Maisy Beagle

Our dog is named Maisy. If you live with a beagle you know that a better name for her would have been Electrolux or Hoover. Anything remotely edible that is not iceberg lettuce is fair game. And the girl can jump and use her paws like no other dog I have ever seen.

The boys know this. They hold their cookies high above their heads and guard breakfast plates for each other. Maisy has eaten an entire stick of butter - wrapper and all. She has stolen peanut butter sandwiches off the kitchen counter. Her internal clock is set to 7 am (breakfast) and 6 pm (dinner). If one of her boys forgets to feed her, she will let them know by loudly pushing her food bowl around the kitchen.

She is always hungry. Maisy once consumed an entire banana bread that was thawing on the counter. When her belly swelled up like a small basketball the veterinarian said we should bring her in so that they could make her throw up. No need. She threw up all over my car on the way to the clinic, then pawed her food bowl across the floor the minute we got home.

An eternally hungry dog is also very useful, however. Don't think for a minute that I don't know where those unwanted turkey meatballs went, boys!