Sweet Puppy

I've decided that I have just about the sweetest puppy ever.  And as proof, here's what happened this morning.

Since it's getting dark earlier, we've been going on our evening walks a little earlier than we used to.  So instead of potty break at 7ish, walk and final potty at 9ish, it's just walk and final potty at 8ish (or just slightly later).  But because she goes out earlier than she used to, she also wakes me up to take her out earlier in the morning. 

Since last Saturday, I've taken her out and gone back to sleep.  Usually, I walk into the bedroom and Maya follows me in; I crawl into my bed, she crawls into hers, and we're both out for about an hour.  Today, she didn't follow me into the bedroom.  I didn't really pay attention to where she went, but I assumed she went to look out the window for a while.  I crawled into bed, and just as I'm about to fall asleep, I hear this teeny tiny muffled little bark.  Now I'm awake.  I listen closely thinking maybe I was imagining it, but about 30 seconds later, I hear it again. 

I quietly got out of bed and peeked into the living room.  And that's when I saw her.  Maya was lying on the floor, head resting on her front paws, staring at her empty food bowl.  And then another teeny tiny little bark.  My poor puppy was hungry, but she didn't want to wake me up!  You could almost see her little brain thinking: "I'm hungry, but Mommy is tired and I don't want to wake her up.  But I'm hungry.  Maybe if I bark really quiet...." 

Of course I went and got her some food.  Then I crawled back into bed.  After filling her tummy, Maya came and joined me (in her bed). 

Now admit it, I have the sweetest puppy.  :)

"Play With Me!"

I've been very busy with work lately, so my poor Maya has been left to her own devices much more often than I like.  She usually does pretty well, but sometimes she just really wants some attention.  This morning was one of those times.

I was in the bathroom getting ready for work when Maya comes looking for me.  She has one of her favorite balls in her mouth, which she drops at my feet.  This is the universal sign for starting a game of fetch.  I look down and tell her I can't play, that I have to get ready for work.  She looks at me with those big brown eyes, picks up the ball, and drops it at my feet again.  I ignore her.

I hear Maya leave the bathroom, only to reappear moments later with another ball in her mouth.  Again she drops it at my feet, and again I tell her I can't play.  She leaves again and comes back with another ball.  Eventually, there are five balls at my feet, and Maya is looking up at me with those big brown eyes.  Her tail was wagging slightly, almost tentatively, and you could just see the hope in her eyes.

That's when I decide that a ponytail would be a great look for today, and for the next 20 minutes, Maya and me enjoyed a nice game of fetch. 

Spa Visit

Maya went to the groomer yesterday for her last summer cut.  I've been to this place before, and I really like it.  And since Maya practically dragged me in through the front door (or as much as a 10-lb dog can drag someone), I figure she really likes it too. 

I have to admit that I wasn't thrilled with her cut.  She was shorter than I wanted, and they did something odd with her face.  I can't put my finger on it, but she just looks......different.  There are only two groomers at this place, and a different one did her this time, so I'm sure that's why.  She still a cutie, but I'll be sure to request the other groomer next time.

And in case you're wondering, here's how she turned out. 

Told you she was still cute.  :)  And I don't know what the deal with the bows is.  I forgot to tell them no bows, so they gave her a couple.  I'm not a big fan of yellow on her (or in general), but this isn't the first time someone has put something yellow on her, so maybe it's just me.  And probably the most shocking of all -- the bows are still in!  Apparently she doesn't mind them as much when they're tiny like these.

Doggy Tricks

I hate to admit it, but this dog listens to me better than my dog. 

www.idodogtricks.com

At least it's cute.  ;)

Snow

Maya got her first taste of snow today, literally.  We don't get too many snow days in Texas, so Maya hadn't seen any snow before now.  And she liked it!

I think she doesn't quite know what to make of it -- it's really cold on her paws, but it tastes so good!  It took us a while to get downstairs this morning, mainly because Maya kept stopping to eat the snow.  She had to taste it every so often, because maybe this pile tasted different than the last pile.  But after she did her business, she had had enough, and she kept jumping up on my leg until I picked her up.  Since her fur hasn't grown back yet after her surgery, her leg and bottom were exposed to the elements, and she was cold!  She didn't stop shaking until she had been under my coat for a few minutes. 

But she does like the snow in small quantities.  I've mentioned before that she has a bell on the door to let me know when she needs to go outside (her "potty bell").  This afternoon, she started ringing it non-stop.  I knew she didn't have to go out because we had come in about 10 minutes earlier, but I finally got tired of listening to the bell and got up.  I grabbed my shoes, my coat, my scarf.  I put her leash on, and then we headed out the door.  In the time it took me to lock the door, she had run to the edge of the snow, grabbed a mouthful, and had run back to the door, ready to go back inside. Guess she just wanted to make sure it was still there, and still oh-so-delicious.

Growing Puppy

Maya and I have run into people in the last few weeks that we haven't seen for a while, and they all say how big she's gotten.  To be honest, I thought they were crazy.  I see her every day, and she looks exactly the same.  And I guess that's the problem.  When you see someone (or something) every day, you don't notice the small changes.  It's only when you stop seeing them for a while and those small changes add up that you notice.

Why am I mentioning this?  Because yesterday, I realized Maya could no longer fit under the bed.  We were playing fetch (yes, inside) and one of her balls went under the bed.  This has happened before, but it usually goes all the way through to the other side and she can go around the bed to get it.  Well, yesterday it didn't make it to the other side.  She ran around the bed like always, but there was no ball.  So she came back to the front side, but still no ball.  She went around a couple more times before she realized where it was, but she still couldn't get to it.  Then she got mad and I had to grab it for her.

I remember when I brought her home and she used to love going under there.  It wasn't really hiding, just hanging out.  Somewhere along the way, she stopped doing it as often, and now she can't do it at all.  I guess those people who told me she was getting big were not all that crazy to begin with and my baby is just growing up.   

New Friends

This is actually a story from a couple of weeks ago, but it's cute so I thought I would share it. 

Maya's best friend is Lizzy, a little yorkie who lives a few doors down.  Lizzy has a couple of roommates, George and Gypsy, two cats.  George is actually bigger than Maya, and I've seen the two of them play together before.  Gypsy is pretty small and very shy.  Her mom told me that she found Gypsy when she was about 6 - 8 months old.  Her previous owners had declawed her, and then threw her out. 

Gypsy is literally scared of everything. While Maya, Lizzy, and George play, Gypsy hides somewhere out of reach.  Her mom tells me that she's ok with her, her boyfriend, and Lizzy and George, but doesn't like new people or animals.  She also shared that it took over a year of her boyfriend living with her before Gypsy would come near him.

The day I picked Maya up from the vet after getting spayed, I had a class that I absolutely couldn't miss.  I didn't want to leave her alone (just in case), so their mom offered to keep Maya at their place.  I knew Maya wouldn't be as active as usual and assumed that she would mostly want to hang out or sleep, but I didn't expect what I saw when I picked her up later that day.  Maya was fast asleep in the cats' bed, curled up with Gypsy!!  It was the cutest thing ever.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera, and they woke up right about that time.  But I'm happy to report that since that day, Maya and Gypsy are buddies too.  :)