Maddie Marie Koplitz the dog

The Adventures of Maddie      A continuing story for Anne

This story section is a living section. It will change as it is developed. It is meant to entertain Anne, but it is also for the class to talk about editing stories, learn about audience and voice of the writer. This is NOT a finished piece of writing.

'The Adventures of Maddie
A Story for Anne
We have a good dog named Maddie who lives for walks with me, chasing basketballs with Kyle and eating pizza crusts from Uncle Rick.  She was the biggest fan of a WPR radio call-in show called, "Calling All Pets" until it was off the air. At first she didn't know if she would enjoy my favorite radio show, "Prairie Home Companion" , but has decided it was something she might like when they had a whole show all about pets.

Earlier this week she was sprayed by a skunk on one of our walks. She didn't smell the skunk when she first ran past it. When I saw the skunk I called for Maddie to come to me and that is when she saw it. The skunk didn't know Maddie was nice and was scared. When skunks get scared they turn around and spray a nasty smelling spray from under their tail at the thing they are scared of. Poor Maddie! The skunk sprayed and it made Maddie sneeze, run fast, wipe her face on the grass and squish her eyes up. Her eyes were very red and it made her very unhappy to be so stinky.

Kyle and I had to give her a bath outside. The water was very cold right out of the hose and Maddie tried to get away. We had to hold her tight and tell her that we were just making her clean again and not to be scared. We wrapped her in a towel and carried her into the laundry room to give her another bath with my shampoo and dish soap. She was not happy about that and shivered.

Kyle and I had to give her two more baths in the bathtub the next day. This time we used tomato juice. The red tomato juice made her white front pink! Maddie liked that and sometimes gave my had a lick when we were washing her. I think that she thought we were washing her in soup. Maddie loves soup and this made her smile.

Did you know that dogs can smile? She has muscles around her mouth that make her smile just like we do! She has pretty teeth too. We can see her pretty teeth when she smiles at us.


Maddie Meets a New Friend
One Spring day there was a party at our house. It was an Easter celebration. Maddie always likes parties because she likes to smell all the different people. Smelling people is one way that Maddie gets to know who is in her house. She also likes parties because if anyone drops food she gets to eat what the people eat.

A little girl came to the Easter celebration. The little girl's name was Anne. Maddie was excited to meet her because she was close to her size and she had never meet a little girl before. Anne had never met Maddie before either. I was a little nervous because I wanted them to be friends and wanted them to be happy. I should not have worried. Anne was so gentle with Maddie and Maddie was gentle with Anne. Maddie likes to be petted and Anne was very good at that. Anne's soft fingers and hands felt good to Maddie. Maddie rolled onto her back to give Anne a chance to pet her tummy. Maddie loves to have her tummy rubbed and scratched.

Once in a while Maddie would lick Anne's fingers. Maddie enjoys licking people. It is a way for Maddie to get to know people. Maddie licks everyone and most people don't like it, but Anne thought it was funny. Maddie thought that Anne tasted sweet. Anne was brave to meet someone new like Maddie and Maddie was brave to meet someone like Anne.

Maddie would look at me and ask me questions with her eyes. Did you ever ask a question without using words? Maddie asked me about Anne that day. She wanted to know if it was safe to be by her. She wanted to know if she was doing the right things with a new friend. We told her with our voices and our hands that she was being a good dog.

Anne's mommy, daddy, some grandparents, some great grandparents, and our family were there, but I think that on that Easter celebration Maddie's favorite person was Anne.

Maddie and Lily
  Maddie's dog friend Lily walks with us when Lily's mom lets her out. Lily is bigger than Maddie which makes Maddie a little nervous when they first greet each other. Maddie gets jealous when I give Lily treats from my pocket. Maddie likes treats that taste like bacon. If I give her a treat that is hard and doesn't smell just right she will leave it on the road. Maybe she is tricking us and just leaving a treat for the hawk that sits in the nearby tree or maybe she is leaving it for Lily when she is out with her mom.

