Maddie is 9 years old today.
In dog years that equates to somewhere around 63. Maddie is not sure
she likes that number, she wants me to stick to the 9 year celebration. And NO there is no colorful bow on the head picture today. She asked me over and over
not to do that and I listened. Instead, I am including a few of my favorite
Maddie photos over the years.
Maddie has such a different personality from Morgan. They
are complete opposites in so many things: energy level, interests, barking,
socializing behaviors, quirks, the list goes on an on.
What I know about Maddie for sure, she loves LOVE. She is very sensitive and she loves to be loved. She reminds me daily of many things are important her and make her such a special Corgi Girl. Happy Birthday Maddie !
What I know about Maddie for sure, she loves LOVE. She is very sensitive and she loves to be loved. She reminds me daily of many things are important her and make her such a special Corgi Girl. Happy Birthday Maddie !
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Maddie in the water bowl, early signs of her love of water |
Routine
Or maybe it is the prediction and safety of order,
structure, what goes first and second, before, after, inside, outside, etc. Maddie
knows that everyday she goes outside first. Then she comes in and gets her
breakfast. Morgan always gets her food first and then Maddie follows. If for
any reason I veer from this routine, Maddie will herd me to the kitchen. She loves to wake up with a head scratch and
a few kisses, everyday she visits me at the pillow with a gentle nudge. She likes to play with two toys and both are yellow: Cheesey and Duckey.
Water
Not sure if this is nurture or nature, she’s been swimming
since she was a puppy. I have a video of her in a pool in Florida at 10 weeks
old. She is not afraid. When she swims
today in Aunt Maggie’s pool, you can see the smile on her face. She knows what “pool time” means and gets
excited at the mention of these words. Unlike
Morgan, Maddie also likes the rain.
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One of my favorite photos |
Security
Maddie was the smallest puppy in her litter. Not sure if she
was roughed up by her littermates, but she has always been “on guard” and is especially
sensitive to noise. For example, as a
puppy she barked and barked at 2am when Brian, next door, came home on his super motorcycle. It took a few months for her to learn that
this particular sound was OK and she did not need to guard or warn by barking,
barking, barking. When the neighbors
run their lawnmower, this is another sound she had to learn to discern. She still barks a bit, but will calm down
once she knows it is the mower. Over the years, we've reminded her over and over that we are OK and that
she can relax and not be on guard.
Corgi Girl
One of her nicknames is “Corgi Ballerina”. Maddie can be very delicate. She also loves
to prance, sit up and be pretty. She is not a fan of anything that comes
close to resembling playing FETCH; for her that is too much work and too
repetitive. Unlike Morgan, she loves to rest and take naps on her Princess
Pillow.
Food
Yes, Maddie loves to eat.
In that respect, her and Morgan are just alike. They are both food motivated ! Their two or three skirmishes over the years have all been because of food. And regardless of who started
the fight or why, Maddie has always come out without a scratch. On the other
hand, Maddie has “drawn” blood from Morgan several times, three trips to the
vet over the years. Once for a bite of Morgan’s right ear, and twice for
scratches to Morgan’s face. Let’s just
say that Maddie has a FIGHT in her for sure.
And it cannot go without mention,
this past year, Maddie has taken up the new persona of TCB: the Trash Can
Bandit. If you know Maddie, you know the
stories. Not sure how much of this behavior
is about food, or curiosity, or just plain “I want to try something new”. A few days ago she tipped over the trash can
when I was home and for the record, Morgan did not participate. It was Maddie on her own in the kitchen
being Maddie.
Friends
Over the years Maddie has enjoyed the friendship of Savannah, Wesley, Riley, Baxter, Jake, Cody, Bruno, Dutch, Chloe and Annah. She is
especially grateful to Cody and Savannah for all the time and patience they had
with her when she was a puppy. And her one and only love, Merlin. Merlin is the most
handsome German Shepperd, ever. He stayed with Maddie and Morgan a few times
and for Maddie it was LAFS! Love at first
sight. Even today, the mention of Merlin’s name, gets a reaction from
Maddie. I promised Maddie that one day soon I am going to arrange a play date
for her to see Merlin.
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Maddie and Friends and Merlin |
Happy Birthday Maddie Louise