The best part of Maggie and James is that they are so in love with each other but are polar doggie opposites.  James is really well-behaved and quiet, does tricks, loves to go on long walks, and actually listens to what we have to say.  Maggie is really naughty and needy, was kicked out of puppy school, loves to lay on the couch and bark at the air, and never, ever listens to any commands.  They are both total sweetie pies, but it all boils down to this:  Maggie is not so bright.  I think she was dropped as a puppy.

 

Maggie also has high anxiety and hates to make eye contact.  Despite being so crazily attached to me, she never looks directly at my face, let alone a stranger’s face (James, on the other hand, loves to gaze adoringly into everyone’s eyes).  But remember how I wrote that Maggie is now on a vet-recommended diet?  She’s lost so much weight that she looks like a totally different dog.  But the only real ‘treat’ she can have regularly is produce, like carrots and apples.  And boy – does she LOVE carrots and apples.

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I have never seen eye contact like this from Maggie.  She STARES into your eyes like she’s peering into your soul when you have a carrot in your hand.

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It kills me.

 

Lunch eats:

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How’s this for a pregnant-lady lunch?  Grilled cheese and pickles.

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And a bunch of chips, which I ate in the car on the way to a meeting.

 

Hope your day is full of sunshine and warmth!

{ 54 comments }

 

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat March 20, 2012, 2:05 pm

    When I lived at home, one of our dogs would be like James and look straight at us all the time. The other one.. not so much. All she stared intently at was food!

  • Lindsey March 20, 2012, 2:08 pm

    What kind of bread to you eat? It’s always so small!

    • CaitlinHTP March 20, 2012, 2:12 pm

      Udis gluten free – the slices are small 🙁 Depressing.

    • Sarena (The Non Dairy Queen) March 20, 2012, 2:13 pm

      My guess is gluten free Udi’s which is horrifically tiny. If you are gluten free and want bigger sandwich bread, Jason’s deli sells the Udi’s loaves and they are regular size pieces!

  • Sarena (The Non Dairy Queen) March 20, 2012, 2:11 pm

    I would stare like that for apples too! I’m not sure what that says about me, but I LOVE apples!

  • Sana March 20, 2012, 2:13 pm

    Good God, I adore Maggie.

  • Dori March 20, 2012, 2:15 pm

    I love the “Maggie is stupid” stories. There’s a really great place in NYC, City Bakery, that among other incredible things has the BEST grilled cheese with pickle sandwiches.

  • Army Amy* March 20, 2012, 2:18 pm

    Does Maggie often have her ears flipped over like that? It skeeves me out!*

    • Sara March 20, 2012, 2:28 pm

      “Flip your dog’s ear over!” (Seinfeld)

      • Heather March 20, 2012, 3:20 pm

        like!

  • Samantha Angela March 20, 2012, 2:25 pm

    My dog goes nuts for apples. It’s impossible to eat an apple around her without her crying and begging. Usually she’ll just sit quietly and hope you drop something when you eat. Unless you’re eating an apple.

  • Sara March 20, 2012, 2:26 pm

    Love grilled cheese + pickles (and I’m not pregnant!)

  • Hillary March 20, 2012, 2:29 pm

    Grilled cheese and pickles has been a favorite of mine since I was really little—I can only imagine how much I’ll love it when I’m pregnant!

  • Katie @ Peace Love & Oats March 20, 2012, 2:30 pm

    Hahaha I LOVE your pregnant lady lunch! So appropriate!

  • mindy @ just a one girl revolution. March 20, 2012, 2:34 pm

    Oh man, I never thought of grilled cheese and pickles as a combo – but now I want to try it oh so bad!

  • Jessica March 20, 2012, 2:47 pm

    You should post a before/after shot of Maggie’s progress!

  • Kelly March 20, 2012, 2:50 pm

    Good for you guys for being so dedicated with Maggie’s diet!

  • Ashley O. @ The Vegetable Life March 20, 2012, 2:53 pm

    This non-pregnant lady wants grilled cheese and pickles now too lol

  • Sarah @ See Sarah Eat March 20, 2012, 2:56 pm

    I must try pickles on my next grilled cheese sandwich! I also like to dip mine in ketchup 😉

  • Claire @ Live and Love to Eat March 20, 2012, 3:00 pm

    Grilled cheese is appropriate any day for lunch! 🙂

  • Jen March 20, 2012, 3:05 pm

    My golden retriever was kicked out of obedience school too! She “talked back” to the teacher haha. In her nearly 12 years of life, I was the only one she ever really listened to, but she still gave me attitude even when she complied (I’d tell her to get off the couch, and she would but she’d grumble the whole way and then sulk on her dog bed). I wouldn’t have changed her for the world, though, she had so much spunk and personality!

  • kathleen @ the daily crumb March 20, 2012, 3:26 pm

    i can ONLY get eye contact from my pups when i have food in my hands. it’s the funniest thing!

    yummy pregnant lunch 🙂

  • Beth @ DiningAndDishing March 20, 2012, 3:45 pm

    I love dogs quirky little personalities :). I want a greyhound sooo bad because I think they must be the quirkiest, head-in-the-clouds dogs out there!

  • Kelley March 20, 2012, 4:01 pm

    Grilled Cheese definitely needs pickles on the side. And Ketchup too. Mmm Cheeese!!!

  • Moni Meals March 20, 2012, 4:04 pm

    best grilled cheese I have seen in awhile! Good call with that pickle.

    James is sooooooooooo cute!

