Maeby: Au Naturel

Going through this experience of having Maeby has been so great. Challenging at times, always funny, definitely a learning experience.
One thing we had trouble with was Maeby eating. She just did not want to eat her food.
Was she sick? Lonely? Depressed from the huge change she had just gone through? Probably a lot of things things contributed. But we felt like she had an appetite, just not for what we were giving her. We had bought a great deal on this food that was more natural: not full of chicken and meat bones, or weird processed things. She just would not eat it.

We were starting to get really worried, when I started thinking...Back in Ecuador, people didn't really buy dog food. They would cook up rice and chicken, and dogs loved it. They were healthy and happy. This got me thinking, why can't I feed my dog rice and chicken? Do dogs really have to eat dog food to get all their nutrients, or is this just a part of the culture? We are busy people, we have a hard enough time cooking for ourselves, let along a dog. But really, how hard could it be?

So I started doing some research. I can't tell you how many websites I investigated, scouring the internet for clues on what and what not to feed your dog. I've discovered macadamia nuts are fatal! Good to know, don't think I'll be keeping those anywhere in her reach. Kale is cancer fighting and builds strength in the hips and joints. Perfect! Maeby is a 65 pound Retriever. She is going to need all the help in her hips and joints she can. Flax seeds, oats, green beans. All great sources of health and energy. Sweet potatoes are the perfect food! Full of vitamins and folic acid, she DEVOURS them. Rice eases her digestive systems, regulating it. And the best part about all of this? The girl loves her food! Even the mention of breakfast or dinner get's her heart racing.

 Yesterday, I asked her if she wanted "Supper, puppy" (Thanks Amy and Steve!) and she bounded out of the living room, into the kitchen, ears flailing behind her. She literally could not wait to eat. It feels so great to go from begging her to eat, to having to slow her down. She is getting so healthy. You can see it in her coat. She is getting a bit darker, and shinier. You can see it in the strength in her back legs. She is thinner, and stronger. I can't express the amount of joy it brings me to see her thriving! And the cool thing is, what goes in, comes out. Her bowl movements outside don't stay long. You know when you see dog poops outside and they have turned white? This is a sign of the preservatives placed in her food. That poop isn't going anywhere. Maeby's poops kind of become part of earth again. Real food, biodegrading.

Be warned: if you decide to feed your dog this diet, don't be scared if their movements are bright orange. The sweet potatoes are the same color going in as out. This is natural :)

Also, an interesting thing we noticed: The other day Ben and I had pizza. Maeby loves pizza. She always begs for it, but we only ever give her a bite of the crust. So Ben had shared a little nibble with Maeby, and she seemed a bit mopey. The next day, she threw up a little bit. Ben was eating more pizza, and shared another bite. Almost immediately, she spit up a bit again. It dawned on me: Maeby isn't used to eating the processed crust. Her body is probably rejecting it, because all we feed her is fresh food. I got so excited to realize this! It's funny too, cause it's making us reevaluate what we put into our own bodies.

A couple extra facts: melons and some fruit can be great for pups. Maeby loves apples and bananas. Just make sure you never let them eat apple seeds. These have toxins that can really hurt your dog. Also, never share yeast dough with them. You know how your stomach feels eating raw yeast dough? Imagine that on a smaller stomach. Ouch! Also, think of what alcohol does to our livers. Maeby's poor little liver couldn't handle even a small amount of alcohol. It would shut down before too long. Be careful what you let your dog get into. Most everyone knows not to give their dog onions and garlic, but just reminding you.

So...how do we find time? Every weekend, usually a Sunday afternoon, we get a huge pot, and fill it with about 6 to 8 cups of brown rice. Cut up about 3 to 4 sweet potatoes, break in bits about 18 green beans, add some oats and flax, then water! Let it cook still the rice is soft. On the side, boil some chicken. We make big batches that last a week to a week and a half. Store in the refrigerator, then when serving, warm up in a pan with a bit of water. Let it cool, then serve! Your dog will love you for it.

