Maddie and The Exercise Ball

Maddie has found a new nemesis in our blue exercise ball. We discovered she likes to bark at it – maybe because she can’t put it in her mouth – and roll it around with her front legs.

One day we brought it outside to see what would happen with a whole yard to play in. It was a riot. Check it out below.

Maddie and The Exercise Ball

Maddie-tough toys

Maddie loves playing with her Ultimate Bone

The bone has seen better days, but it's still intact after two months!

We have finally found a toy that lasts more than hours or days.

Rob and I bought an Ultimate Bone when we were in Chicago in late June, just another so-called ‘tough’ toy for her to rip apart in a few hours. We never imagined it would still be in one piece in August.

She and cousin Abby have ripped the seams so they are frayed, and there is finally a small hole near one of the three squeakers, but Maddie has not yet noticed that and ripped the squeaker out. Although the squeaker is in another pouch, so maybe it will take her awhile to extract that.

Maddie and I are back in Chicago so I bought more of the toys – another Ultimate Bone, an Ultimate Ring and an Ultimate Tug of War. Maybe now I can stop wasting money on toys that last mere minutes and she can beat up on the Ultimate toys for months at a time.

Vacation Maddie

Maddie and I went on vacation last week. We spent the first two days in Chicago with my sister, her husband and their two dogs, hanging out in their condo, walking around Bucktown. It was tons of fun when my brother-in-law got up at 5. Maddie got restless from that point, had to go on a walk with everyone at 6 and then refused to relax again the ensuing hour I wanted to continue sleeping. Luckily, she didn’t take to the early hour and still lets me sleep until 7.

The rest of the week we spent in Indiana at my family’s lake cottage. She wasn’t a big fan of swimming – she can do it, but didn’t really like it. Boat rides, on the other hand, she loved. I was afraid at first, not knowing how she would react. She was totally calm, and loved standing on the front of the boat with cousin Ike. I finally got confident enough to let go of her leash. Later, while my sister, mom and I ate dinner at my sister’s place, my dad and brother took her on another ride. They drove by at full speed with Maddie standing on the front, wind blowing in her ears, mouth wide open. Dad said she liked going fast, not slow.

Maddie's favorite place

Ike takes the front position while Abby joins her brother and Maddie.

Happy boater

Grandma Kathy and Maddie enjoy the sun and surf.

Mommy and Maddie

Too much sun and wind make Maddie a tired puppy!

Sunset Park

Before my recent week-long, Maddie-free vacation, I wanted to spend some time with Maddie. So the day before I left, Maddie and I drove to Washington to Sunset Dog Park to check things out.

I can see the Burlington Regional Dog Park starting out like this park. Sunset Park is 1.2 acres (BRDP will be 1.4 acres) with a few trees and bushes, a picnic table and bench, trash receptacles and waste bags, and a gravel path around the perimeter. There was a small dog area off to one side outside the main gate.

It was a beautiful day, and Maddie got to run around, but we didn’t have any company during our hour there. I wish I would have brought a frisbee, but one of the rules is no toys. With no other dogs, though, we needed something (I wasn’t about to run around with her as I had completed a triathlon the day before and my legs were pretty much mush). Instead, we just hung out and enjoyed the weather, laying there looking at the clouds roll by and listening to the birds. Maddie alternated laying by my head, and wandering around sniffing the world.

Next time, we’ll venture to Cedar Rapids and explore its dog park.

A swimmingly good time

Maddie and I headed to Iowa City this afternoon to meet Daddy, our friend Carrie and her dog Toby and go to a dog park.

I am at a loss for words trying to explain how happy it makes me watching Maddie run around and play with other dogs. She loves it so much, and has such a great time.

She went for her first swim, a little tentatively, but she got all the way in the pond. Then of course jumped on me so we were both a mess on the way home. I cannot wait until the Burlington dog park opens. I want all dogs to be as happy as Maddie is when she is able to run free.

