Don't make Princess Margaret mad!

This weekend I (Kat) went out of town and Maggie went on a hunger strike. Since she wouldn't eat breakfast, but would eat dinner it was a half-hearted hunger strike - - but her message was heard loud and clear.

Does this mean she's forgotten her former puppy mill life and can only remember her days as our spoiled pup? Either way we're looking at the hunger strike as an indication that she's bonding with us. YEAH!

A few weeks ago I came home from work to find Maggie standing off her bed looking down at a small wet spot that was left behind. I think she got excited to see me and wet a little. I don't want it to become a regular habit, but it was an exciting Sally Field-type moment for me (She likes me! She really, really likes me!).

We can now walk up to Maggie without her cowering her head, but she still doesn't like fast moves. If she's making too much noise during the night and I ask her to go back to sleep she will. She understands, "Do you want to go for a walk?", and waits patiently for us at the door. Maggie goes to her food bowls about two feet off her bed, but only if we're not in sight (we spend a lot of time sitting on the stairs). She does take treats from our hands.

Maggie's two remaining obstacles are our backdoor and standing up in the morning to go outside (she's not a morning dog - who can blame her???). Now that the weather is above freezing we've been able to leave the backdoor open and let her come inside when she's ready. She really has to psych herself up for the challenge and paces around the deck for a bit before building up her courage to enter. This too shall pass.

As the thermometer rises so does Maggie's fan base. With more and more people out and about the comments on her "beautiful big brown eyes" and her "prance" of a walk flow faster than beer at Wrigley Field. Like a true diva Maggie is simply too cool to acknowledge her fans - - that's what her entourage (Steve and me) are for ;-).

We offer our apologizes for being absentee bloggers, and thank you for staying with with us.

Update . . . Maggie's super-bladder can hold "it" for 24 hours. This weekend was a wee-bit stressful (pardon the pun) for our family. I have new appreciation for the saying, "This is harder for me than it is for you."

So how's it going? Maggie is half way there. She is going in her new spot (a mulched dog area in our backyard). The leash part is still to come and we're just going to tackle that in Michigan. This past weekend was stressful - - for all of us. Steve and I felt like we were back at Day 1. Poor Maggie felt like she was being punished. The new spot is merely us trying to save what is left of our lawn. The leash is absolutely necessary for her safety in Michigan where we don't have a fenced-in yard. She's a smart girl and we know that soon enough this "experience" will be a distant memory.

The rest of the weekend was dedicated to treats and flea/tick prevention. First the treats . . .

A six month supply of Maggie's favorite treat is being shipped to our home. Beef tendon anyone? Yuuummmm. Now that we know what she likes, ordering her treats online is the most economical choice. Maggie also loves a her Kong Bone smeared with peanut butter - - and then FROZEN! Maggie thanks her Aunt Pam for this tip!! Watching Maggie with this treat is pure joy for us as she demonstrates "regular" doggie behaviors. We'll try to capture this moment on camera and post the results - - it's adorable!!

Steve was in charge of ordering treats, and I was in charge of flea and tick prevention. My task wasn't nearly as fun. There are so many options - and so many opinions on what is best (and what is harmful) that I spent a good portion of the weekend reading clinical trials and researching active ingredients and side effects. In the end I decided on Frontline Plus and am waiting for that supply to be delivered. As the start of Michigan-season looms I'm anxious to get started with those treatments. BTW . . . I didn't read the label of a single food item I ingested today.

Maggie met her Grandma B on Saturday and was doted on extensively. Maggie showed her Grandma what a good girl she is - - a good thing because it looks like due to our work schedules Maggie may stay at Grandma's for a few nights in May.

That's all for now . . .

What are your plans for the weekend? We're potty re-training (no, Maggie isn't having accidents in the house . . . read on).

As you may have read in this blog Maggie went to her Michigan home last weekend for a day trip. The visit was a success with one exception . . . Maggie wouldn't go potty. All the way there and all the way back she held it. Maggie has a super-bladder that can last 12 hours. It really stresses me out!! She has one spot in our yard where she goes. Period.

We don't have a fenced-in yard in Michigan so Princess Margaret is going to have to go in a different spot and on a leash - - and the time to learn that technique is now (she's outside with Steve as I type). Maggie's a smart dog so we know she'll get this, but with the cold and rain we're hoping she gets it really fast ;-)

Stay tuned . . .

