Maddy

It's been a while since I've written a post about Maddy.

Maddy is my 5-year-old golden retriever. She will be 6 on May 21. Maddy was born in Stoughton, Wisconsin, and I brought her home in July of 2001. She was so tiny when I brought her home, only about 8 pounds, I think, and only 7 weeks old. But we saw those paws and thought "Oh baby, she's gonna be big".


Maddy was a precocious little shit, for the first year of her life. All she wanted to do was bite, scratch, chew shit up. She left a hole the size of a basketball in the carpet of the house we were renting in the QC before we moved to Nati. Yah. We didn't get that deposit back. And all I wanted was a sweet, loving, cuddlesome Golden, like my Dad's dog Maggie. But nope, I had this hyper-active, crazy dog who grew to be 95 pounds in a year.

Maddy likes to meet new people. She will say hello by jumping up on you and nearly knocking you over. Maddy likes to meet anyone, especially the scariest dude walking toward you. That dude could be carrying a machete, a machine gun, or nunchuks, and Maddy would happily want to give him a kiss.

When we moved to Nati, Maddy started to calm down. The vet said goldens stay puppies until they're 5. No joke. And it has proven true with my little guy. She's finally starting to slow down a bit. Maddy has hip dysplasia, which causes her some havoc when she wants to get on the couch, or get up from a lay on the floor. In her old age, she is starting to feel the burn.

In her six years with us, Maddy has had many nicknames. When she was a baby, it was Pupp-o, Maddy Fatty, BadMaddyJama. They sort of evolve each time we give her one. It was Mrs. Pupperton, or Miss B, or Sis there for a while. Now, it's Chubston, or just Chubs if you prefer.

She is a beautiful dog, starting to go gray on her face. She has these eyes that, swear to you, almost look human sometimes. She is wicked smart, and has a personality sharp as a tack. Maybe it's because she is the only dog in the house, or because she is around us so much, but I think she thinks she is a person. She'll rip this huge belch, she'll fart in bed. She sighs. She smiles. She talks to the people passing by the window.

Maddy enjoys her chewies, the beef-flavored ones from PetCo. We allow her to lick our plates after dinner, because she'll come up and flash those big brown eyes and smile, and I'm a goner. And the nice thing is, I finally have my cuddle-bug dog I always wanted.