 Maddie is teaching Lily to stay close to me when a car goes by. Maddie is very good at that and receives a treat for that safe behavior. Lily isn't that good at staying close to me and that makes Maddie and I worry. Maddie tries to get Lily to follow her back to me when a car or bike goes by so she is safe. Sometimes Lily listens and sometimes she doesn't.

 Lily likes to run in ditches full of water and Maddie doesn't like to do that. Lily gets all wet and muddy as she splashes in the shallow water. Mady gives me a look that tells me that she thinks that Lily is silly. Sometimes Lily won't go back up her driveway and comes back home with us. Maddie doesn't like that because Maddie likes to be the only dog at our house. I have seen her chase Lily out of our yard if Lily stays too long. She knows that we are a one family dog. Maddie doesn't like to share her family or her treats.

Maddie Meets Maloney
One day Lily's mom was already out on a walk with Lily when we were walking. There was a surprise for Maddie and I that day. Lily brought a guest along on the walk and we met them on the road. It was her dog friend Maloney. Maloney was not a very nice dog. She barked and growled. Maddie thought Maloney was the worst mannered dog she had ever met! Maddie was scared. Maddie's fur on the back of her neck stood up. Maddie looked at me for help and I tried to make Maloney behave. There was too much barking, too much growling, too much running and too much Maloney! Lily's mom couldn't stop Maloney from being naughty either. Maloney hadn't been taught how to be a friend. Lily was barking and gave Maloney a special look to try to calm Maloney down. That didn't work. Maloney was ruining the lovely walk. Maddie gave me one last look as if to say, "What is wrong with this dog? This is too much for me. I am going home. Are you coming?" I nodded my head at Maddie and she ran as fast as she could back to our yard, back to her safe home.  I came along soon after and found her waiting for me in our yard. She looked at me with a smile on her face, as if to say, "Wow! That sure was an adventure, but I am glad to be home. I hope Lily doesn't bring that friend along again." I looked at Maddie and said, "I agree!"
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Maddie goes to the Woods
One day I thought that Maddie and I would go on an adventure to the woods. I hadn't been there in a very long time and Maddie had never gone there before. I thought Maddie would enjoy the new smells and running in the weeds. The woods is at the farm. Anne's great-grandpa owns it, her grandpa goes there and her own daddy has been there too.

To get to the woods you have to walk in the pasture past the cows. The cows had never seen Maddie before and Maddie hadn't ever seen a real cow before. She didn't know what it was. The cow bent down to come close to Maddie, Maddie came close to the cow and their noses almost met. Oh, what a meeting that was! Maddie barked at the cow and that made the cow jump. When the cow jumped it scared Maddie a little and then she jumped. I called Maddie away. I thought that was enough cow for one day.

Maddie and I walked to a fence. The fence was in Maddie's way, but she crawled under it. The next fence Maddie came to was one that she jumped over. Maddie is a good thinker. She sees what there is to do and solves a problem and doesn't let anyone or anything stop her. Next we had to cross the plowed field to get to the woods. The big furrows made deep dirt ditches for Maddie and I to walk over. It was very hard. Maddie was glad to have 4 legs and not my two legs.

When we got close to the woods we saw a trail that the deer had made in the tall grass. We even saw where they laid down to take a nap. Maddie liked these new smells. It reminded her of the time that she ran with six deer in back of our house in the open field. I followed Maddie as she smelled the tracks their hooves had made in the dirt near the pond.

Now we came into the woods where the trees were growing closer together. Maddie and I looked up into the tree tops and gazed at the falling leaves and a small flock of geese going to their winter home in the south. I yelled out, "See you in the Spring. Have a safe trip!" Maddie barked, "Woof, bark, Woof, WOOF, bark, bark!" I know Maddie well enough to understand her dog talk. She said that she hoped that they didn't go near that naught Maloney and that there might be a hard pink dog treat laying on the road where we usually walk.After she said that she smiled at me. I nodded, patted her and told her that she was a very good dog.