Lots of stuff to report, from chew toys to Michigan -

Yesterday, we gave Maggie a 12" beef tendon. Sounds delicious, right? Maggie loved it. The folks at Kriser's said some dogs will go about 15 minutes or so and then get tired, and some will just chew the entire thing. Guess which category Maggie fell in to? After about 80-90 minutes of non-stop chewing, it was Maggie - 1, Beef Tendon - 0.

Of course this exhausted her, so other than rooting on the Jayhawks, she slept like you wouldn't believe. It was great though to finally see something occupy her for so long, make her happy, and - bonus - not make her sick! We see lots of tendons in Maggie's future.

Overall she seemed much more relaxed yesterday, at Kriser's and around the house. Even the folks at Kriser's noticed that she'd changed since her last visit and wasn't as skitish.

Maggie also got a visit from her Uncle Dan, who she hadn't seen since her first night with us. Of course we told her not to jump up and get all crazy and excited, so she stayed put on her towel and was well behaved with her Uncle.

Today it was finally nice enough for us to introduce Maggie to Michigan. Maggie was awesome during the car ride there and back. She was definitely excited, but also was able to partake in her favorite activity for most of the ride - sleep.

She got to meet several of our her new neighbors and see her second home. She hasn't yet picked out "her spot" at the new home. With all of the activity she was always up and about - mostly outside enjoying the sunshine. We took advantage of the fact that there's almost no one there in April and walked down to the Marina, down some of the piers, and over the bridge by the beach (no dogs allowed on the beach, so we didn't get to the lake yet).

It was so quiet, we think Maggie really enjoyed it. Every weekend Maggie seems to make progress in leaps and bounds, and even more so the more time she gets to spend outside. During the week she's a little more status quo. We can't wait to get her up there again and get lots of outside time to see her to continue to grow and figure out what it means to be a dog!

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK, BABY!

Maggie says...

My future is so bright, I need shades!

We watched the Oprah show on puppy mills last night - - did you?

The show was hard to watch and every pup reminded me of Maggie. Seeing the filthy conditions brought back memories of how bad Maggie smelled when we first got her. Because she was spayed the day before we adopted her we couldn't bathe Maggie for over a week. We jokingly referred to her as "Stinky Magee" at the time, but it went beyond that. After touching Maggie you had to wash your hands because they would be covered in her stinky-goo. I had to use warm towels and a comb to get the caked on "crud" off her legs (I'll let you define "crud" in your own head).

There was a moment in the show when the rescue group attempted to walk a lab on leash, but he doesn't move - - because he's never been outside his cage and doesn't know how to walk on another surface. That's when I lost it. That was Maggie two months ago.

In the blog we've focused a lot on Maggie's milestones, but the truth is that Maggie is still learning how to be a dog. She doesn't know how to play with toys. She never gets up and just walks around the house. If the door bell rings she gets anxious, not excited. She still struggles with doorways. Nightmares are still common. We've never heard her bark. Maggie's puppy mill days still haunt her.

Pet stores are like any other business - - where there's demand they'll create supply. PLEASE DON'T PURCHASE YOUR PET FROM A PET STORE. The experts on Oprah's show estimated that 99% of pets in stores are from mills.

If you're considering a pet check out Animal Education & Rescue (http://www.aear.org/). You can find Maggie under their adoptions page :-)

As of today Maggie has been with us for two months. To celebrate she's going to root for the Jayhawks in the Final Four!

As you all know, our sweet Maggie was rescued from a puppy mill where she was forced to breed multiple litters. It pains our hearts when we think about what her life was like before we adopted her. Unfortunately, Maggie is not an isolated case.

Oprah is exposing the horrid underworld of puppy mills on her show this Friday. More information is below.

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Chicago, IL (CNS) - Talk show legend Oprah Winfrey said she will dedicate her Friday show to her cocker spaniel, Sophie, who died last month from kidney failure. The show is about the abuse and horror of puppy mills. Although Sophie was not adopted from a puppy mill, Oprah said in the future she will adopt a dog from a shelter.

Harpo Productions released a statement Tuesday about the up-coming puppy mill show. "Sophie gave me 13 years of unconditional love. She was a true love in my life," Oprah said.

Then she added that the show is "for anybody anywhere who loves a dog, has ever loved a dog, or just cares about their basic right to humane treatment."

The show will feature special correspondent Lisa Ling investigating the puppy mills. Ling calls the investigation "horrific" and "haunting."

Oprah's cocker spaniel was not a product of a puppy mill, and her three current dogs were all adopted from breeders, but Oprah has a new feeling about where she will get her next dog. "I would never, ever adopt another pet now without going to a shelter to do it. I am a changed woman after seeing this show," she said.