always call "Mrs. Magoo."

So today I came home and probably placed my glasses in Maggie's way. Needless to say, I found my glasses on the floor ... they were so mangled and crooked ... I tried to straighten them out but they were too far gone ... Oh, she didn't break anything, they were just so crooked I couldn't fix them. I had to shamefully wear them until I got another pair of frames ... I guess people wouldn't notice it if I cocked my head to one side while I was talking to them ...

Thank you Maggie, my money tree outside is starting to loose it's leaves ...

July 4th and those awful fireworks!

Today is July 4, 2008 and I'm a little leery about how Maggie is going to cope with the fireworks ... you see in California you can buy fireworks at the stands (all over) ... they aren't the kind that go up in the air, (illegal ones from back east), but they make lots of noises.

So, I called my vet and found out I can give Maggie a Benadryl to help calm her down ... I was a little leery, again, but I purchased a bottle at the grocery story and came home ... the vet said with her weight she could probably have two, but once again I decided to become a vet and I think I only gave her a half of one, (after all, I know what it does to me.)

We're outside on the patio and I'm sitting on the chair with Maggie next to me on the leash ... it's just now getting to be dusk and yep, all of a sudden you can start to hear the neighbors start lighting their fireworks ... Maggie got so scared she took a beeline for the dogie door, my hand was wrapped around her leash so when she ran, I fell over... I get up off the cement, and go in the house and I can't find her ... of all places to look, she's in her crate all curled up, not coming out ... I'm thinking, "she hasn't been in that stupid crate since she was sick." Of all places to hide, I guess she felt safe there ... we closed all the doors and put the TV on loud to drown out the noise ... she seems to have settled down.

Two lessons I learned today ... I think I waited too long to give her the Benadryl and I probably didn't give her a big enough dose ... all in all, we survived 4th of July ... but I do have some big bruises on my arm where I fell off the chair when she got scared ... looks like I got beat up !!!

Once again, "Thanks Mags, hopefully next year will be better!"

Happy First Birthday Maggie Mo!

It's

June 1, 2008

and today is a huge day ... a day I didn't think I was ever going to celebrate. Maggie turns one today and we are going to the park for our "obedience" class and then afterwards, having a dog party! We get to class and everyone shouts "Maggie's here!", I'm so glad to hear everyone welcome us (but I'm sure it's their signal to each other to look out, Maggie is here). We have our class and yes, Mags is still the worse one in the class, gets out of line when we're walking (to usually take a pee break), lays down when she should be sitting, you get the picture ... I don't care though, it's her day!

After class was over we all got in a big circle and the trainer called Maggie and me into the center of the circle. She talked about how sick Maggie had been and how we almost lost her and then they all sang Happy Birthday to her ... afterwards, we had frosty paws ice cream (ice cream for dogs) and cookies I bought on-line thru a dog barkery ... you should have seen all the dogs licking up their ice cream and eating their treats ... Maggie got tons of gifts and after an exhausting day, we went home.
She really did have a large time!

Balloons and Kites

Maggie is getter better day by day ... She's now on my bed at night, I just make sure I put some 24"x36" pads down, with a blanket or sheet over it, and she's good to go. It feels so good to have by best friend lying besides me, and not in the crate looking at me with those "sad" eyes. Sure, she's on meds now ... but it's a small price to pay to let her finally be the dog and companion that she's meant to me.

Today I came home from work and Maggie was outside just barking up a storm. She came in to eat and was back outside barking ... I didn't quite know what was wrong with her and then I finally figured it out. The neighbors next door put their umbrella next to the fence and there are two things in this world that Maggie, that I know of, does not like, balloons and kites. I think that she thought the umbrella was some kind of a kite, since it was flapping in the wind some. I finally bite the bullet and walk next door to tell them, "I'm sorry for all the barking, if you want any sleep tonight, you might want to move the umbrella from the fence." "Oh, they said, we didn't hear her bark at all" ... "Oh my gosh, I'm thinking, tell me you didn't hear all that!"

They moved the umbrella and Maggied settled down for the night ... "Good-night my sweet Maggie Mo, sleep tight!"

P.S. And that's the way I met my neighbors!

The Carpet Ripper ...

So today I'm getting ready for work, you know, the usual ritual we now have ... get Mags out of her crate, feed her, dispense meds, wash her little "tush" in the back from her bladder problem, put the blankets in the wash, etc ... it's a lot to do before I even get in the shower!

I let Maggie have the run of the house while I jump in the shower before work. Just as I'm getting out of the shower I heard this "ripping" noise ... "what the heck can that be?" "Maggie?", No answer (like she would) ... I run into the living room with the towel around me just in time to see Maggie pulling on a string in the carpet ... "Oh my gosh Maggie", "NO!", I yelled as she continued to pull and tug away at the string ... How she even found that little string is beyond me but she managed to pull it right up ...

Today I need to find a carpet man to fix this ... the good thing is that it's at the seam and probably can be repaired (for a mere price, I''m sure) ... back to that tree outside to get some more bills ... "Gee whiz Mags, I just left you alone for a little while" ... "someday I will laugh about all these escapades of yours" ... "but not today."

I shared what Mags did to Daddy and all he can say is "tell me some good news about Maggie." I think he feels bad for what I've been thru with her health and I assured Daddy that I wouldn't have it any other way ... She's meant for me as I am her ...