Q&A – All About Maddy
For my second Q&A question, I’m answering another question that I get asked at least once a week. And I love answering it because it’s one of my favorite topics ; )
What kind of dog is Maddy?
Maddy (that’s short for Madeline) is mixed – my best guess is that she’s part border collie and possibly Belgian Tervuren. I adopted Maddy when she was about 8 weeks old, after she and her littermates were left on a farm.
Maddy howls when a phone rings and no one answers it. She’s terrified of thunder and fireworks. She once caught a rabbit, but only licked it and then let it go.
Once I dropped gummy bear on the floor and Maddy claimed it as her own. For weeks, she didn’t eat it, but instead carried it with her from room to room. She slept with her head on it. She cleaned it. When the doorbell rang, she ran to her gummy bear and stood over it protectively. The gummy bear gathered fuzz and fur until it started to look more and more like a tiny living creature. I eventually had to throw it away when it got so old and sticky and gross I was afraid it might make her sick. She looked for it for days and I felt horrible.
I’ve put Maddy in lots of my videos now, and she even got quite a bit of television airtime on G4’s “Women of the Web” special. She now seems to get genuinely excited when a camera is pointed at her. I usually reward her with cheese for having patience with me sticking a camera in her face, so that probably has more to do with it than the fanmail. But she does get quite a bit of fanmail.
On February 1st Maddy will be 9 years old. Just in the past month, I’ve noticed that she’s starting to get white hairs around her eyes and nose. I don’t like to think of her getting older. She’s wonderful company.
Do you have a question you’d like me to answer on my blog? Send it to me at brigdale@gmail.com , and be sure to put Q&A in the subject line.
Wow, you took her gummy bear, that was harsh! Poor puppy…
Did you try replacing it with a little rubber figurine? I have a little one of Rocky the Squirrel I’ll donate…
@ Thad – Thanks for the offer : ) I did try replacing the gummy bear with a few different little toys. She liked them, but has never fallen in love with anything like she did that gummy bear. I feel like it might be for the best that it’s gone and can’t be replaced, though. She almost seemed stressed out by the responsibility of constantly looking out for it.
Have you noticed Maddy perking her ears up at the sound of her food being prepared,or whatever noise the cheese’s wrappings make?
I had a beagle years ago,Ginger,who loved carrots. We could rummage around in the refrigerator,all day,and she would not look up. But,when we touched, or opened the bag that carrots were in,she would come right over and want one.
It amazes me when a dog will sense that you’re having a tough day, and give you extra attention and comfort, and try to cheer you up or make you laugh. Maddy appears to be an old soul.
your dog is adorable! she looks so much like my dog (missy) who is also a border collie. i saw your podcast where she does the cute thing rubbing her nose. missy does that all the time and i always thought it was because her nose was really itchy and it made me feel bad, but after i saw maddy do it i felt alot better.
that gummy bear story is the best
xx
h
I love the concept of “old souls”. Dog’s truly can be a person’s best friend. My best fiend growing up in the Midwest heartland was my cocker spaniel. One day Danny ran away to join a wild wolf/dog pack that had been tormenting nearby Amish farms for several months. At least I assume that’s what happened. I was crushed. He apparently heard the call of the wild.
The thing is – he came back the following summer. He looked like a zombie Danny. All dirty and grimy. I cleaned him up, fed him, and assumed he was back for good. I was the happiest kid on earth. Like reconciling with a girlfriend after a quarrel or something.
Apparently he had just come back one last time to say hello. And goodbye. He was gone the next afternoon and I never saw him again. Man what a dog though.
Thanks for sharing!
Dogs!
I have one too and he is quite normal only exception is his eating habits. He will not touch any thing in his plate unless you ask him to eat. Once I forgot to do so and went out. When I came back all the stuff was still lying in his plate he was sitting beside. I felt terribly sorry for the poor thing.
I really enjoy your videos and your very special sense of humor that makes you unique
I also love your relationship with Maddy and how you are so aware of her behavior and antics. I love the personalities of my pets all very unique like we people are
I have recently lost my dog Jinkx who was half beagle and the other half Rhodesian Ridegeback and three years before that lost my Golden retriever named Trust
I am now without any dog and am waiting for a while before I get another.. I guess because it is like losing a member of your family, your best friend and partner in crime. Jinkx was also afraid of thunder storm and would have her glues to me on The Fourth of July each year also. I had to teach Trust to bark and when he finally learned he would bark at inappropriate times because he knew when he barked he would get some treat and would get carried away. I think the border collie mixes are wonderful because they are so smart and also have a great independence within them
I do have cats but there is nothing like a dog especially when you are a single female. My dogs were my partner in hiking and traveling and though I love my cats I cannot take them traveling like I could with my dogs.
Good Luck Brigitte in your latest contest
I come and go through Youtube.etc. and love to catch up with what you are up to when I do.
I have stuck around lately to vote each day in hopes that you will get your gig as the “Good Mood Blogger’
I also know the struggle with ups and downs of being your own boss and getting paid for what You love to do I’m routing for you …
and my name is my parents doing ..not mine
Angel
Heartwarming story of a girl and her pooch. My dog, Gizmo, a Pekinese, has a stuffed toy he cherishes. I think it was a bear at one time. Gizzy has chewed “her” eyes and nose off, so… After he eats his supper, it is not uncommon for him to find her and give her a love thrashing. Neutered, Giz proceeds confidently each time to arouse her affections. Sometimes she is so nasty from being dragged around full of slobber, that I just have to throw her in the washing machine. He will ignore her for days when she is all sweet smelling. Eventually he relents and the love-fest begins anew. We affectionately refer to his lovetoy as “Gizmo’s B@%#$”. He would be sad if I disposed of his friend.
Maddie is adorable, beautiful and appears to have lots of extra hair. I saved all my dog’s extra hair from brushing him as I planned spin it into wool and then make a scarf. (He was a Pomeranian and had wonderful smelling hair.) But sadly I didn’t. I still have the hair in a brown paper bag so someday . . .
Have you considered teaching Maddie to read? Maybe not Tolstoy, but she can learn words like “sit” “down” “shake”. Try it — I bet she’d enjoy reading a few words a day. Just email me if you want more detailed directions. And I’d love more Maddie videos.
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?
Your dog is beautiful! Our dog is similar looking and we constantly get asked what she is… but we don’t know as my husband got her from the humane society. I have a friendly stranger in the neighborhood who stops her car when we’re walking to talk about what kind of dog we think she is. Today she mentioned Belgian Tervuren. Our dog is 32 pounds, super silky soft fur, shape like a border collie. She’s a mystery! I’d love to hear more about your dog or see more photos… Someday we’ll unlock the mystery of our little companion…
Melissa