Day 4

Today's big accomplishments:

Maggie went when I (Steve) walked her. This was a first. Also she went without me having to hide around the corner, so maybe she's getting over her "stage fright" issues.

Maggie walked again on the leash, this time all the way back in the house and up the stairs, back to her crate. It's really nice not to carry her around any more.

She ate and drank plenty today. The vet says she's 49lbs and ideally should be at 55, so she's not that far off. We also heard from the vet that her labs checked out, so all is well.

Another note from the vet - we'd asked if she had a problem with her back legs. She seemed to have a slightly odd walk. Nothing major, just enough to tell something wasn't right. The vet said she's slightly bow-legged, probably from being kept in a concrete floored cage.

We've tried getting her to take interest in some toys, but so far no luck. I doubt she even knows what a toy is, or why a dog would want one. We're trying to start with a ball and go from there. No luck yet, but she at least seems intrigued by the concept of a ball so I think eventually she'll come around.

She's not playful by any means, but she at least doesn't look terrified whenever we approach. Other than first thing in the morning. She's impossible to get out of her crate, but once we do so, she very gradually seems to be warming up.

She's still mostly just lying around by the back door. We still haven't heard a peep from her - I'm sure most dog owners wish their dog never made a noise. So far we haven't gotten a single whine, whimper or bark.

And even though we put towels down, she still keeps lying on the cardboard. I guess compared to where she came from, cardboard probably feels pretty good. We'll be getting her a real bed soon, now that we're getting a better feel for her and where she likes to hang out.

We've also contacted a trainer. The vet advised us to give her another couple of weeks just to adjust to us and her new home before engaging in a formal training program, so we're doing just that.

I almost forgot another important milestone... we finally came up with her name, Maggie today!