Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Happy birthday Maddie


Mary Margaret gave Maddie a birthday kiss.

Maddie turned 4 yesterday. It's a great age for dogs. They have calmed down and are more obedient but still puppyish and energetic.

We celebrated with a dog play date at Deb's. The "moms" had coffee and pastry and the three Labrador Retrievers, Maddie, Mary Margaret and Sue Ellen, played and got a piece of a hot dog.

Sue Ellen, at eight months old, is a whirl of
energy. She didn't stay still long enough to get a good photo with her face in it, so here she is rough-housing with Maddie.

Sue Ellen is the one on her back. Their bodies and faces are different, but sometimes when they're running around, I can't tell who's who in the chocolate blur.


Back home at left, Maddie enjoys the new toy that Deb got her. Maddie doesn't know 1,022 nouns like Chaser, a border collie who lives in Spartanburg, S.C., but when I say, "Get your new toy," she knows just what I mean.

Our dog play dates are like the get-togethers I had with other mothers when the kids were younger. We talk about everything, but the conversation always swings back to the dogs. And it's like how we used to talk about the kids: what they're eating, how they're behaving, what their favorite toys are these days. Three dogs running around can be a little crazy, but nevertheless it's an oasis of calm.

3 comments:

donna said...

You are such a good writer!!!!!!!!!

Deborah said...

Mary Margaret doesn't know 1000+ words either, but if she so much as overhears the word "Maddie" she gets into a pitch of excitement.

Ann said...

I love the pictures of the dogs playing. Happy birthday, Maddie.