The puppy was already named when Ginny met her. Her name was Maggie. Ginny would have liked to have chosen a different name, like Nike, but Maggie stuck and so it was.
The plan was to keep Maggie at Ginny's house. She was to be crate trained. As much as Kayla was the official dog sitter, she was at school all day and I was home, so when Ginny was at work, I'd go over to her house, let Maggie out of the crate and outside. Then play with Maggie a little and put her back in the crate. Somehow, I had become the dog sitter ;-).
So up until this point, all I know is that Ginny is a women's basketball coach for University of Richmond, she's single, and she now has a puppy Yorkie. The first time I went into her house to check on Maggie, I expected the female version of a bachelor pad with basketball memorabilia in every corner. Boy was I in for a surprise!
Ginny's house was magazine-perfect! Great color scheme, tastefully decorated, and upgraded carpeting. I don't think there was a single basketball-related item in the entire downstairs. Ginny had style.
The more I got to know & adore Maggie, the less I liked her being in the house alone all day so eventually we brought the crate to our house. So much for allergies, huh? The vet said that this arrangement probably wouldn't work because Yorkies are pretty territorial and would not transition between houses easily. But Maggie did great...and even traveled to her Grammy's house in Philly without issue. Ginny would bring Maggie over on her way to work every morning, and pick her up in the evening. Ginny provided all the comforts of home for Maggie at our house - beds and toys, pens and gates.
It eventually got to the point that if Maggie was at our house and sensed that Ginny was home, she'd get excited and if she was at Ginny's house and saw us pull into the driveway, she'd run to the side window to greet us. She loved having two homes!
And, of course, over time the crate became unnecessary and before you knew it Maggie had free reign of Ginny's house as well as ours. Good thing Colin had gotten over his fear of cute little doggies!
Ginny was devoted to her puppy, teaching her fun tricks like the obvious sit, lay down, play dead, and roll over. She also taught Mags to "spread 'em" where Maggie would put her two front paws on the wall like a criminal being frisked. She'd have play dates with her friend Rhonda's dog Rhodie, and neighborhood dogs especially Ginger, Brisbie, and Marlow, take her to dog parks, and treat her to Bruester's ice cream on occasion.
In the meantime, we'd see Ginny daily and a friendship blossomed. She took a genuine interest in getting to know us, especially Kayla & Colin. She was right in the thick of things when it came to playing wiffle ball or badminton in the back yard, shooting hoops in the driveway, or throwing (extremely) long football tosses between our yards!
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