Maeby's eating times are some of her favorite of the day. Check out her breakfast this morning!

Sunday

It's a beautiful, brisk Sunday afternoon. You know, the kind where you are all bundled up to keep out the cold and you are drawn to the warmth of a comfy chair or bed. You wrap the blankets all up around you and as you sip your coffee you feel sleep drawing you deeper into the chair.

It's the kind of day where a dog is a perfect companion.

We've had many of these days lately, where I find myself in bed, lavishing in the sunshine that only comes through our bedroom windows. You can't get this light in any other room in the house. I flock towards my bedroom every day lately, in the afternoon. And guess who I invite to come with me? My pup.
My beautiful, faithful, dopey, tender, loving, gracious, intelligent, happy dog.

2 months. That's all the time that it's been since Amy and Steve brought Maeby into our lives. And in this small amount of time, I actually can't remember what it was like before her. Lonelier? Probably. Quieter? Yes. Less hopeful.

See, Maeby is like the sunshine coming through my bedroom window. I come home, and I flock towards her. She, like the sun, brings warmth and peace and stillness and a sense of being grounded. She refreshes me like the sun. She warms me dampened spirits. She lavishes love.

Maeby reminds me of Aslan. When I run my fingers through her fur, I think of Susan and Lucy running their fingers through His mane. It was comforting. It brought hope, and peace. God bringing Maeby into our lives was one of the biggest gifts that Ben and I have received.

It's like we are becoming better people knowing her, loving her, caring for her. We are becoming healthier, happier, gentler, united. It's a beautiful thing what a dog can do to your heart.

Maeby's First Week in Photos!

As of yesterday, Maeby has been with us for one week! And it feels like such a longer time than that.
Maeby has found her way permanently into our hearts. It's like she's always been there, but we didn't know it till she got here.

We seriously have the best dog in the whole world. I am still baffled every day to realize she belongs to us. She is our pup. Maeby brings so much meaning to simple every day things. Ben and I have realized that she is truly a gift from God, a tangible expression of His love for us in everyday life. We are never alone, we are deeply loved, we are cherished. It is a beautiful thing. And so is she. So check it out!

This is Maeby showing off her Christmas cape, that her grandma made for me years ago!

 

Maeby showing Mr. Ben how pretty she looks

 

Maeby and Mr. Ben having a daily wrestle

 

Pretty girl on the porch

 

Close-up!

 

Bath-time with the pupster!

 

 

Maeby and Mira making cookies together

 

Maeby doing her favorite thing on a walk: holding her own leash

 

What a beaut!

 

Maeby staring at the shadows on the wall

 

Smiling for Mama

 

And I had to include this cause of her doofy face

 

On a hike at hanging rock. She does this thing where she lays down, and then scooches her little body closer and closer to you, and Ben was laughing at her doing this :)

 

On our hike, finally at the top, tired and discovering a little pool of water

 

Standing in the pool

 

"Why, look at this convenient little water dish, just when I need it most."

 

And thennnnnn she lays down in it...to cool of her belly :)

 

And then Ben laughs at her cause of how stupid cute she is

 

Look how much joy she brings us!

 

The Fam

 

"I found a stick and I'm going to lay here on my hike and chew on it"

 

Tired from her hike, being an otter dog

Stay tuned for more posts and updates about our life with Maeby!

Breakfast

So I'm sitting her next to Maeby, trying to get her to eat her breakfast.
We just got home from a lovely walk outside through the neighborhood. Everyone comments on what a pretty and well behaved girl Maeby is.
And now we are home and she is looking straight into my eyes (cause I'm sitting on her bed, on the floor) and she is wondering why I am sitting here, and I am wondering why she isn't eating.
She drinks some water, and takes a couple bites, but mostly she just looks at me.
It's at the point where I'm scooping up her food in my hand and feeding her. I feel like I'm feeding a llama at a petting zoo.

"Maeby, we shouldn't be doing this. Why aren't you eating?"