Maddie and Toby and their new friends head to the water.

Toby seems to be enjoying the water.

Get the ball Maddie!

It's nice to take a dip on a warm day.

Maddie goes running for Rob while Josie tries to swim across the pond. She turned around and ran to the other side instead.

Toby is a happy puppy.

Maddie plays with her new friend. She is so social. She just loves to meet new dogs and new people.

Ahh, nice and refreshing.

What a happy dog she is!

Another new friend.

He is just so cute.

Poor Josie shrunk when she got wet! She was a spunky dog, playing with Toby like they were the same size.

The four amigos race to the ball.

Play day

Rob started taking Maddie off of her line for short periods of time. She has done very well, so far she has not run out of the yard. It’s nice to be able to play Frisbee with her and she doesn’t have to trot to the Frisbee, afraid she’ll be jerked to a stop at the end of her line. We don’t keep her out too long. We don’t want to push our luck.

Lazy day

This is just too good to be true. Miss Madison has just been chilling all day, not once going crazy, running around and nipping. I think the sound of the rain is lulling her to sleep. She’s been laying on the couch most of the day while I watch TV, answer e-mails and write stories, enjoying my final day of vacation. We had a little interlude where I brushed her and fed her chicken, and about two minutes when we played with her squeaky frog, but that’s been it. I should have known it was going to be like this — she let me sleep until 7:30!

I’m sure we will pay for today’s Perfect Puppy with Hell Hound tomorrow.

Miss Social

Maddie had a very busy afternoon (which is why she is snoozing on the couch with Daddy, who had a very rough day on the golf course).

First she headed next door to see Charlie, who is going to be with relatives in Fort Madison the rest of the week while his owner is in Ames. Maddie loved the new mulch in the yard and this time Maddie and Charlie didn’t crush any hostas. Last time she visited they totaled one of the plants.

We started out on our walk, a leisurely pace after several days of running, during which she caused me to shave 6 minutes off of my time even as I added an extra block on the end of the run.

At the end of our street, we stopped to play with Mocha, our chocolate lab friend. The puppy, who is several months younger than Maddie, is now bigger than my little girl. But Maddie is still able to hold her own and several times today had Mocha on her back. I’m thinking that’s more out of respect on Mocha’s part, but I still don’t really understand the dog world.

We continued on once Maddie began to get more interested with Mocha’s bone than Mocha herself.

We moseyed a few blocks down and decided to stop in to see a friend we hadn’t visited in a while. As we talked, Maddie roamed the house, found a green stuffed animal and ripped its insides out.

On our way back home, we made another stop when we saw the mail truck. Maddie, even though she’s known our mail lady since we got her, barks incessantly any time she comes near the yard. Several times Maddie has prevented our mail from being delivered. So I thought maybe if they met on neutral ground, Maddie would be OK and maybe next time she’s outside when the mail comes, it would be better. Maddie behaved and got a couple of treats from Deb. I don’t know if the meeting will make any difference, but it certainly can’t hurt.

Then I thought it would be straight home, but alas, we had one more visit in us. A neighbor a couple of blocks away likes to sit outside, and there he was, so we stopped to chat. After Maddie gnawed on several rocks and a walnut, we took our leave and finished our journey home.

It was a busy day for the puppy.

Running companion

Since I wrote about Maddie’s escapade with Rob on his bike, I need to mention she has become quite a running companion. She is very good about staying behind me on the way out, and leading me back home once we turn around.

The thing is, I work my butt off running while she walks along, barely breaking a sweat. It is so not fair.

Biker dog

Maddie pulls Rob along

When she got going, Maddie did a good job.

Rob decided to try taking Maddie for a bike ride yesterday after work. It was a little dicey as Maddie very rarely walks in anything close to a straight line. Once they changed leashes from the long leash to the regular leash, things went much better. It’s probably not something they’ll do on a regular basis, but it will be fun once in a while. It certainly exercises her with less effort from us!