Maggie has been with us for almost 5 ½ years now. She has been a great addition to our family.

She says she is very happy here and she’s so glad that her family loves her in spite of all her little problems. Maggie makes her family laugh a lot with her funny little antics. Although she is 14 ½ years old now, she is still able to go for walks in the woods (although not as far as she used to). She still likes to eat her food and ours if she can get to it! She tries to run and play in the yard with our 4 year old chocolate Lab. She has the best joints for an older Lab, can still fold those back legs all the way under…………………incredible!

Here are some photos of her. Thanks NEARR for letting her share the rest of her life with us!

Duke Skywalker checking in on my Five (5) year adoption anniversary on Memorial Day. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here that long. Time flies when you’re living the good life at the lake. Big Boss bought me a new pontoon boat last summer just before the stock market crash. Talk about in the nick of time. I get to ride up front and navigate. There’s nothing like a cool ride around the lake checking out all the girl dogs that are sunbathing on shore. I’d like to give them my pee mail address but Boss says not on the boat.

Boss’s new grandaughter is 18 months old now and she’s pretty active. She likes to play doctor with me and checks out all my parts. She has a book called, Tails are Not for Pulling, but sometimes she forgets. A wet tongue across her face usually will back her off a bit. We get along great but I get slightly jealous when she gets more attention than me. That’s when I have to pull out all the stops and give Boss that look that says, who do you like more, her or me? That’s usually good for a couple extra biscuits. I haven’t lost my touch pulling the old man’s strings.

I’m in great health but I did get up to a whopping 106 pounds over the winter. I’m back around 100 now that spring is here and I get more exercise. I did have to go to the vets this winter to have a benign Lab Lump removed. It was about the size of a golf ball and the vet wanted it gone. I’m also negative on Lyme disease now thanks to some good meds from the vet. My earlier TPLO surgery was a huge success and I continue to run like the wind when Boss takes me for hikes. Now that I’m almost six years old I do nap a bit more than before. Boss says a good nap is priceless. I still absolutely love people and always have to present them a gift of Boss’s boot or shoe. Usually, I’m so happy to see kids I just shake all over and whine and carry on. Boss says it’s embarassing that I get so carried away that folks think I don’t get any attention. I’ve always been good at working a crowd. It just comes natural.

I want to say a Big Thank You to all my old friends at NEARR who helped me to find the perfect home. Boss says he and my Mom are probably going to renew my contract for another few years. Let’s be real here, they couldn’t live without me.

Hi,

Maxwell’s second week and he is settling in very nicely. He has been to vet and has been tested for various canine diseases and came up negative. This includes heartworm. I will send along vet report soon. He still struggles with ear infection in both ears. We are treating him per vets instructions. His follow up is in two weeks. We will update you with results.

Maxwell is a great dog who we enjoy tremendously. I think we lucked out.

Hi,

I adopted one of your dogs. At that time, I lived in Marshfield, Ma. and got Mikki in February of 2005. Now I am in South Carolina and Mikki is still with me. She is such a sweet girl and I don’t know what it would be like not to have her.

I also have two cats and Mikki is 9 now and the cats just love her, too.

Hi, Maxwell is a big wonderful joy. He is getting accustomed to his forever home. He sent his new mommy a mother’s day card saying how much he loves all of her attention. He and his dad spend lots of time together as Maxwell accompanies daddy to work at the nusery/garden center. Maxwell is a big hit with all the ladies. He will be visiting the vet for the first time now that his medical records have arrived. We will pass along more info next week.

It has been about 2 months since my last update, so I wanted to fill you in on some exciting new developments/adventures for Sophie and for me. After my last email, I received the job offer of my dreams in South Florida and - after much consideration (especially given the distance from my family) - I accepted it.

Sophie is doing fantastically here. When we first arrived, we both had to adjust to the heat (60’s/70’s at night and 80’s during the day) - but we quickly got her a haircut and established her with a new vet - who loves her.

I also found a 1200 square foot, 2 bedroom, one bathroom house to rent in a beautiful historic district - with a front and back yard! In addition, the house is just 2 blocks from a 10 acre public park that has a large pond, jogging trails and a dog park. We walk to the public park every morning, afternoon and evening and she loves it. Our neighborhood is quiet and we live on a quiet street with great neighbors. I also bought a new car - a Jeep Patriot - so Sophie *loves* going for rides in the car. Sometimes, if I am just running out for an errand or two - Sophie will run out to the car with me and I have to drive around the block 4-5 times just so she can get her “thrill.” :)

Sophie also *loves* visitors and gets so excited when we have company (not too many submissive pees these days). Overall, she is the absolute joy in my life. In fact, I was telling a new coworker this week that I had no idea that any one animal could make me so happy. She is perfect and I love her tremendously.

Thank you again and again to NEARR for making this connection happen and for bringing Sophie into my life. I feel so fortunate, from the time I wake up in the morning and scratch under her chin - to the time I go to bed at night, listening to her bask in the joy of her newest squeaky toy.