Top Dog

I have to admit that when I heard that a beagle had won best in show at the Westminter show last night I threw my arm in the air in triumph. Finally, one of the most beloved dogs of all times had won the most coveted titles in the dog show world. Uno, the cutest 15in beagle howled his way to victory last night and he is so cute. makes me want to run out and get another beagle....i am not sure that maddie would appreciate that though.

I love our dog. she is almost 10 years old now, she is entering the twilight years of her life, but she is still here and we love her. I remember the day when I finally convinced Thad we needed a dog. We went to a friends house to go swimming and there was this adorable beagle puppy there and that was it. We went home and read up about beagles to make sure that it was the dog for us. We both loved their long ears, cute little black noses and their howls. We looked around in the papers to find some advertised and finally found a family around the salem area that was selling some. We drove down from Portland and I think we both knew that we would not leave empty handed. We arrived at the house and there they were, 7 little beagles in all their puppy glory. We watched them as they played in the backyard and found her!!! Our Dog. She had beautiful coloring, she had a lot of black on her and she had a ton of personality. She literally danced around the yard, our feet and begged for our attention.

We took her home that day. We stopped at the pet store to buy her food, water dish, a leash and collar. We were so proud that she was ours. She slept in the bathroom those first couple nights. She howled and clawed at the door and finally we let her sleep with us. It took us quite a while to name her, it was a tough decision. She was just too cute. Finally we decided on the name Maddie. She settled into our little house and family of 2 adults, one cat and her cuteness. Her and the cat chased each other around the house. They got into fights, but in the end they you would find them curled up together, sleeping soundly.

Maddie has been with us through the birth of children, three different houses and all the time has kept her undeniable beagle spirit. She is awesome with the kids, but she is still my dog. She is always in the same room with me. If I stand up, she is on her feet to with me. If I go upstairs, she follows. She still loves to play ball, but not for very long. She loves to walk to school to get the kids. She loves to ride in the car. She has to be part of the action. She still loves to steal food and begs me to eat every couple of hours. She finally loves to chase a stick into the water. She has a hard time getting up the stairs at night, but she can still make it. She snores....loudly. She even has a scrapbook about her. She is our most beloved pet! part of our family.