While we walked farther into the woods we heard a crunching of leaves behind us. There coming into the woods was Anne's grandpa. I was very glad to see him and Maddie was interested in licking him. Maddie remembered him and smiled. He had his big boots on and a saw tied with twine across his shoulders. He was coming to check on the deer stand and cut some trees that might get in the way of him seeing deer. Maddie was worried then that Anne's grandpa would think that she would scare the deer away, but he didn't say anything and Maddie was relieved.

Anne's grandpa showed us where he waits for the deer. There were spots on the trees where deer rubbed their itchy antlers. Maddie licked the air near that place and put it in her memory. The next thing Maddie saw was another surprise.

Anne's grandpa showed me these strange shapes in the woods. They were white and looked like mushrooms from outer space. They grew close to the ground near an old log. They were called puff balls. Maddie got near them and smelled them. She didn't like what she smelled. She didn't even try to lick them. She was surprised when Anne's grandpa and I picked them and put then in a bag. Maddie gave me a funny look and I could see that she knew that I would take them to school to show them to my students. Once in a while Maddie knows what I am planning.

Maddie, Anne's grandpa and I started walking through the woods another way. Anne's grandpa wanted to help me not trip on the roots and uneven ground of the woods so he cut me a walking stick out of a young tree. Maddie smelled it and gave it a lick before I set to using it. She liked it, but not as much as I did. Maddie led the way for a bit until she came across a small building. It looked only big enough for 2 people and maybe a dog. It was gray and well hidden by the tree trunks of the same color. Maddie didn't understand why there was a little house in the middle of a woods. We didn't either. We soon came out on an easier path and walked back to the farm.

Maddie was happy to be back on ground that wasn't lumpy and bumpy, but what she saw next made her day. Great Grandma and Grandpa have a cat. You may have heard stories about cats and dogs. Maddie thinks that cats are meant to be chased. So, off Maddie ran to chase a cat into a too small space in the machine shed for dogs. After the cat disappeared Maddie turned to look at me and smiled. Then she did the funniest thing. Our car window was open and she jumped right in the car, sat up like a princess in the front seat, looked at me and winked! A winking dog? I guess that means she was very happy with out romp in the woods, her chase of the cat and now she was ready to go home.

Maddie's Stormy Day
Maddie doesn't like storms or wind. This is a problem for her because the earth naturally has storms and wind. She doesn't like the basement door when the air pressure makes it rattle. The air pressure changes as the weather changes. Her favorite days are low wind, mild temperature ones. She enjoys the sunshine on her fur. It makes her feel good down to her bones.

On those peaceful weather days she sits on the lawn and smiles. She watches the birds. She watched the cars go by. She listens to our music on the radio when we are working in the yard. Calm weather days make her very happy.

When we first noticed this we couldn't help noticing that something was bothering her. We didn't know what it could be. She was shaking and stayed by our legs all day. When I was taking a shower she would stand outside the shower waiting for me to finish. Maddie crawled in back of Kyle's bed and was doing it in such a hurry that alarm clock got unplugged. She would sit under the table and go behind the couch in the living room. When I left the closet door open she snuck inside and didn't want to come out. Her soft ears were flopped at an odd angle. Maddie was worried. She was not smiling at all. She looked like she would cry.

We petted her and asked her what was wrong. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. There were no strange dogs in the yard. She had a   bowl full of  food and one full of water. We scratched her belly and with gentle hands petted her fur. Dogs don't talk like people do, but they can tell us by their bodies what they are thinking. This didn't help to be happy.

We noticed that the wind was getting stronger outside and the leaves on the trees were blowing back and forth more than before. Soon the sun was behind clouds and it made it a little darker outside. We heard a rumble in the sky. Maddie got more nervous when this happened and then we knew what was wrong. She didn't like that weather.

