We got Maggie in July 2005 she was five weeks when the breeders let us have her...  

TOO young i hear you all scream... well normally i would agree. But Maggies mummy had started to remove herself from the litter and they weren't getting the paws on attention they needed. the milk-bar had long since closed and Maggie was only getting paytime with her siblings not with her mummy, we had a litter of four week old puppies that Gracie was coping very well with and maggie just fitted in with them a treat.

Gracie let Maggie feed from her and she slept in he whelping box with the little ones. Gracie is a great mummy and i knew that even if Gracie didn't take to Maggie, Molly would so she would still get shown how to wash and play and.....all the important things mummy dogs teach their pups.

In the five years we lived at our old house we had never had a puppy escape from the garden Maggie managed to take the whole litter out of the garden into our rough wild garden (past the fencing) and then come back into the garden on her own and fall asleep in the sun.......it was like she knew they weren't staying and she was showing them the way to leave ;). Thankfully they didn't come to any harm they were all rounded up and the fence was doubled layered just in case.........she tried it again.......which she did many times.

Suki-Su (they have the same sire)was only Five months when we got Maggie. They bonded really well together once Gracies puppies had gone to their new homes, they became known as the terrible twosome. Somehow the holes in the garden were always bigger than the ones Digg and Gracie had made two years before :)
 
They slept together and would rather have their cuddles than human cuddles. Maggie (sometimes called Maggot for her joy in rolling in and finding all things smelly and horrid) was always the quieter of the two Suki ran the games and decided who played. Tulula (my alpha bitch) would sit and keep a watchful eye but never bothered to join in..... 
 
All was well until Tulula moved in with my Mum and Suki decided she would become Alpha bitch. 
Poor Maggot then took a real backwards step, for a while It became hard to pay attention to Maggie as Suki always bustled in and grumbled at her. We do our best to give her all the love we can and make sure Suki doesn't feel her postion is threatened. We have found the best way for this is.....I don't give Maggie love's unless she asks for them or Suki is out of the room. Trav on the other hand can give her maxium attention as Suki see's me as her main carer and isn't bothered by Maggie getting Daddy loves. I don't think them being away from us in kennels for 15 weeks the year we moved to the island helped the situation much, they both had a few patches of white hair on their necks which shows me Maggie did fight back to Suki-Su's bullying. It makes it really hard that Suki-Su adores Maggie so much she can't spend a night without her (Maggot went on holiday one summer and Suki cried the whole night so I had to go and collect Maggie the next day) Suki just can't stand to see Maggie getting something she feels she should have. But I suppose that's sisters for you!

Maggot has grown into the most beautiful little dog with a very soft nature. She is still very puppyish and playful and is always great when we have a litter of pups, she will happily auntie for the others, and play with their pups letting the mummy's have a breack. When her second litter of pups left late in 2008 she missed them so much that Gracie stepped (happily) away from her puppies and allowed Maggie to take over with the cleaning feeding and taking care of them. Maggie seemed totally at ease with this and seemed calmer when it was time for Gracies to leave.

She is quiet and undemanding, and will play for hours with a plastic bottle that has a few biscuits in the bottom. She can be a bit of a nightmare off the lead and we have to limit where we let her run as the chase is far more exciting than the recall........she will more often than not return to me covered in either mud brambles or both, then sulk all evening when she has to have a bath and brush.
All in all she is a wonderful little girl, who I couldn't dream of being without.  

She has found a real passion for the beach life and loves to swim in the sea. Although her all time favorite is running out as far as she can at low tide and chasing all the seagulls. Maggie has found she can see under water as well and can often be seen wading along the shore line with her head totally under the water looking for stones and interesting things to eat. she loves to swim and play on the beach and always comes home totally shattered from her running, barking and swimming walks on the beach.
 
She has also become something of a sun worshiper and loves to sit out in the yard or on the back step (to get a beeter view) watching the world go by.
Don't get me wrong we don't allow the others to bully her she's just so quiet and laid back they kind of trample her without knowing they are doing it. Since having her own puppies Maggie seems to have found her feet a little more and will stand up for herself within the pack. she no longer allows the others to steal we treats and makes sure she eats her tea before they all finish theirs.

Most day's she can be found curled up with Molly in a quiet sunny corner having a granny cuddle. They are great together the old one and the new one. Molly is very good to Magg and will tell Suki off if she gets too bossy. They enjoy each others company and will happily wash each others faces and share teddy bears.

So that's my beautiful Maggie-Mae.  The baby girl of our pack and sweetest natured little cocker you could ever wish to meet.