We got Maggie a new toy today at Beach Tails. Maggie loves anything with strings and we saw this guy, made out of string. We've named him Brutus.

We told Maggie to keep Brutus out of her bowls though, as Brutus has a history of being a choking hazard when in a Bowl.

She's really kicked his butt tonight, so we think he's a big hit.

Maggie had a great day today up in Michigan, with some major running at the park. She no longer requires an hour of warm up time before she can let loose at the park - but she does still require us to run to get her to run.


Here are some photos of Maggie from Halloween. The first is at home and the other is the official glamour-shot they took at "school".

PAWS 4k Walk II

This morning we did the PAWS 4k walk for the second year. Maggie did great. She was much less nervous than last year and seemed to actually enjoy it. The walk is along the lakefront. Montrose Beach is her absolute favorite place in the world to go, so we went there after we finished the walk. We've posted some pics from the walk, the beach and a video from today. To explain the video - At the beach, Maggie will run with us and she does this thing where if Kat stops at the end of the run and outstretches her arms, Maggie will run 3-5 crazy fast laps around her. She did it today, but by the time I got the video camera ready she'd done a few laps with us already and I think was pooped on this one. I'll get a better video next time, but for now this is what we've got of her running at the beach...

Ok, it's been waaaay too long since we've posted and we've had a few people "hounding" us to update the blog (sorry, couldn't resist) so here goes -

Where to start? Maggie has had a great summer, but before we get to that - Maggie was recently highlighted as the "Dog of the Month" at her day care. We think her qualification for this is simply that she's the most adorable dog ever. ;) Here's the story and really great photo from the newsletter.



Maggie really loves day care and has a great time there. The best part is picking her up, you just wouldn't recognize her - tail wagging, jumping, and she won't hesitate to jump over other dogs if it helps her get to us faster. It's really great to see.


She has changed so much since this time last year. She is much less jumpy and now when we run into people on the street or in the parks, one of the first things out of their mouth is no longer "what's her story?". After "What kind of dog is she?" the next most frequent now is "how old is she?" because although she's more "normal" she is pretty subdued so everyone assumes that she's an older dog... until we get her worked up into doing sprints, then no one can believe how fast she is. At the parks she still doesn't play with the other dogs, but gets really fired up if we run with her so we end up running a lot. Of course this works better when there aren't other dogs there trying to tackle us. The best part really is that when we look at her, we see a genuinely happy and much more confident dog - her head is up, her tail is up and she has her big toothy grin.



Maggie went through basic obedience training this summer at Collins Canine and did really well. In the first couple classes Maggie was pretty unsure about it, but once she became more comfortable in that environment she started getting the concept and learning quickly. She now sits and lays down on command pretty much 100% of the time. She got lots of extra practice with those since we didn't realy have to participate in the "leave it" and "no jumping" lessons. One classic Maggie moment happened during a very basic intro to the agility training equipment. There is a tunnel that the dogs are supposed to run through. Maggie of course saw this as the perfect den - she went in, lay down and refused to leave. No amount of coaxing, pushing and pulling would get her out. We eventually lifted one end of the tunnel until she had to slide out the front.

There's more to tell, so we'll post more soon!

It's been awhile since we've posted. There wasn't really a lot to write about, but the past few weeks we've seen some noteworthy changes in Mags.

Over the past 2 months, we've started working with Maggie on "Come here". She had this down to come over the couch, but at that point "Come here" only meant "go to the couch" - even if we were standing somewhere else in the house, if called, she'd go to the couch.

We started by using Kraft Singles - Maggie's favorite all-time treat - and using the leash in the house to get her to come to us. We then progressed to not using the leash and trying to get her to come. She's finicky about her reward for doing this and will only take cheese. If we try and use anything else she'll just refuse it. She's so spoiled.

We were making some OK progress with this, and then we went on vacation for a week.

Grandma Lela was kind enough to take care of Maggie while we were gone - and sent us daily email updates, assuring us that she was doing OK. It was really hard to leave her, but she was her usual good self and got to go on lots of walks with grandma.

When we went to pick her up, after 8 days, Maggie had the expected reaction - nothing. No tail wag, no spinning around in circles... just "the look". When we got home though she showed some excitement - she wanted to run when we took her on her walk that night, which she normally only does after a day at "school".

