My place in history!

I'm famous! That's my paver - spelling mistake and all! Everyone and their pooch who walks over this paver for all time will know of me....




So let me bring you up to date. I finally got my Pooter back! They went on vacation and put my Pooter in a safe place for the duration. She likes to supervise my online behaviour, just as She supervises my realtime behaviour. I was a bit of nuisance while They were gone. As usual, They arranged for Cath to come and look after me in my own home. The Maggie Manual She has left for Cath every year since the inception of February-Vacations-Requiring-Maggie's-Home-Supervision in 2006 is now an impressive inch thick, given the required annual updates for all my newly acquired habits, likes and dislikes. It's only fair, you know, as you get older you get more set in your ways, so to speak. What can I say in my defence? I'm a Pooticular Dog who likes things to be just so. And if things aren't, well, I can be a nuisance. Now don't get me wrong - I don't exactly misbehave, I fret because I am just used to having Them around. After all, I am highly pedigreed and its in my genes to make out things are worse than they really are.

Eric and Elsie's Pack Leader made sure I spent as much time as I could playing with Eric and Elsie to wear me out so that I would sleep so that Cath could sleep. I did oblige, given that extra play dates with my best friends are exceptionally entertaining, but on the other days, I did make sure to let Cath know overnight that while They were away, things were so, not just so... if you get my meaning. I know it was very ungrateful of me, because Cath loves me and treats me well. Anyway, I am sorry and I have been on my best behaviour since They came back, which I knew They would, but I can tell They are mortified about just how Pooticular I have become. Not only are They worried They'll never be able to go on vacation again, but They'll be taking Cath out to dinner a few times...

Anyway, while They were gone, They did attend to some of the finer details of my Philanthropoochic endeavors. First, They made sure that the Paver I sponsored last year for the Town of Snowmass Village Art Walk had been laid. Well, it had, but there was a spelling mistake, so She has alerted authorities and hopefully by next February it will have been relaid...


Next, She made friends with Avalanche Search and Rescue Dogs Caleb, Dante, Reina and Nicky and their Pack Leaders. As invaluable members of the Snow Patrol, the dogs have to learn to ride chairlifts, heel at high speed in the snow alongside their Pack Leader who is on skis and when commanded to search, find missing persons buried under 1-2m of snow.

To train the dogs to find missing people, the Pack Leaders dig 2 big holes in the snow in an area of 150 sq ft.







Then one of the Pack Leaders climbs in and the others fill it up so any old dog wouldn't even know there is anyone there.







Then a trained Search and Rescue Dog (here Reina) gets called and has the situation explained to them.







Then the Pack Leader says "search" and within 30s Reina finds the site of the first buried person.







And a minute or so later, she finds the other!








And then the best part is she gets to help dig the people out! Cool huh!






So, after letting me know what wonderful dogs there are in the world, that is, those whose work is one big game of "find it", I decided I had better do something meaningful to be a part of that or They might exchange me for a such a dog. I mean, in my version of hide and seek when I'm told to "find it", I'm looking for hidden liver bits. And I can do it in 30s too! But that doesn't save lives does it? Anyway, to avert any possible Pooch Exchanges, I put forward a proposal which She approved and is implementing for the benefit not only of the Search and Rescue Dogs, but also some of my homeless colleagues. Now remember I issued a challenge for 2008? Well, I have decided that the proceeds of my Good Behaviour Challenge will go towards sponsoring photos of the Search and Rescue Dogs in the 2009 Pet Calendar published by the FAAS. That way the Shelter gets money to help look after the dogs without Pack Leaders and the Search and Rescue Dogs get the recognition they deserve. She said if I was really good and raised enough money, I could get my photo in the calendar too! I'm going to try really hard.