We do like that weather sometimes because we need to have the rain come to water the flowers and the crops in the fields. Storms do not make us worried. We even like the thunder and the lightning if it rains hard. The big booms and the crackling brightness of the lightning make the world exciting! It must only be exciting for people at our house and not for Maddie. She doesn't enjoy the excitement of the storm. She doesn't like the rushing around we do to shut the windows and close the doors. She doesn't like the leaves blowing through the air. She doesn't like us looking out the windows to see the storm. She would rather hide in the closet and miss all the fun.

After the storm is over she doesn't hide and goes out to smell the wet grass. She checks over the new puddles in the driveway and the sticks that have come out of the trees. She smiles and looks at us as if to say, "That wasn't so bad, I don't know why I was even in the closet!"

Maddie has been with us long enough now to know when a storm is coming. We don't need the weather on the radio or the television to see that we are getting a storm. We have a dog named Maddie who lets us know when one is coming before we even see it.



Maddie's Trip to the Vet
Maddie knew it was time to go to see the vet. She could tell because Rick was digging out the leash. He doesn't ever get out the leash unless he is taking Maddie to the animal doctor. There she stood with her ears down in her oh no position. She gets nervous when she goes anywhere. The vet's office smells like so many other animals that have been there before. She was sure that Lily had been there before . Maddie could smell it. When she walks into the doctor's building there are big doors and a red carpet. There are plastic benches to sit on for Rick and Maddie. They are different heights so small dogs and big dogs can even sit on them.

The nurse at the vet is always happy to see Maddie and Rick. She talks to Maddie like she is a person and Maddie feels a little better that this stranger knows her name.

Maddie's Car Ride to School When Maddie was little I thought that she would like to see some different people so I took her to school to meet my students. She was so scared to ride in the car and at first hopped all over the car trying to find a good place to sit. She wanted to sit on my lap, but I told her that driving is serious business and I need to pay attention to driving and not to her. She would have to sit someplace else. She tried to sit by my feet, but I told her that would not be happening because there wasn't enought room for a dog and my feet that were operating the pedals of the car. If she pushed the wrong pedal she would have made us go too fast when I wanted to stop or stop when I wanted to go. This wasnt' working out and we hadn't even left the yard yet. Maddie finally decided that going to sleep on the floor in the front would be her best decision until we could get out of this car. She didn't like how it made her feel like she was shifting left or right when we went around the corners. Maddie wasn't thrilled about riding in a car.

She was very happpy when I finally stopped the car and clipped on her leash. She was surprised that when the car door opened there was a new building to see and more smells to smell. She looked at me to ask if this was going to be a fun place. By the tone of my voice and the pull on the leash she knew that I was also nervous about taking her to someplace new.

When we got into the building there was a little boy bent over a box on the wall. When he looked up he had a few drops of water on his mouth. I told her that it was just a boy getting a drink from the waterfountain and not to be worried. Maddie was used to taking a drink and getting water on her mouth so she was feeling better about this place. What was that delicious smell? Maddie followed her nose toward it until I pulled her away. It was just the hot lunch smell in the air.

Maddie came just as the kids were going to go outside to play and wanted to join them. I closed the playground gate and let the leash off of Maddied so she could greet all the boys and fiirls. Boys and girls usually like dogs so they came running up to her to pet her. She looked at me with a worried look because she had never saw so many hands coming to feel her fur or pet her head before. I kneeled down next to Maddied so she would worry so much and make her feel safe. I wanted her to know that these boys and girls were gentle even if they weren't quiet. It is hard to be quiet when you are excited. Maddie knew this because she too barks loudly when new things happen.