Finally she starts taking some more bites of food, but between every bite she lifts up her head and looks towards the bedroom--where Ben is in bed. He didn't sleep well, so it's later than he usually get's up.
She takes a bite, she looks up, she takes a bit, she looks up and whimpers. Finally I realize she's worried about Ben.
Hahaha, genuinely concerned for his well-being since she hasn't seen him yet today.

We have the best dog in the world. She won't eat her breakfast, because she is worried about her family.
I love this dog so much. Stay tuned for Maeby's first week with us in pictures!

Everyday life

I have to apologize that it's been so long since I've posted about Maeby. Our time together hasn't been any less interesting, just busier.

The past week with Maeby has been incredible. Already Ben and I are in love with her, and she with us. You can tell that she knows we are her's. She isn't as quick to listen to anyone else. She looks to us for permission before going into the neighbor's house.

We are discovering she is a true Golden. In the morning when we get up, or when we come home from work, she get's so excited to see us that she starts whimpering and this low growl begins in the back of her throat. Not at all saying "I'm mad at you" but saying "oh my gosh, I can't stand how much I love you!"

We are teaching her some tricks and beaming with pride in every new accomplishment. Even though she is a two year old, there is so much puppy in her still. She is the cutest thing ever. We keep talking about how she is the best thing that could have happened to us at this point in our lives.

Later this weekend I'll post some photos of her getting used to the new settings, and celebrating the holidays. Let me just say she was thrilled to show off how beautiful she was draped in her Christmas cape.

And I'll leave you with this picture: last night I got off of work late, and didn't get home till about midnight. I just needed some snuggle time with my pup. So I got out my computer, made some popcorn, and put on Our Idiot Brother. Maeby and I folded laundry, snuggled and ate popcorn together. This movie is her new favorite because of Willie Nelson, the main character's golden retriever.

She's got a super crush on him.

Snuggles

So today after our jog, I was laying next to Maeby's mat to do some crunches. Maeby decides that this just won't do, so she proceeds to pin me to the floor, stand completely on top of me and give me kisses till I die (aka: stop doing crunches).

I guess this is how Maeby gets her work-out on. :)

The beginning

To start things off, I want to tell you a bit about our story, and how Maeby has made her way into it.

Two years ago, if you had asked me when I was planning on getting a dog, I would have said
"Oh, the day we get back from our honeymoon!"
Well, my husband and I got married a year and a half ago (tomorrow) and we just got Maeby on Sunday.
Life is funny isn't it?

This journey towards getting Maeby has been a beautifully tough one.  A few dogs have made their way into our hearts, only to slip back out of them, leaving behind an even deeper longing for the love of a dog who really gets us.


After months and months of Craigslist browsing and Petfinder, and calling kennels and texting people, Maeby kind of fell into our laps (which are as full as our hearts, since our new bundle of joy comes in at a whopping 63 pounds!)

My sister-in-law is a beautiful mother. She has two great little boys, who happen to take up a lot of her time. She and her husband got Maeby when she was still a pup, and she came into their lives when they were in a lonely place. Maeby brought them so much joy; she was a bright light in a dark room. They were in need of love, and Maeby was that gift to them. And Amy and Steve have two beautiful children who are such wonderful gifts to them. Oliver and Harrison are now their sources of light and joy, and they wanted Maeby to have a home where she would get all the attention she needs.

So here she is. 18 months and two Thanksgivings later, I'm sitting at my kitchen table with a beautiful  new friend who just wants to be with me. And I can't help but want to be with her, too.

So here's to this journey Ben and I are stepping into. The next 8 or so years are going to be filled with adventures and challenges and so much joy because of Maeby. And I want to share it with you.

So, to start it off, I'm just going to say that today on our walk, I wasn't walking Maeby, she was walking me. And not in the way that she was pulling and I was having a hard time keeping up. I mean, she had the end of her leash in her mouth, and I was holding onto it, as she led me down the street. :) (This continued for about 10 minutes).

I can't wait to continue sharing our stories with you!