BLUE MOUNTAIN’S Faithful Soul DNA-VP ”Maisy”
Maisy was born October 2011 and she is our red merle snowflake. Compared to Josie, she is a more quiet and reserved dog. Maisy likes to first survey the scene from a distance, but then joins in to see everything up close.
Maisy is really a typical Aussie. With strangers, she can sometimes be reserved (for a total of about 2 seconds … ) and then, once she has established trust, lets her happy and friendly personality come through.
Maisy announces all visitors with loud barking, while Josie will put on a great show bouncing around a visitor 🙂
Character
Maisy likes to learn new tricks. She is a quick study and will pick up tricks – as well as misdeeds – from Josie faster than we would like. Maisy is not afraid to follow us anywhere we go, she has even mastered the exposed staircase. Going shopping in the noisy city on Saturday afternoons is exciting for her; she especially likes all the petting she gets from the sales clerks.
Her favorite hobby is visiting the pantry, where she can sniff every bag of food. She is also a big fan of food vendors on the street, particularly those selling french fries, since it is very convenient to inconspicuously sneak by the chicken grill and look for stray fries underneath the counter. Our cuddle-bear likes to rough-house with Josie or the other dogs in the yard. She certainly knows how to play with a throw toy and will retrieve it to the point of exhaustion (I am, of course, referring to the person throwing the toy).
Photos
Maisy is interested in all things culinary and likes to try new flavors. She will virtually stop at nothing, and will get anything that is not nailed down. If we throw a piece of food too far into the bushes, she will continue to remember that she has not found that particular morsel. You can be sure that Maisy will pass near the spot in the next few days to check it out.
Maisy is very attentive, and is easy to guide and to train. For example, she walks perfectly on a leash without practice, and follows commands quickly and correctly. As a puppy, Maisy seemed to be somewhat afraid and reserved. She did not like at all to ride in a car, for instance. But through special training, she has grown up to become a self-confident young lady. By now, she enjoys car rides as much as Josie, even if she generally sleeps in the trunk while Josie counts passing cars … During our walks, Maisy loves to pick up sticks and carry them around for a while, or chew them. It is rare to see Maisy without a stick in her mouth.
In the evenings, Maisy enjoys being petted and having her belly rubbed. Just like her (human) Dad, she is a total cuddle-bear who lays absolutely motionless to be petted. Even as a puppy, she made a beeline for Josie’s basket, and to this day, she knows which spots are soft and comfortable: her (human) Mom’s pillow, for example …
Maisy absolutely loves her crate and likes to sleep in it at night. She has a look of utter consternation if the door to it is closed or another dog is inside. When Maisy falls in love with a person, she will ”stalk” that individual to no end: She will follow that person’s every footstep and keep a close eye on every move. This is how she earned her name, ”faithful soul.”
During walks, Maisy can be easily led on a leash. When allowed to run free, she stays within a 3 meter circumference of us (or Josie). On warm summer days, she likes to lounge with us on the terrace or take a nap in a basket prepared especially for her. Most people are immediately taken with Maisy’s calm and loving demeanor and her extraordinarily soft fur. She is absolutely irresistible and you can’t help but want to pet her and cuddle with her.
Maisy is very talkative, which can be very funny. When she lays down in her basket (more appropriately, plops down in her basket), she lets out a soft grunt. When we are cuddling, she also grunts a little, and you can tell that she is really enjoying the petting. With Maisy, the cuteness factor is extremely high. Maisy is a little like a cuddly cat. If there were tote bags for dogs (and surely these are available somewhere), Maisy would be the first to spend the entire day in one.
Maisy can also be a situational comedian … she loves to burrow underneath the bed covers like a cat, leaving only her snout sticking out. She is very funny and her antics, like taking off at full speed in no particular direction and suddenly stopping with a confused look on her face, never fail to make us laugh.