Since we've been back, Maggie seems to have gotten a lot better at listening to us. She'll come when called - most of the time now in the house she'll come to us when called, but she's still tentative. Outside the house, such as at the park or the beach (yes, we had 2 days of 50+ degrees, so like all crazy Chicagoans that means shorts and beach weather - no water, just playing on the sand) she's really good at coming to us when called.

Previously, we had the same control over Maggie as a wind-up toy - point her in the right direction and go, but there's no turning back. Now she's started listening to us, so if she's going to the wrong place we can tell her to stop - and she will - and can tell her to go somewhere else and she'll go. That's a huge step that she's started trusting us and listening to us instead of just scurrying along.

The weather has helped too - there's a noticeable change with Maggie once it's over 40 degrees or so, and especially when it's much warmer. Like all of us, she gets really excited to be outside and is generally in a pretty good mood. She's also taken to being more playful at the parks/beach more quickly than last year - last summer we had to give her an hour before she was acclimated and comfortable - now she walks right in tail wagging. We'll give her "school" the credit for that as she's just so much more comfortable with other dogs.

Overall she's doing great, and it's encouraging to see continuous progress with her. Right now we're looking into formalized training classes, as we think teaching her a few more commands will even further increase her confidence and trust, which are two things Maggie can't get enough of.

Birthday (Continued)

Maggie's "teachers" at "school" were really great and went all out for Mag's birthday. They gave her a birthday girl scarf, some treats and of course - the birthday hat.She clearly had a great day at school today, and was jacked up like usual when we got her home. We took another run at full sprint speed outside. I wish I could get that on video, she's hilarious. Tonight she's working on the tendon her teachers got her - one of her favorite all time treats - next to Kraft singles anyway.

There's more birthday stuff below...

Happy 4th Birthday, Maggie!

Happy Birthday, Maggie!

Today is Maggie’s 4th birthday!! To celebrate her b-day Steve and I have decided to both blog about the big occasion (Steve's post is below).

I have to start by saying, “I CAN’T BELIEVE A YEAR HAS GONE BY!” I remember the early days so clearly that it seems like just yesterday we brought her home. Maggie was so scared, sore from being spayed, and uncomfortable with an ear infection and UTI. She was too afraid to walk, sleep, eat, or go to the bathroom. Those were the days we called her “Stinky Magee” because she had never been bathed.

A lot has changed in a year. Maggie is healthy and clean! She’s still a very reserved dog, but I believe she’s happy. The process of her coming out of her shell has been slow, but when I look back at where we started it’s nothing short of remarkable.

Steve and I have changed a lot, too. Our whole world revolves around Maggie and her happiness. I’m so in love with her I can’t even put it into words.

Speaking of Steve - - he’s so good with Maggie. He spends so much time with her and has never once griped about walking her in the cold and snow. When we first talked about getting a dog I know he really looked forward to a playful dog who could fetch, etc. - - that’s just not Mags - - but he doesn’t mind. It’s very sweet to see the two of them together - - at least it is to me ;-)

So many people ask about Maggie and how she’s doing. There are some questions that get asked a lot so I thought I’d do a little Q & A . . .

Where does Maggie sleep at night?
Maggie has a bed in our bedroom located on my side of the bed. She’s a good sleeper and pretty quiet in general. Her nightmares, which were a daily occurrence, now seem to be a thing of the past. Sometimes she does some late night grooming, but if I just tell her to go back to sleep she will.

Maggie is not a morning dog. She is full of dirty looks when the alarm clock goes off and on the weekends we are usually up before her.

Do you still use the crate?
No, the crate has been packed up and stored away. Before we put it away for good we tried setting it up next to her bed and letting her pick what she wanted. She picked the bed.

What’s with the brown towels I see in every photo?
The day we got Maggie we had nothing and I picked those up at Target because I knew we needed to give her a bath. Since we had nothing those became makeshift beds and blankets and we quickly learned that they were a source of comfort for her - - like a safe spot. I’ve stuck with them because they are easy to clean - - just shake them out and put them in the washing machine.

Does she just walk around your house?
Sadly, no. When called she’ll go “upstairs” or to the “basement”, but she never just gets up and strolls around the house. Her new bed that you’ve probably seen in photos hasn’t helped . . . she loves that couch / bed!

Is she good?
She’s very, very good. She has no behaviors that we need to discipline (which is good because the few times we’ve had to tell her “No” she’s taken it very hard - - she’s very sensitive). All of her good manners are self taught. Maggie has made our life very easy - - she has spoiled us.

