Maggie

Happy 2nd Birthday to Maggie!!!!!!

JT and I talked about getting a dog for years, and I'm pretty sure we always wanted it to be a chocolate lab. At some point we even named our future dog "Maggie" and would talk about her like she already existed. Unfortunately we are the kind of people that put things off until the "perfect time" to do something. When we first moved to Nashville we lived in a condo, so a dog was not an option. When we finally started looking for a house, one of the biggest deciding factors was if we could finally get Maggie (who still didn't exist at this point). We almost didn't buy our house because the back yard is a hill and we didn't think it was good enough for our future Maggie. The builder's agent (who must have thought we were crazy) actually had some work done to the yard to provide us more flat space in hopes that we might actually buy the house which was perfect in every other way besides the yard. So we bought the house - but then we still didn't think it was the "perfect time" to get Maggie because of our work schedules.

Several months later after my grandparents (Mama and Poppa) had gotten tired of hearing about us wanting Maggie, but knowing we would never actually get her, took action into their own hands and bought the perfect little puppy for us for our birthdays. I was ecstatic, but JT wasn't as excited. He called Poppa and thanked him for the offer, but said "What if we don't want her?", which is a question I remind him of quite often. Poppa said he would keep her if we didn't want her, but JT agreed to come check her out. It was love at first sight, and the rest is history.

Thank you Mama and Poppa for our sweet Maggie!


Maggie came home to us in February 2010. JT and his mom met my grandparents to pick her up and bring her back to Nashville. I was out of town and JT and Maggie picked me up at the airport. That little puppy was the most precious thing I'd ever seen! She instantly stole our hearts and immediately became more than a dog...she is our little girl!

Just got Maggie home. JT is discussing the rules of the house with her.

Long first night.


Maggie has been such a great part of our lives. She has taught us about unconditional love and helped us with some parenting skills. (On a side note, I don't think you should be allowed to have children unless you have successfully taken care of a pet.) We now know our strenghts and weaknesses as parents. JT can give her a look and barely speak her name and she basically punishes herself if she thinks she has disappointed him. Me on the other hand - I can yell, scream, jump and down, and she just looks at me like "I know you can't catch me". She is spoiled rotten and definitely knows how to play us.

She is a creature of habit. You can set a clock by her telling you when it is time to eat. She loves routines and is out of sorts if we change it up. If I get up early and start getting ready, she knows I am going to work. In this case, she lays on my feet with a pitiful face. First thing she does EVERY morning is runs into my closet and grabs my tennis shoes hoping that she can convince me to take her on a walk. Even though she does this every day, it cracks me up every time!

A few of Maggie's favorite things:
1. Playing fectch - This dog is relentless! She could seriously play fetch 24/7.

2. Paw Pals - I never thought we'd be that type of dog owner, but we are - Maggie goes to daycare. That's right, doggy daycare. It is called Paw Pals and it may as well be Disneyworld. She goes crazy when you pull in to the parking lot and can not get away from me fast enough. It is especially sad when we are leaving her there for the weekend and I want is to love on her and say goodbye, but she runs through the door and never looks back. When we pick her up, she is exhausted. She gets a bath when she gets home and then sleeps for the next 24 hours. This is my favorite Maggie time, because she is cuddly and sweet.

3. Gram's house and the blue ball - When I take her to my mom's house (Gram) she runs to the toy basket and grabs her favorite toy, the blue squeaky ball, and then runs to the door and barks for Gram to announce her arrival. If they ever lose that blue ball, the world may come to an end. We have tried many times to get her to play with any of the other 10 toys in the basket, but she will have nothing to do with it.

4. Car rides - Maggie loves to ride in the car, and she gets so excited if you ask her "Wanna go?". Her favorite place to go is Crockett Park. She gets to play in the creek and if we can find a spot that has no one around, we let her loose and play fetch. She has a blast! Speaking of the creek, that brings me to her love of water.

5. Water - probably her most favorite thing in the world. Whether it be a puddle or a creek, she is going to get in it. Her love affair with water began during her first bath which JT gave her in the bathtub. She still jumps in the tub some days and sits there staring at the spout hoping I'll turn it on for her.

She loves a water hose and especially her pool! She isn't patient enough for us to fill up the pool, so she usually climbs in and just wants the water poured all over her. She has a blast at the creek at Crockett Park. I wish we could find a pond somehwere that she could play in because we would love to see her really swim.

6. Momma Karen - Karen lives across the street from us and is Maggie's hero! Without her, I don't know if having a dog would be possible. She is a dog-lover, actually we all want to be reincarnated as one of Karen's dogs. She has a older chocolate lab named Sugar that Maggie loves to play with. Karen comes and lets Maggie out and plays with her when I have to work. Maggie LOVES her and we appreciate her so much!

7. Uncle Jon-Jon - JT's brother Jon also tops Maggie's list of favorite people. He plays with her and buys her treats. When we are out of town he comes to stay with her if his job schedule allows. We love getting picture texts of them playing - Maggie is usually smiling because he is much more fun than us. Maggie always has a blast with him!

8. Bruiser - The indestructible and only toy Maggie has besides tennis balls. Bruiser got its name after she droppped it on our toes a couple of times. It is a big rubbery ball with protruding sides. She knows it by name and we can tell her to go find it and she will search the house until she gets it. One thing Maggie has taught us it that our kid will not be getting every toy ever made. Maggie would rather play with the empty paper towel roll, an ice cube, or a sock more than any toy ever bought. And if you get her something with a squeaker and stuffing, it will be destroyed upon contact.

9. Air vents - Maggie quickly discovered that when she is hot in the summer, she can lay down on the vent and cool off. She also knows that she can warm up in the winter. It is so funny to watch her because when she hears it come on, she slides down over it and smiles. It's her own little piece of heaven!



So as you can tell, we LOVE our dog! Is she spoiled? Absolutely - we wouldn't have it any other way. Everyone says that the dog becomes second best when the baby gets here, and I hope that is not true for us. Maggie is a member of our family, and I can't imagine pushing her aside. We don't know how she is around babies yet, but she loves kids. So I think they will be best friends in the future. After all, to earn Maggie's love requires very little - feed her, throw the ball, and turn on some water!