Unforgettable Sweetheart

And then our journey came to an end, but not before giving her trainer one last good memory of the kind of dog Maddie is. Sometimes before bedtime, her trainer lets Maddie out of her kennel to make her nighttime rounds and say goodnight to all of her two-legged friends, of which she has many. As he watched her go from person to person allowing them the privilege of petting her, he was gripped suddenly with gratitude. It is truly a special moment to watch a sweet little dog like a Maddie bring the gift of love and affection to everyone she comes in contact with, but this particular moment was different. There was this new guy in the program and it looks like he was feeling a little down. Maddie seemed to sense it and left from being loved on by one of her regulars to go put her head in his lap. The smile that spread across his face was immediate and genuine. It was a moment straight out of a movie. From Team Maddie, we all want to say thank you for allowing us to play a role in this special program. It is not only important and saving the lives of this wonderful breed of dog, but it is allowing people like Maddie's trainer a chance to experience the one-of-a-kind unconditional love of a dog.

Maddie: The Gold Standard

Since Maddie is a superstar and knows all of her stuff, her swap week trainer decided to take their foot off the gas and crank up "Vacation" by the Go-Go's and rock out with our paws out. Don't get me wrong, school is still in session, but with the finish line now in sight, Maddie is taking it easy. Remember though, here at the second chance Greyhound Center for Higher Learning we are always learning something. This past week it was all about sharing toys. In the beginning, toys were these scary squeaky things that were to be avoided at all costs. Over time though Maddie has learned that toys are a source of entertainment, not only for her, but for her human also. It never gets old watching her throw them in the air and going crazy with them. With that being said, her trainer thought it would be important for her to learn to give them up with minimal fuss. At first, learning "give" was an epic fail, but it didn't take her long to learn that it is okay to share. Especially when her trainer throws the toy for her after she gives it up. Maddie's fierce determination to have fun in life every chance she gets has been a real inspiration for all of the trainers. She will never be forgotten by anyone who has had the joy of playing with her and teaching her. Maddie is the gold standard for unconditional love that all dogs from here on out will have to measure up against!

Happy Go Lucky Girl

Paging Dr. Hawkins.  Paging Dr. Hawkins.  That's right.  This week her trainer got to play the role of a handsome, yet brilliant doctor while Maddie played the part of the over dramatic yet beautiful patient.  Hold on before you sound the alarm.  Future fur parents don't worry.  She just had some minor tummy issues.  Her trainer sprung into action and knew just what to prescribe.  Some old fashion TLC coupled with a few days of rest and presto!!!  She has fully recovered and back to her old wild self.  That means she is ready to, and does tackle each day with a ferociousness that would make a lion proud. *ROAR*

In other news Maddie is super excited about the eclipse.  She seems to think that during it she is going to change into a werewolf.  Her trainer told her that was fine as long as she's a nice, sweet marshmallow loving werewolf.  She assured him that these are the only kind, but he's going to keep her in her kennel during the eclipse...Just to be safe...

Maddie is a loving, sweet greyhound that is always happy to see her trainer.  I bet she will be just as happy when she meets her forever family.  It won't be long now...

DJ Maddie's Mixtape

Hey everyone, this is Maddie aka Miss Maddie AKA Little Monster, the name my record label gave me. My trainer had some downtime for training since I know everything already, so I thought I would share this Superfly rap song I just wrote.

DJ, drop the beat!

My name is Maddie, I'm always happy
I'm way smarter than that dog named Lassie  
I used to get my green by running in races
Now I get paid just for having such a cute face
I like to spend my days playing with toys
Miss Maddie ain't got no time for silly boys
Except for my trainer, he's pretty cool
Even if that dude makes me go to school
Don't you know, I can do all my commands and even some extras
So please guy, enough of the lectures!
Sit this and down that, please man, this stuff is wack!
I'm a princess and I just wanna take a nap!
But let's keep it real, my trainer is my main man
No one can fix a bowl of kibble like he can
And no matter what, I'm here to stay
Doing it all and representing the Second Chance way!

Be sure to get tickets to the Maddie Conquers All world tour, coming to an amphitheater near you!

Stair Climbing Queen

This week was a time of CELEBRATION!  After weeks of training, Maddie has finally conquered the dreaded stairs.  Her trainer swore he could hear "Eye Of The Tiger" playing in the background as she climbed the stairs with her head held high for all the world to see.  Her trainer was so proud of her.  Now all she needs is a shirt that says "No elevator?  No escalator?  "No problem!"

This week Maddie is learning the "speak" command.  Her trainers felt it was important to give this girl a voice for two reasons.  First, she wants to bark and tell the world she is more than a pretty face.  Second, with the Russian collusion investigation widening, they thought they better teach her how to speak.  Just in case she gets a subpoena to appear before our honorable, beyond reproach, congressmen in D.C. to testify.  Don't worry though.  Maddie has assured her trainer that there was no secret between her and the Russians when it came to winning races... :)

#MaddieStairClimbingQueen

Tummy Rubs!

