And then there was Spook

we are waiting for you

We are a pet friendly B&B and people who choose to stay here come as much for the “official greeters” as for my scones. They merit mention in the guest reviews as often as we do. One of the most asked for stories during breakfast is how we acquired Spook. Both of our dogs were rescues and knowing how it feels to be dropped into a new situation, both go out of their way to make our guests feel welcome. 

Maddy and JazzPurr sharing some sun

Spook came to us a year ago May. Madison had been a family member since November 2011 and came to us from a foster family with three other dogs and a cat. When Madison arrived we had Jazzpurr the cat, who passed the following October at the age of 17. Madison seemed lost without anyone to lie in the sun with. 

Spook napping in the flowers

Bob had been looking to adopt a Shepard husky mix for some time and finally decided waiting for her to come through a husky rescue group we would check at the local SPCA. The day we went down and filled out the paperwork we checked the current surrendered dogs up for adoption and didn't see any that seemed interested in us. Before we left the staff insisted on showing us a few dogs that they thought fit our profile. Despite specifying a Shepard husky mix we were shown a doberman, a pit-bull, a great dane and a beagle. Madison was with us and none of the dogs appeared to like her and she spent her time under my chair. As we were getting ready to leave someone mentioned that a Shepard had come in less than a week earlier and was still in quarantine in the back. We asked to see her. She was very quiet and hesitant around all the people but sniffed everyone, walked up to Madison and “made nice” then walked over to Bob, put her head in his lap, looked up at him and sighed. She came home with us a week later.

welcome

She was a sick girl with assorted parasites and kennel cough and made nary a sound. Her recorded history was short – found locked in an abandoned home, weight 50lbs and maybe 18 months old. She had had a litter but there was no sign of the pups, she was not lactating. Given her quiet nature, Bob named her Spook. Madison has since taught her to bark (a bit overmuch when she gets really excited about what is going on in the world around her) and I am now in the process of teaching her to stop barking on command...it is slow going since I can't get Madison to stop at the same time – they tag team the barking. She is a very loving dog who enjoys the attention of our guests. She is deferential to other dogs who come to visit Sunny's Roost. 

Why we have a little dachshund as one of our official greeters

keeping her warm

I've been telling this story to every guest who stays with us so thought I'd tell it with pictures for you today.

Madison joined our family in November of 2011. She was rescued in August from a puppy mill by our son Phillip and his then girlfriend now wife Christina. Christina was active in Tennessee's small animal rescue program and was called when fosters were going to be needed as a puppy mill was raided. Phillip convinced her that we was taking the small three week old dachshund that was there – as a gift for his mother. 

she was so tiny

It is my understanding that, to help this little critter who had already been separated from her mother, Phillip wore her inside his shirt until she could maintain her own body heat and was socialized. (I can believe that because all that first winter, every time I sat down, she climbed into my lap and under my sweatshirt, curled up and went to sleep.) When he first told me he had a puppy for me I told him I didn't want a small dog and his father wanted a husky Shepard mix. I didn't want a puppy because I didn't want to house break a puppy while running a bed and breakfast and I didn't want the dog to be teething on guest items. I didn't want a dog that would blend in with the wood floor in the entry because she would get squashed under someone's bag or foot. A N D if we got a dog it had to be a female and already spayed . ….. Well, she was female and already spayed, but that is the only part of the criteria he met. 

see how big she is getting?

He kept telling me how big she was getting, how some of her litter mates were growing too large to be show dogs even tho they were AKC mini dachshunds. Madison also is too tall to be a show dog, but at 3 years weighs in at 13 pounds, blends in with the wood flooring in the entry and I had to housebreak her. At least she didn't teethe on anything belonging to a guest. She has grown on us and the guests all threaten to take her home so I guess she is a good fit after all. 

I had been asked what I wanted to name her. I came up with Ginger or Nutmeg since we were a bed and BREAKFAST and a spice name would be appropriate (and previous dog was named Cinnamon.) He named her Madison. When I asked Christina how she came to be called Madison she told me that he was going to name the dog Madison or his first child Madison and she decided it was a GREAT name for the dog and I could always call her Maddy …...

Those crazy dogs

I've heard other people talk about how smart their dogs are and always took it as pride in ones own.  Sort of like how each child you have is so much smarter than the text books say they will be at each milestone. I always wonder how much is just what these people want to see.  But now that I don't have any of the boys (or any grandchildren) here to brag about, I have to tell you how very clever Madison is.  She really is!

Here I am ironing and watching TV in the bedroom, right next to Spooks crate.  Madison is behind me in the hall and Spook is dozing in her crate, door partially open.  Madison is doing that little grown that she uses to get my attention.  No, she doesn't want to go out, how dare I suggest it, back to ironing.  Another attention getting noise, I ask what she wants and she just looks at me, back to ironing.  She is getting frustrated with this lack of understanding on my part, she goes over to the edge of the crate against the book case and stares at the corner.  OK, I get down on my knees and sure enough, there is an antler (a prized possession)   stuck between the crate and the bookcase.  I pull it out, Madison grabs it and jumps up on the bed.  Back to ironing.

Madison gnaws on the antler a while, making enough noise to interest Spook, who know I will not let her take it away from Madison.  Within about 3 minutes Madison gets down and strolls past the crate door - without the antler.  Spook is out like a shot and up on the bed to get the antler.  Quick as a flash, Madison darts into the crate and under the blanket, effectively evicting Spook, who has lost interest in the antler as well.  That was what Madison wanted all along.  Spook had the last laugh though.  She went back into the crate and curled up on top of Madison!