On New Years Day, Maisie and I met a new friend at the dog park and had a wonderful time.
Maisie has always had the attitude that everyone should be her friend. Most of the time, this is OK, but I’ve always been sensitive to her over-friendly ways and how they are received.
When we were going through our Therapy Dog training, the biggest challenge for her to overcome was to restrain herself when meeting new dogs and understanding that playtime doesn’t happen all the time. Fortunately, with lots of work and positive reinforcement, she was able to understand that she needs to wait for me to cue when it is OK to meet.
We continue to work on this…every time we encounter a dog.
One of my New Year goals with her is to start giving her more opportunities to run and play when it’s appropriate and to find doggie friends that are a good match for her.
Luna is definitely a good match for her!
She is a sweet, young, energetic girl who was adopted from Newfoundland Rescue by a wonderful nearby family. We have met a couple of times at events put on by our local Newfoundland Club but I always had Winn with me. Winn is more reserved about who she wants to meet and play with, but I knew immediately after meeting Luna that Maisie would love her.
They ran, they bounced, they greeted a few other dogs and then ran off again together. It was perfect and we will be doing this again regularly. Maisie works so hard when we are visiting schools, she deserves some time when she doesn’t have to contain her exuberance!
Advent calendars have come a long way from when I was a kid. The assortment is enormous with items to appeal to even the fussiest person on your list. Of course the traditional chocolate can still be found in stores everywhere, but other calendars are filled with toys, beauty products, beer or wine, and now there are even calendars for dogs and cats!
Durable toys made from firehose. Great for big dogs, strong chewers and water play!
A dear friend gave me this garden totem when Winn and I passed our first Water Dog test. She introduced us to water work and taught us how to do each different exercise. The metal rod I put it on for the planter is a little long, but I’m holding a spot for something special when we pass the Draft Test.
This company recycles old sails into bags. I’ve been a fan of theirs for a long time. I appreciate their reuse, repurpose mission and I’m nostalgic about the many years I spent living on the east coast. They are located in Portland, ME and have opened several stores in New England and beyond. Winn knows this bag is “her” bag. It’s always packed with treats and all the things we need when we are training or testing. I’ve got my eye on a custom bag. I want to have one made with the image of Winn either pulling the boat to shore or jumping off of the boat.
This towel is pretty cute and there are lots of other options available to add to your kitchen. Dog lovers 12 days of Christmas towel available 
Teddy the dog offers a huge variety of items featuring almost every dog breed with a silly pun. For the hard to shop for person, surely you will be able to find something 
It was great to practice with a group, we had a maneuvering course set up, a beautiful forest preserve to use for the freight haul, and it was really helpful to have several dogs together to practice the three minute out of site stay.
As I was pre-dialing 911, Winn started ambling down the hallway to investigate. I stood just outside my bedroom with my finger on the dial button and watched Winn go in and out of the laundry room, sniff the closed door of the empty guest room and look out the window facing the back yard. I called out to my son and got no response while Winn stood at the top of the stairs, sniffing for anything unusual. Eventually she turned back around and headed toward my bedroom. I figured it was safe to follow her since she was obviously giving me an “all clear”. I admit, I was not brave enough to venture downstairs to face whatever/whoever had made such a crash.
For the next 45 minutes, I stared at the ceiling clutching the phone to my chest and tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for what we heard. Maybe a raccoon fell out of a tree and yelped when he landed on the deck. The only problem with that theory is that the noise really seemed to come from the front of the house and not the back. Maybe my son came home, tripped, fell and then screeched like a girl. He didn’t answer when I called out his name, could he possibly be laying unconscious on the floor? Nah, Winn would have run to his rescue.
maisiethenewfieandcompany 