The epic saga of retired racer turned loving household pet continued this week with Maddie playing the stunningly beautiful star of the show. It is a story filled with courage and triumph as she continues to wage war with her arch nemesis... the Evil Stairs! Cue menacing, dramatic music by Hans Zimmer. Even Superman has his weakness, and Maddie's happens to be stairs instead of some green rock from space. But there has been so much improvement with this sweet girl. Her love of toys has truly blossomed, and her favorite thing to do with them as of late is to bite them, run away, then come back and grab them so she can relocate them back to her kennel. How sweet of her to open up her home to stuffed squirrels. She is such a giver! 

Speaking of training, Maddie is doing great! She has all of her basics down pat and is picking up some cool extras, like being able to rub her own tummy. Whenever her trainer rubs his tummy and says "rub your tummy!" she lifts up her back leg and rubs her own tummy. It is highly amusing; let's see Lassie do that! Til next time, cheers from Team Maddie!

Maddie demonstrating her latest trick.

Treats Make Life Better

Maddie's super friendly attitude finds her always trying to make new friends, but if you are of the 4-legged variety, she is only going to give you one chance.  The other day while she was trying to make friends, she was barked at over space encroachment.  You could tell she was crestfallen at the realization that not everyone wants to be her best friend.  She quickly ran to her kennel, where if she had a diary, I'm sure the days entry would be titled "The world hates me".  Her trainer broke out the treat bag and suddenly the world was a much better place...Go figure.

Maddie apparently enjoys ripping tags off of the toys.  A quick "ah, ah" from her trainer and she moved on to other parts of the toy, as if to say, "wasn't me".  Then she looked up at her trainer with those eyes and he felt like he was the one that did something wrong.  Maddie's trainer said "she is the cutest dog in the world and it's very hard not to spoil the heck out of her."  At the end of the day he's very thankful to have her be a part of his life, even it's only for a short time.  #Super cute.  Super Awesome Dog - Maddie.

One Chic Gal

Maddie is a very modern type of girl, one who is always on the go and in a hurry to get to some secret place of mystery. Where that places is anyone's guess because the search appears to be some never-ending quest, but if I had to make an educated guess, it would probably be Golden Corral or some other type of all you can eat buffet because boy she loves food! Her trainer thought we could use that passion for food to his advantage when doing stair training this week, but she is just not a fan of stairs at all. Probably due to the fact that she is a modern girl, and everyone who is anyone knows that chic modern girls use the escalator or the elevator. Stairs are so 1995, duh.

That being the case, Maddie is going to rewrite what it is to be a modern gal because by the time she leaves here she will be gracefully going up and down the stairs as if she were Miss Scarlett O'Hara herself. We have also started to add a couple of easy extras like bow and kiss to keep learning fun for her, because here at the Second Chance Greyhound Center for Higher Learning, we keep our lessons fun and engaging. Plus, who wouldn't want to get a kiss from a beautiful girl like Maddie? Don't worry though, she only kisses on command. We can't have our girl going around looking everyone's face. Til next week!

Marvellous Maddie!

This week on the "Maddie Knows Best" Show, we find ourselves dealing with relationships.  Like all new relationships you go through this exciting period of discovery; finding out each others likes and dislikes.  For instance, Maddie's trainer now knows she loves people and food.  Things that roll, not so much.  If it has wheels and rolls around, it is not to be trusted and should be given lots of space.  Toys??  Same reaction.  There is this innocent looking squeaky cow that Maddie scurries away from.  You would think it is really the Grim Reaper sent here to drag her straight down to you know where.  Sound dramatic?   So is her reaction to it.  Maybe she is showing good judgement.  After all, who wouldn't run away from a squeaky cow?

Training wise, Maddie is making great progress.  The big challenge is distractions.  She is more interested in her surroundings that focusing on the task at hand is difficult.  No worries though.  She is a champ and progressing nicely.

*Breaking News!!!!*  This just in...We have toy play!  I repeat.  We have toy play!  Earlier this morning the retired racing phenom known to the civilized world as Maddie was spotted playing with a stuffed squirrel.  You could say she was going nuts over the squirrel... Get it?? Squirrel...Nuts...

Maddie is an amazing greyhound and it is obvious that her trainer now has a best friend for life.

Love at first sight!

When Maddie’s trainer first laid eyes on her, he felt like he was watching the sunrise after a long, dark winter night. The kind of intensely beautiful event that leaves you speechless, and wanting to know more. Then begins the warm fuzzy feeling that starts deep in your heart and works its way into the rest of you… love at first sight!

He knew instantly, as you will, too, that she is like the sun, pulling everything near it into orbit, eagerly awaiting each new day to be near that radiance. After regaining his senses from being struck by Cupid’s Arrow, it was time to get down to business: bath time!

This lil gal was so overwhelmed he had to pick her up and carry her to the shower. So much to do, see, smell! Next came a good scrubbing, and after that he had to carry her to the drying off area. What a goober. But no complaints, because he actually had to fight off the urge to wrap her up in a cozy blanket and carry her around like the cute little baby she is.

Training wise, Maddie has come prepared for school! She has picked up her name quickly which leads us to believe this girl knows exactly who she is. So she’s one step ahead of the rest of us! And thanks to tasty treats such as beef liver tips, she even has grasped the concepts of heel, bed, and sit. Her retirement thus far is first rate, but just between us – if human retirement is all about beef liver tips, then no thanks! But for Maddie, that suits her just fine.

Til next week! Cheers from Team Maddie!