I just wanted to let the MyCorgi world know that Maverick is doing AWESOME. He is a puppy so obviously the chewing and potty training is at the forefront, but other than that, he is doing abnormally well for a puppy.

At first, he didn't really have his legs under control.. it looked like his back legs had grown a little faster than they should have, and he was klutzy and clumsy, but after running around every day, he has figured it out and is so FAST for a little guy!! I know corgis are fast -- Maya is like a speeding train -- but as young as he is, I am just really surprised at his speed. We have a little racetrack on our property, about 1/3 mile, that we run gokarts and hornet cars around [all our friends' husbands come out here to burn off some steam, hehe!!]. It weaves around the trees and brush on the front half of our property, and after running the vehicles on it so many times, it has clear boundaries as far as where to turn and the edge of the "lane". When Maverick has a burst of energy [every 2 hours or so], we will go out there and burn it off. We start at the finish line and work our way around. At first he got distracted by sticks and leaves, and plopped his butt down and wanted to be picked up, but as the days go by, his distractions and sitting breaks have disappeared. I put him down on the track and he sees Moses and Maya take off [they're racetrack-running pros] and he bolts. He'll go a ways and then find a stick. I'll catch up and pass him and he'll come tearing up after me. At a slow jog, he keeps up and sometimes even cuts me off [it's like playing soccer.. I have to watch my step and he heads left if I'm left and right if I'm right -- we're working on the shoe and foot nipping, so it should fade with the nipping] but he keeps up with us quite nicely. Moses sometimes gets distracted with a scent [cat, rabbit, bird..] and wanders off. Maverick plops his butt down and squeaks a whiney squeak until I call Moses back over onto the track and we keep going; almost as if he is trying to keep his little "herd" together in the only way he can figure out so far. There are hills on the track and it is HILARIOUS to see him run down them. He kind of runs sideways and scoots so that he doesn't flip head over butt. I've tried taking pictures but he's so fast that they all end up blurry. I'm thinking he will be faster than Maya when he gets bigger. That'll be a site to see!

We've been for car rides, barbecues, beach adventures, visits to the neighbors', and many unfamiliar dog encounters, and he has done GREAT for all of them. My boyfriend's sister came over the third day we had him, and she brought her Pit-Mix pup who is around 5 months old. As a larger pup, she still has energy but also has big ol' paws. But regardless of all of this, Maverick and Johnny [the female pup] fell in love. He would lay outside her crate and stare adoringly at her inside, and they sniffed and licked and just loved each other. He met my mom's dogs [a chihuahua who doesn't get along with other dogs very well, and an older aussie-lab mix who is set in her ways] and they sniffed and determined whose domain it was, and got along quite well. Maverick is very submissive [even with his desire to hop and bark and want to play] which definitely helps when going places where other dogs are in their own territory. We met my boyfriend's mom's dogs [a weimeraner and a greyhound] and they sniffed each other pleasantly as well. At the beach we met at least five or six other dogs, and he sniffed and was submissive but curious and cautious. Maya did well with these strange dogs as well -- which she wasn't doing for a while after Murphy passed.

We've kind of gotten on a daily schedule and it really helps with everything. We go to bed around 10pm, wake up between 4 and 5 for a potty, and sleep until 7 or 7:30 when my boyfriend wakes up to get ready for work. We potty again, eat, and go outside for a romp and a post-breakfast poop. Inside for some toy-playing while I make myself something to eat, we watch something on TV while I eat and they play, and we go outside for another romp -- usually on the track. We then come inside and take a baby nap for about an hour while I either do chores or get ready for work. Maverick gets lunch and then we go outside for a mini romp and potty session, do some crate time and I head off to work at 11:30. My boyfriend gets off work around 4-ish [sometimes earlier, sometimes later] and lets them out when he gets home. I get off work around 6-ish and come home for dinner with the babies. We play and us hoomans eat, and play and do some outside romps, and he plays and plays and then passes out. We start the routine over again. Sometimes I'll have a day off mid-week, and the weekends are different with plans and barbecues and daytrips, but for the most part that is what we do, and it works really well for him.

I weighed him on Saturday when he was 8 weeks old and he weighed 5 pounds. He loves his food [eats like a CHAMP! Go figure.. a corgi who loves food], loves his toys, and loves his brother and sister. I just can't wait for the day when I can pick him up and he doesn't want to bite and chew on my nose. It will come.. I just have to keep telling myself that. ;-)

We really do think he has some of Murphy's spirit in him. He has a white mark on the back of his head, just like Murphy had where I told him an "angel kissed him", and a lot of his dark sable-coloring has faded into a redder, more Murphy-like color. He gave me tons of kisses right when I met him, and he just seems like he has already been a puppy before and knows what to do, but doesn't have control over his urges yet. Hopefully Murphy will nudge him in the right direction and show him how to be a great brother to Moses and Maya. At the very least, he will be watching over Maverick, Maya, Moses, and us hoomans, and being our little guardian angel. I miss him dearly, but baby Mavvy has really helped fill the missing space in our lives, and for that, I am very thankful and lucky.