Maddie Goes to Get Kyle
Most people know that Maddie doesn't like riding in the car. Usually she thinks she wants to go along and will hop in on her own to test out the seats, but as soon as the motor starts up she starts drooling, shedding and shaking. She is not at ride in the car type of dog. So when Kyle needed to be picked up from down the road Maddie changed her mind. Kyle needed to be picked up and Maddied seemed to know it was important. When I opened the door of the car she flew right in and sat still on the front seat as if to say, "Where is he and we need to go get him...NOW! This was so strange for her to do that. I think that she knows that Kyle needed her and her being scared had to wait because it was more important to get him than it was for her to be worried about curves and corners. We all love Kyle very much, even Maddie.

Maddie Goes Swimming When Maddie first came to live at our house we also had another dog named Maxi. Maxi was a bigger dog who thought Maddie was a goof. Maxi was older than Maddie and he didn't like having a puppy in the house, he didn't like having to share his people and he didn't like to share his space, but he put up with Maddie and accepted her. Maddie followed Maxi everywhere and thought that Maxi was the best animal in the whole world.

We took Maxi and Maddie camping with us in Waupaca. We loved to go to this tiny park that was next to a big water wheel. The Crystal River flows through the tiny park and we used to go wading in it. Sometimes we would sit in the middle of the river when it was hot and the cool flowing water moved quickly around us. It felt good on our toes and on our fingers as we let the water run through them.

Maxi really loved that park. He would jump into it and bite the water to take a drink. He ran in the ripples and even saw little fish to chase. It was always a good day when we went to that park. Erin, Steven and Kyle would throw stick for Maxi to chase in the water and laughed as he smiled on these perfect  days.

Maddie followed Maxi into the water the first time and didn't know what to expect. She thought that if Maxi liked it then she would too. She jumped around like Maxi, but would soon look and us as if to say she didn't understand why he liked it so much. It didn't seem as though she was having as much fun as Maxi.

Maxi would get all wet and shake hmself to get dry. Water would fly everywhere. Maddie didn't like all that water flying and the water flowing. She would trot out of the water and sit on the bank of grass watching Maxi. She tried to go into the water again thinking that if Maxi would like it then she would give it another try. She put one paw into the flowing stream and then quickly pull it out again. We called to her to come in, but she backed up and layed down on the grass to watch our fun.

After that whenever Maddie had a chance to go back into the water she decided that swimming was for Maxi and us, but not for her. She would watch us play in the water and that would be good enough for her. She grew up a little that day by deciding that she didn't have to go  swimming just because everyone else enjoyed it. She decided that she didn't like it and she didn't need to do it because Maxi did it. We didn't make her go in to the water and let her make up her own mind about swimming.



Maddie's Run With the Herd
Maddie likes to chase things, like balls, carts, flies, grasshoppers and one time.... deer. Rick doesn't like her to chase deer. So when she sees them running in the field out in back of our  house he tells her, "No, Maddie! Those aren't for you." She always looks up at him and gives him her cutest face with her ears just set at the right angle to try to change his mind. It never works, but you can see that she would still would like to do that very much. She trots off to the edge of the property and stands there looking at them running and her whole body seems to wish she was with them. Once in a while she will look back at Rick to see if he will change his mind. He reminds her to stay in the yard.

One day when I was outside taking the potatoe peelings to the compost pile I must have missed seeing a small herd of deer  grazing in the field. Rick wasn't there to remind Maddie to do the right thing and I didn't notice until I looked up to see the herd running the length of the field! I looked quickly for Maddie and didn't see her in the yard. Instead I saw our Maddied running with the big deer. She was in amongst them going as fast as they were! I was so shocked that I didn't even call for her yet. Instead I saw the surprised looks of the deer with her. Their expressions seemed to say, "Hey you! You are not a deer, who do you think you are?" Maddie didn't bark. She just ran as fast as she could and for a moment the look on her face was sublime happiness. I called her to come and that caused her to be left in the dust by the bounding deer. She looked one more time with envy at their speed and beauty. For a few glorious moments she had run with the herd and she had kept up.



Maddie Meets a Goose