Does she bark?
No, she does not bark. She did bark once in her sleep and it scared us all.

How many puppies did she have?
There’s no way to tell how many litters she has had. I would love to meet some of her offspring - - if they got her stubborn streak I bet their owners have their hands full.

Is Maggie stubborn?
Yes. Mags is on her own agenda - - she’s not going to do something she does not want to do (but since she is so good this is rarely an issue).

Have you tried training her by rewarding positive behavior with treats?
Maggie is not food motivated. We tried to train her to overcome her fear of doorways with treats. Even when she’d eventually come in she’d turn her head away and refuse the treat. Maggie takes treats when she wants to take treats (see the question above).

What’s her favorite treat?
Her very favorite treat is Kraft Singles - - which is funny because we’ve spent a lot of time and money to research and purchase the very best dog treats available.

Does she still go to daycare?
Yes, Maggie goes to school two days a week. She runs around and plays and when she sees us in the window at pick-up time she jumps on the fence in excitement. School makes her happy, so it makes us happy.

Does Maggie like going to your place in Michigan?
Yes, Mags loves Michigan. She loves to ride in the car and the general quietness of Harbor Country suits her personality. Plus, she gets lots of walks and trips to the dog park while we’re there.

Do you realize that Maggie is a dog and not a child?
Ha, ha. Yes, we know.

What is Maggie getting for her birthday?
In celebration of Maggie’s birthday we’ve made a donation to the organization that made this all possible - - Animal Education and Rescue (aear.org).

Hey Shorty, It's Your Birthday!

Today is Maggie's "birthday"! Unbelievably, it's been one year since we adopted Maggie. We were reminiscing today about how far she has come - the days of her shaking, being carried everywhere, not going to the bathroom and not eating seem so long ago. We actually can't remember what it was like to not have Maggie in our lives.

She is such a different dog now, especially for those who knew her from the beginning. Besides just being in a safe place, being clean and being fed, her going to "school" is probably the biggest contributor to her new found confidence. We wonder how far she would have come without that - and we owe Carla, Justin (and George, of course) for cluing us in to daycare. She has such a blast every day that she's there and is so jacked up when we pick her up, we just never thought we'd see her so happy.

Maggie actually runs with me when we get home from school, just around the block, but it's a riot. She's definitely the "awkward kid" when it comes to running (well, many things, really). She has an odd gait where her backside kind of swings out, which basically makes her body look like she's at an angle to the direction she's running. She loves it though and is just the embodiment of pure fun when she's like that. We have yet to get her to run on the leash other than right after school, but who knows when or if that may change someday.

Maggie is still stopping traffic and we have random people ask us about her all of the time. A couple of days ago someone up the street, whom I've never met before, asked what breed she was and said that she and her husband have seen us walking her and love her "prance". Today a woman rolled down her window outside Starbucks to ask about her and made her husband, who was less than interested, observe how cute she is.

For all of her improvement, I don't want to give the impression that she's now a "normal" dog and all is fine. We write a lot about the positives, but I also feel like we are in some way letting abusers like JC Heiberg off of the hook by making it sound like everything is good. I don't know that she'll ever be "normal" and she certainly would be different if she had not been so mistreated. Maggie is a very smart dog, and deep down in there you can tell there's a playful dog, but in many ways she's broken. It's just sad to think that people are capable of such mistreatment of animals and that she may never fully enjoy life as much as she may have done otherwise because of them.

Just today we were petting her by the couch and at one point my hand brushed my track pants (we'd gone to the gym) which made a funny noise - Maggie immediately jumped and cringed. Any somewhat unexpected movements around her make her flinch. Sometimes on a walk I'll just scratch my head or nose and if she happens to look up at that moment when my arm is raised she jumps back and pulls away.

She still doesn't walk around the house other than to go from one bed to the next. She lacks the social skills she should have around other dogs, so for the most part at parks they ignore her because they don't understand her. It takes her a really long time to feel safe in a different environment - often when we go the park we have to stay for at least an hour before she'll move more than 10 feet from either of us.

I just have to reiterate to anyone out there who is thinking about getting a dog to go to a rescue or at least a reputable breeder - the pet stores just support and perpetuate puppy mills that in turn create many more Maggie's out there who need help.

Oh, by the way, on the National Geographic Channel there's a relatively new show called "Dog Town" - it's a large rescue organization out in Utah. It's a great show and they rescue and work with many dogs like Mags every day, so check it out.

