Maddie & Mommy

Maddie & Mommy

My first dog as an adult was Maddie & Maddie was the dog version of me, at least with her personality & emotional insecurities. She was always happy, overly excited with anxiety, and OCD tendencies. Maddie would be so bothered by changes. I can not forget when I had been cleaning my apartment one beautiful and sunny day back in Indiana. Just as I finished up, Maddie started barking at the kitchen trashcan. She sat and barked at that trash can for at least 5 minutes as I tried everything to make her happy. I tried to take Maddie outside to go potty, nope. She was not interested. I would try treats. Of course, she took the treats I offered, but she still sat there barking in the kitchen… now all neat and clean, I can add. “Seriously! Maddie! Knock it off”!

Moving throughout my afternoon, my sidekick, was under so much stress & pacing throughout the apartment. We went outside, we came inside, the sad, pitiful sounds that came out of my 70 lb yellow lab/mix would not stop! I compare it to a game of “Hot/Cold” that I didn’t know I was playing. As I would move throughout the apartment, the dog cries would go from being a SHARP “BARK” to a tortured whhiiinne.

After several hours of Maddie & I being unable to communicate with one another, Brian came over. At this time, Brian & I were “hanging out” with each other. In Brian’s words in 2007 were “I dig you, Amanda”. What? You dig… me? Okay, Okay, back to Maddie. When Brian walked in the door, Maddie was excited & ran right up to him for a belly rub & they head upstairs. Maddie trotted to the trashcan & let out a “puff!!!”!! Without a second thought, Brian pulled a new candle out of the cabinet, lit the candle & continued to do his own thing. The barking, crying, and the whining stopped.

After ALL of that, while I had been cleaning & singing, I put a Yankee Candle away after it had sat in the same spot for probably 4-5 months. Maddie (and Brian, apparently) believed it was important to have in this particular place, in the kitchen. Who knows how long Maddie & I would have gone around & around with each other if I would have ever figured out what was bothering her.

The beginning of Maddie’s obsessions were when she was a puppy, it was really just the two of us, and I could usually figure out what she was insisting, but as with people who struggle with obsessive compulsive tendencies, it is a lifetime battle for dogs too. Years and moves later, Maddie & I fell into our perfect family and life was great, except for one regular hiccup.

After 10 years of Maddie being my absolute best friend, I could not get her to eat her food! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, nope! Maddie refused. I actually spoon fed her (more than once), trying everything I could think of to get this dog to eat her dog food! Brian could feed her sometimes, & Melenie would get Maddie to eat regularly, but I could not entice this stubborn dog to eat! After about 8 months of this ridiculous behavior by my dog, I must have asked for the girls to feed the dogs because I hear Melenie say, “NO! Kortni, that’s the wrong bowl”. I intensely listen {pretending to be focused on cooking}, this WHOLE time, MY dog had a particular food bowl! WHAT!?!?

Me: Hey, Melenie?

Melenie: Yeah? {oh that word, nails on a chalkboard}

Me: Honey, I heard you tell your sister about Maddie’s food bowl?

Melenie: Yeah.

Me: …

Honey?

Melenie: Yeah?

Me: Melenie! Seriously! I have had to cook her food from scratch because I couldn’t get her to eat!

Melenie: {starts grinning ear to ear} That’s why you were cooking her chicken, rice, & green beans?

Me: Yes! Yes, Melenie. Which bowl is “Maddie’s” bowl, that she actually eats out of?

Melenie: Oh, yeah. It is the one with the hole in the bottom (LOL)!

Maddie had a specific bowl that she wanted to eat out of, and apparently Melenie had her figured out! The things we do for our pets, and kids, but since our pets are our children, the things we do for our pups (big & small)!