  • Amber @ Busy, Bold, Blessed March 20, 2012, 4:15 pm

    Maggie is so silly! I love that your dogs are in love, so cute.

    I’m not pregnant… and I would definitely eat a grilled cheese with pickles, yummmmm.

  • Ashley @ Thefitacademic March 20, 2012, 4:22 pm

    Caitlin – random question (nothing to do with this post!)…do you and your hubbs plan on buying a second car? I ask because my husband and I have been sharing a car for the past 3 years (I work from home), but now I’m 18 weeks pregnant (just a little behind you!) and we’ve felt the need to buy a second car. I would rarely drive it, but it feels like a “just in case” insurance policy if I were to ever need to rush to the doctor/hospital after the baby comes, in case my husband isn’t home at the time.

    Also (another random thing) – I want to hear more about your house!!!! Are you not posting more in fear of “jinxing” it?! Pleeeease – I need pictures, stories, or SOMETHING! : )

    • CaitlinHTP March 21, 2012, 2:45 pm

      Hi Ashley!

      We are going to try to see what life is like in the new house before making a decision on the car. We are further from the clinic and not in a walkable area so we may need to get another car. 🙁 BOOOO!

      Re the house, I’m not posting pictures of it for fear of jinxing and for privacy purposes. But I hopefully will be able to at some point (i.e. when the Zillow listing comes down).

  • Amanda (modernation) March 20, 2012, 4:34 pm

    Love that! When we got Cash, I made the rule that the only “people food” he could get on a regular basis was produce. He goes crazy for carrots and even knows the sound of them on the cutting board and darts into the kitchen. His favorites are carrots, banana, cucumber and, of course, peanut butter. He even has his own jar of creamy, unsalted PB in the fridge.

  • Amanda March 20, 2012, 5:08 pm

    Can we see befor and after pictures of Maggie’s weight loss??

    :))

    • Reenie March 20, 2012, 5:33 pm

      haha….Amanda ~ I was coming in to ask the same thing!! We need to see Maggie Mae’s new body…. before and after photos please 🙂

      • CaitlinHTP March 21, 2012, 2:43 pm

        I need to locate some good before pics!

  • Allison March 20, 2012, 5:30 pm

    Grilled cheese with pickles is SO good! A childhood favourite 🙂

  • Greta @ Staying Lost March 20, 2012, 5:36 pm

    Dogs naturally view eye contact as a form of aggression- making eye contact and baring their teeth is the way wolves communicate confrontation. That’s why many dogs have trouble with it. Of course, many other dogs can be socialized into understanding that eye contact from humans is not threatening!

  • KaraHadley March 20, 2012, 5:59 pm

    I always thought the only reason my dog liked carrots was because he always ate the bits that fell out of the horses mouths when my mom and i took to him the barn while we rode. But now I’m finding out about all these other dogs that like carrots. It cracks me up that out of all the human food dogs could go gahgah for it’s carrots.

  • Jamie @ Don't Forget the Cinnamon March 20, 2012, 6:10 pm

    My dog loves carrots too! I swear a carrot is just as exciting to her as a hunk of steak!
    I had pickles in my sandwich today too! They are seriously the best addition.

  • Jolene (Homespun Heritage) March 20, 2012, 6:31 pm

    For a minute I was thinking “What is that other hairy beast in the first pic?” Oh wait, that’s the Husband’s leg!

    I love your sandwich by the way! YUM!!!

  • Heather March 20, 2012, 7:07 pm

    Very cute post. Perhaps this is the “blonde” in me and I had to share- when I first read the title I thought wow that is interesting, they’re giving away contacts- oh the irony that you are talking about carrots too! –To improve eye sight?- no, ok yeah just me lol

  • Kristin @ Celebrate Goodness March 20, 2012, 8:07 pm

    So I must say that the grilled cheese with pickles looks delish! Totally going to have to try that. I always had this vision of seeing how many different types of grilled cheese sandwiches I could come up and I don’t remember this one every crossing my mind. Definitely on my list to try!

  • Kath March 20, 2012, 8:24 pm

    That’s my kinda lunch!!!

  • Carol @CookingForTwo March 20, 2012, 8:48 pm

    Too funny how it’s only for treats!!

  • Kristen@Change of Pace March 20, 2012, 9:27 pm

    Grilled cheese and pickles are the best! I’ve been eating cheddar, pickle, and mustard sandwiches lately. So weird and I’m not even pregnant 🙂

  • ash March 20, 2012, 9:49 pm

    loved this post I have a mini doxie who does the same thing for food- like she is trying to hypnotize me. So cute!!!!!

  • Steph March 21, 2012, 12:04 am

    This was the cutest post ever! love your dogs!!

  • Maria March 21, 2012, 12:09 am

    You should try a grilled cheese made with swiss and pickles…it is sooooo good!

  • Jen March 21, 2012, 12:18 am

    Awwww…I will feed Maggie a zillion carrots! 🙂

    And, grilled cheeses with pickles?! Haha…all you need now is a big bowl of ice cream to go with it!

  • Johanna March 21, 2012, 4:36 am

    Ohmygosh, I just LOOOVE Maggie! She makes me laugh every time. What a cutiepie!

  • Amber K March 21, 2012, 2:35 pm

    I’ve loved sweet pickles and peanut butter sandwiches since I was a kid. So I don’t think I can judge your combo of grilled cheese and pickles.

  • Dental Accountant March 23, 2012, 3:38 am

    Wow I love the two dogs. I thought only human have that kind attitude but I could not believe that dogs also can do that. Are you making discipline of your dogs?

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