Maggies New Post Day Two

Yesterday was Maggies first day in her new role as guard dog. She met my expectations with no destruction of property, or rule infractions (that we know of). Today I am out of town, and Amy was off to Tulsa for Randi and Matt's wedding. It was decided we would leave Maggie in the backyard today, as it will be more than twelve hours before I make it home, and she will probably be more comfortable out there.

Amy put her out this morning at about six with her bed, water, and of course her food. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting Maggie I must share with you that to say she has a flare for the dramatics is a bit of an understatement. She LOVES drama, and the more animated, and louder the better as far as she is concerned. On any given day if she is outside and we are inside - she will emit the highest pitch squeal audible to the human ear as her way of signaling that her life will come to an end at once if she is not admitted to the house.

Now that I've set the scene, I wake up this morning to my phone ringing. I'm sure it must be Amy telling me that perhaps she missed her flight, and needed help with re-booking. I see on the screen that it is actually our neighbor. My mind instantly races into all the things that could be wrong that would cause her to call me. I answer the phone somewhat panicked. She asks if everything is okay at our home. I say "I think so, why?" she goes on to explain that our dog is in the back yard making a dreadful noise, and has been for about 90 minutes.

Oh the shame, I apologize repeatedly, and thank God that it isn't a Saturday -- hopefully she will calm her self at some point today. On an up note we have been working with Maggie on her vocal expressions, in light of the new addition to our family in a few weeks we decided it was no longer okay to have Maggie SCREAMING at us every time we walk in the door. So taking a note from Victoria, (you know the snooty lady that is over the top about dogs on Animal Planet) we decided to use compressed air in a can to discourage this uncomfortable behavior along with a hand signal.

It was rather heart breaking the first few times to see her so excited to see me, and then have to blast her with a shot of air, but it actually worked. And now the hand signal alone simmers her right down to a normal cute humble dog. The tricky part is going to be Daddy in law Doyce who loves to scream with Maggie when they get together. Oh the heartbreak, for both of them.