"Hidden"

   Most of you know that J & I have an amazing dog Tucker. You may or may not know Tucker is a cocker spaniel which is also what my first dog Maverick was. Maverick or Mav for short was our family dog for as long as I remember before I was even three. When I was young Mav was hit by a car and his front paw was injured. I distinctly remember him  limping around outside and the bloody bandage that covered it. My next memory was of Mav in a box on our breezeway and my dad explaining that they had had to take Mav's leg off since it was not healing well enough (I even remember my shirt purplish/pink with teddy bears as cheerleaders).

    Mav made a full recovery and ran and played like a normal dog. He became an important member of our family. When Katy was born and my grandma babysat her he would follow them during their walks outside & grandma would always buy "Maggie" Milk Bones for Christmas. As Katy (& Mav) got older Mav quickly learned to back away/hide whenever Katy came near. Mav had so much personality, he was able to follow you around without getting underfoot, he was a great protector, and very aware of when someone was sad or sick. One of Mav's more humorous quirks was how he "hid" under tables/stands. He would put all but a part of himself, either his nose or tail, under the cover of the table and think that he was hidden. Mav lived with us until Summer 2001. It is so comforting for me to see some of the same traits in Tucker. This weekend I caught Tucker backed into his "hiding" place. This is where he goes if he is trying to avoid us or the cat.