Blog Awards and Barking Dogs

I have to apologize for the Blog Award I posted on on Monday. Barb from www.holmsweethomeblog.blogspot.com was very sweet to pick me as one of the folks to pass this on to. I was distracted beyond belief by the dogs barking when I posted my answers. I love our dogs, Maggie and Mosby. But, they are a little overprotective. If Pat isn't home, they will bark nearly non-stop in order to "warn" Aidan and I of dangerous things outside: passing cars, a leaf blowing in the wind, a cloud over head, you get my drift. It can become so distracting that I can't hear anything except the dogs barking. . .sort of defeats the purpose of the bark and warning, you know?

But, Monday evening, my husband came home. He'll likely hunt again this season, but probably for just a half day at a time. No more long stretches of several days. This is good. Aidan and I could use a break from the barking! : )

Maggie and Mosby are very good dogs otherwise. They are both very beautiful purebred Golden Retrievers. Mosby, aka John Singleton Mosby--named for the Confederate Colonel from our area, will be 4 years old on the 27th. We bought him from a breeder in Stanardsville, VA. He was 8 weeks old when we brought him home. . .we got him because our old dog, Brutus, had gone to the great reward the prior September. On Christmas evening, Pat looked at me and said, with a tremor and pout, "We're dog people, and we don't have a dog!" Doh! I was supposed to get him a dog for Christmas! Mosby was brought home the next month on Pat's birthday.

Poor Mose. . .he was really enjoying life with just the two of us. He was our baby. He got 100% of our attention. Then I let a friend of mine talk me into breeding him with her fantastic Golden Maddie. She literally twisted my arm! : ) Mosby loves Maddie and it was a match made in heaven. One attempt and Maddie was pregnant with nine puppies. . .NINE!

On Jun 9th, 2007, I got the call that the puppies were on the way. I arrived just after the first one, Mosby Jr., was born. I watched them all come into this world, held them in the palm of my hand, and nuzzled them. The second one born, was my Maggie. I fell in love with her the minute I saw her for the first time. She was, and is, so sweet!

Maggie, aka Steel Magnolia--you know, came home to us when she was 8 weeks old, in August 2007--just before we sent off our paperwork for Russia. Suffice it to say, Mosby was not happy. Initially. He was a little put out with us for bringing this little monster into his home. It didn't seem to matter to him that Maggie was his own daughter. Mags was into everything, but we loved her nonetheless.

Then, the following November, we took both Maggie and Mosby to my friends house to stay for a week while we made our initial trip to Russia. In addition to Maddie, my friend had another Golden, Ginger, and had kept one of the puppies, Brandy. So, that was five dogs: Mosby and Maggie, plus Maddie, Ginger and Brandy. Mosby had been there before, but this was rediculous! According to him, that is. I think he may have felt a little abandoned by us.

Mosby settled down some when we got home and even seemed to be warming up to Maggie. He didn't even seem too upset about the changes we were making in our house: The babies room, toys, a crib, moving furniture, adding different lighting and locks on everything.

Maggie, on the otherhand, was just excited about everything. What's this? What's this? What's this? You should have seen her on Christmas. . .LOOK, LOOK, LOOK! LOOK WHAT I GOT!!! A BIG BONE!! You could practically hear her. Funny dog. . .

When we got the call to go back to Russia, we made our arrangements for the dogs again. A month is a long time to ask a friend to take on two additional dogs--on top of the three already there--and Pat's mom and dad graciously agreed to keep Mosby for us. Maggie went back to visit with her Mama. The plan worked out great. We felt comfortable and dogs were fine and comfortable. I think Mosby actually really enjoyed himself--I suspect my father-in-law did, too!! Bonding, you know??

But, the trouble really got going when we came home. . .Aidan was now a member of the family. Mosby, still being really good, just got really confused about the pecking order. He just didn't know what to think. First another dog came home and then another something that looks sort of like a people, smells like a people, but sure doesn't act like any people he's seen before! Maybe this is just another dog that looks different!

I have to admit that Aidan fell in love with both dogs right away, but learned quickly that Mosby was a little. . .pickier. . .about how he was treated. Maggie was almost immediately declared by Aidan to be "Aya's dog!" Mosby is Daddy's dog, Maggie is Aya's dog and Mommy doesn't have a dog. It's still this way, 19 months later.

Speaking of 19 months later, Mosby has settled down a lot. He is a little high strung, perhaps more that we realized, but he really cares for Aidan and knows now that Aidan is a people and that Mosby is below Aidan in the Pack order. Maggie continues to just go with the flow. Maggie's only fault is that Mosby drags her into the warning process. . .she is near sighted and so can't tell if there is actual danger or not. So, she lets Mosby decide and she follows.

In any case, our dogs are part of the family and we love them. Even if they try to warn us of every little bug that passed within 100 yards of our front door. . .

P. S. I've added a link for a little girl named Polly who will be having some pretty major surgery. Please click on the button and join me in praying for her and her family during this difficult time.