The Blog of Eternal Boredom: My Baby Girl

I would like to take some time to discuss someone very special in my life. Her name is Macy. Who is she? She is my dog.

Let me start at the very, very beginning... several years ago my dad discovered this breed of dog called a Weimaraner. After some debating, we found a breeder in Oregon and ordered a puppy from the next litter, requesting a mellow puppy (since the breed in know to be high strung). Once the litter was born, the breeder kept her eyes open and picked out a puppy. However, as the puppy grew older and was checked out by doctors, it was discovered that it had a heart condition and would most likely die within a few years. The breeder let us know this and told us that we could have the first pick out of the next litter. Our family discussed the issue and eventually decided that we would take the puppy anyways and let it live out its life in a good home... This puppy was our dog, Chase.

Chase

Long story short, we fell in love with the guy and paid to get his heart fixed... Boy, was he so NOT mellow after that XD.

Anyways, the breeder contacted us and told us how grateful she was for taking Chase in. She said that she would give us another puppy absolutely free in thanks, if we wanted. And this is where Macy came in.

There she is, asleep in Afton's lap.

Once again, we asked for a mellow puppy. Boy, did we ever get one. I remember our first night with her, we all sat on the floor in a circle and all she did was move from lap to lap and fall asleep. She wasn't very playful or energetic like Chase had been. All she was interested in was lying down and sleeping. But she was still so cute! She had the droopiest face you ever saw and just looked at you so timid and helpless, you simply had to love her.

She has not changed AT ALL. Although she can no longer lie in our laps, she still only lies around and sleeps all day. I swear, she sleeps for probably 20 out of 24 hours of the day. She only gets up to pee and to eat. She rarely socializes with anybody, only caring to lie in the corner.

However, what may appear as a lazy, boring, grumpy dog is a tragically misunderstood one. That is what I am here to talk about.

Macy is actually a very sweet and loving dog, but she is a little anxious and shy. Plus she kind of has some personal space issues. The thing is, if she is very comfortable and familiar with you, her personal space bubble shrinks and she is much more patient and willing to have you around. Take me for instance, (I don't mean to brag, but) she loves me. I can practically lay on top of her and stick my face in hers and she won't snap. However, if a stranger were to try something like that, she would get very uncomfortable and would lash out.
When first meeting her, one has to ease into her comfort zone. Start by stroking her gently, then if she accepts that, move to scratching under her chin, then see if she wants her tummy rubbed. It is all about reading her body language. When she first meets people, she tends to be very defensive and uncomfortable, but if you show her that you are her friend, she will ease up. And if she rolls over and shows her belly, you are in (still be careful and read her though if you're still pretty new).

Macy loves to have her belly rubbed and despite what she initially lets on, you can actually get pretty rough with her while petting her. She does actually like to be petted and scratched just as much as the next dog, especially when she's in the mood. The thing is, she's too lazy to actually come up to you and ask for it. Most other dogs will run up to you and beg you for attention. Macy on the other hand simply lays on her pillow and sleeps; couldn't care less that you're in the same room as her. Sometimes she will get up though if she really wants a belly rub or something. So, if she comes up to you asking for a scratch or a pet, you'd better gosh darn feel special and give it to her.

I often describe Macy as a cat trapped in a dog's body. She sleeps all day, is temperamental, rarely begs for attention, and sees herself as above everyone.

She does sort of have this high-and-mighty aura about her sometimes. Especially when she's watching Troy (our third dog). Troy is the epitome of "dog." Friendly, hyper, interactive, playful, everything Macy is not. He is also very obnoxious towards Macy and you can often see the annoyance glowing in her eyes like a mature older sister would look at a hyper little brother. I sometimes imagine Macy's inner voice sounding like Roz from Monster's Inc. or Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars.

Troy: perky, fuzzy-faced, thin. Macy: droopy, smooth fur, fat.

I often feel bad for Macy because since she is a cat trapped in a dog's body, she literally does not know how to be a dog. Usually, she does not care to, but every once in a while, we will be playing with Troy, and Macy wants to join in, but she just cannot pick up on what we are doing. She will try so hard, but she pretty much just gets in the way. (In fairness, Troy doesn't know how to play any games either, he only runs around like a psycho. He can't even fetch. What I'm saying is that Macy is not very fast and is extremely clumsy.) I have been trying to encourage my family to include her more though because Troy doesn't care (he literally doesn't care about anything. He is NEVER upset), it's the humans who care. And despite appearances, Macy is actually having fun.
It is the cutest thing when she actually gets excited. She has some hip problems and is pretty fat from lying around all the time, so she can't really jump up like Troy. So instead, she does this little dance in place. That coupled with her "doggie smile" makes her such an adorable sight.

One thing I will give her is that she's pretty smart. Since all she does is lie around all day, we usually assume that she won't move. We'll walk out of the room for a moment, leaving her fast asleep on her cushion, and come back to find her sneaking into the kitchen. She was never actually asleep and was just waiting for us to leave the room. She has actually framed Troy for her crimes before. Because Troy is such a troublemaker, we usually assume if one of them is getting into mischief, it's him. I'm pretty sure she knows this and has set him up. She will do something naughty and then quickly go right back to where she was and act innocent. I was yelling at Troy once for him getting in my garbage when I realized that he had been outside the whole time.

So, Macy is not traditionally friendly, playful, or cuddly, but she is a sweetheart, and very misunderstood. See, everybody loves Troy because he's such a fun, friendly, openly-loving dog (and don't get me wrong, I completely adore the guy), but Macy is so overlooked, especially by some in our family. She is like those quiet shy kids that everybody ignores. You have to take the time to get to know her and become her friend. She will completely love you just as much as the next dog (just because she does not express it as openly as they do doesn't mean its not there).

I love her awkward lip-smacking, her chubbiness, when she wags her whole bum when she gets excited, her happy dance, her droopy face, when she flops when she wants a belly rub, her asthmatic snoring, how she can pound Troy when he's being a pest, her pathetic whine whenever she's left behind, her horse-like run, her doggie smile, the little patch of white fur on her chest, how she always lays halfway off her bed, how she refuses to look at the camera when you're taking a picture of her, how she'll push you away when you pet her because it feels so good, and simply how completely awkward, pathetic, and sweet she is all around. She'll always be my baby girl!