It’s kind of crazy to me that five years ago yesterday my oldest daughter was born! That’s right, little Miss Maggie turned 5 yesterday! We adopted her within days of moving to Pittsburgh and introducing her to the world is the 3rd post on this little blog of mine! I thought today would be the perfect time to look back at Maggie’s first year and give an update on my big girl now!
On January 12, 2011, JP and I boarded a plane with a one way ticket to Pittsburgh. Before we left, I told JP that I wanted to get a dog when we got there. I was going to be working from home and by myself all day, so this was the perfect time for me to get a little pup and train it. The first week in Pittsburgh, we were cooped up in a hotel during a snowstorm. Naturally, I did lots of puppy research. I came across this picture below. I saw her and knew she was mine. In fact, I texted my family and several friends saying that she was going to be my puppy! To top it off, the shelter, Heaven to Earth, is a no kill shelter that rescues puppies from Amish land, farmers and puppy mills for adoption. Exactly 7 days after we flew into Pittsburgh. Just 1 day after moving into our town home, we drove to New Philadelphia, OH to meet our girl.
To make sure she was the right fit, we had the opportunity to meet a few other puppies at the same time. I decided to meet her brothers {Mason and Moose} and sister {Molly} from her litter. Maggie was the only pup with this coloring. Her siblings were beautiful and sweet with dark coats. Luckily there were other people coming later in the week to look at them as well because it’s so hard to say no to one puppy and yes to another! While we were there, Maggie paid the most attention to me. She came up to me, sniffed around and licked my leg which clearly meant she loved me and was going to be mine. On January 19, 2011, we took her home to be ours forever!
We figured out early on that Maggie was quite the odd pup. And trust me, it hasn’t changed one bit, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. She loves to sleep in the strangest positions. The good thing is that people say dogs who sleep in strange ways are comfortable and at ease with their owners. I’m glad she feels safe with her mommy and daddy! And clearly this started early on…
While Maggie loves to sleep and contort her body into strange sleeping positions, she hates a few things more than anything!
Maggie’s Dislikes:
- Bathtime. Worst thing ever.
- Swimming. She won’t go in the pool like Moose, but she is starting to wade now.
- The vet. Enough said.
- Going to bed. Our dogs are kennel trained, but Maggie would gladly sleep with us if we would let her.
- Leaving my parents house. She loves it there.
- Being told no. She’s like a toddler.
- Putting annoying toys out of her reach. She’s incredibly persistent and will try to get them for hours if we let her.
Maggie’s Likes:
- Toys. This girl is pretty toy oriented. She likes to just destroy them really. And now she just wants all of Chloe’s toys.
- Walks. She has never said no to a walk! I used to run with her in Pittsburgh. Texas is pretty hot most of the year and she doesn’t really run at my pace, so she isn’t always the best running buddy.
- The dog park. She loves running around as fast as she wants, playing with other dogs and running through the wading pools.
- Opening doors. She’s too talented for her own good. If only we could teach her to close the door…
- Getting what she wants. Brat.
- Playing at my parents’ house. Same as the dog park, plus extra attention from her grandparents.
- Attention. See above. This puppy loves attention particularly from me and my dad.
- Walking in tall grass. I’m not sure I understand this obsession, but it’s a thing and she loves it.
- Snuggling her momma. She’s a momma’s girl. We spent the first year of her life at home together every single day. She’s my spirit animal and we’re obsessed with each other.
This dog has brought so much joy to our lives the past {almost} five years. She’s incredibly intelligent, but choses to listen only when she wants. She definitely has good dog potential, but has too much personality to be good all the time. She’s a bit of a mess and can be difficult from time to time, but she stole our hearts long ago. It could have something to do with those ears. But really, those ears though!
We were blessed to find our Miss Maggie in Ohio. Big thanks to JP’s job for moving us to Pittsburgh for a year because Maggie wouldn’t be ours if we hadn’t. Fate is a pretty amazing thing and God is so good. I can’t wait to spend the next 100 years with my little girl because obviously she’s going to live furever. Happy birthday Miss Maggie Mae! I love you my perfect first born baby!
How old is your first born?
Did you have a human or furry baby first?