We (and Maggie) would like to thank her grandma and grandpa for her birthday gift - a leash and collar that lights up at night. This will come in handy up in Michigan for sure where there are no street lights and we often walk in the dark.

Maggie has come a long way and hopefully a year from now we're writing about how much she's changed in '09. We can't wait for the weather to turn and get her back out to the beach and the parks. Hands down, adopting Maggie is the best thing we've ever done. To be able to help her and see her have a great life after such a rough start is really very rewarding and we can't imagine life without her. We just hope she feels safe, happy and knows how much we love her. It's been a great year, and we hope for many, many more with Maggie.

-Steve

Maggie's First Christmas

We have a lot to blog about, so we'll cover Christmas Day here and other stuff in the next post.

Little Mag's had a pretty good first Christmas. Santa and her grandparents made sure she was completely spoiled.

Here's Maggie looking at her loot, with Mr. Stinky looking on (Stinky has no idea that this isn't going to be a good day for him...)


Her grandma & grandpa sent her a new collar and some yummy treats from Florida. Her grandma Lela got her some Bully Sticks and a new ornament.


Here's Maggie with her gifts from Santa - a new Kong, a new winter collar/leash, and a new toy - now dubbed Lambchop. We'll get to Lambchop in the next post.


Later, after opening gifts, we hosted Christmas day. We had about 25 guests over, which is about double the number Maggie has ever seen in our house. She handled it all well - staying put in her little den in the corner.

She had some cuddly company in Finnegan - the new puppy Kat's cousins Tim & Sue picked up that morning. Finnegan was adorable and possibly slept more than Maggie did that day - and he took care of his business outside all day without a single accident. For the most part they didn't really interact much with each other - besides trying to eat each other's food. Finnegan is probably looking for livelier company and Mags was more or less indifferent which is kind of her default mood.


Kat & I exchanged ornaments - and Maggie just happened to get each of us an ornament too. You'll notice there was somewhat of a theme in this year's gifts.

So when Kat brought home a new stuffed animal as one of Maggie's Christmas gifts, I'll admit that I was skeptical. We all know Maggie doesn't play with toys. Sure she's chewed on Stinky a couple of times but her interest quickly waned and for the most part he is ignored. So why get another toy to just sit around, right?

Well, it turns out, for whatever reason, Maggie loves Lambchop. Stinky is now a second class citizen (he's out of sight in her toy box now). Maybe it's because Stinky showed up on her first day and she didn't realize he was hers (maybe Stinky was here first and she was his?). Maybe he just doesn't taste as good, who knows.

Maggie took to Lambchop right away, chewing on her, tearing up the strings tied to her, and curling up with her. This lead to a new discovery...

While playing around with Lambchop to try to entice Maggie to play, she starting grabbing the strings or an arm or an ear and pulling on Lambchop while we held on to other parts of her. Maggie had never done this before.

After a while of this we remembered that she's had a tug toy in her toy box since the day we got her, but she had never shown any interest in it. It took some prodding, but Maggie eventually figured it out and started playing with us - nearly 11 months after we found her. She's pretty timid about it, especially to start, but at times she can pull pretty hard. We make sure she always wins which seems to build up her confidence as the game goes on. Of course, this is all in bed and she doesn't bother to even sit up to play. But it's another huge breakthrough for her.

She'll eventually work herself up after a few minutes where she's "laughing" and seems to be having fun trying to grab the toy as we spin it around her head. So we spend a few minutes every day playing - she sometimes loses interest pretty quickly. She's getting better at it and she's played probably nearly a dozen times now. Today she even grabbed the end of it as soon as I brought it out without requiring the usual five minutes of ramp up time it usually takes her to start.

So, Stinky is relegated to the toy box for a while now. We're hoping in a couple of months we can bring him out and he'll be a new and fascinating toy for her, but we'll see.

We got a bunch of snow on Friday and Saturay, so Maggie's back to wondering where she can go to the bathroom. We easily have a foot of snow out there now, with another 1-2" inches on the way Monday and another "significant snow event" Wednesday... then the HIGH is supposed to be like -2 on Thursday, so it's not going anywhere anytime soon. Here are a few shots of Mags and I from Friday and Saturday. Sometimes Maggie doesn't realize she can shake and get the snow off of her, so we couldn't resist getting this shot of the abominable snow pup before toweling her off Friday.