Our little Mavis is now a year old!
Jimmy and I think her personality has fully developed by this point and agree that she is spunky, sassy, playful, energetic, and intelligent. She would play with other dogs all day if she could, and she adores a long walk or game of fetch. She will also do anything for food and loves Lola and Malcolm. Car rides and pet sitting with me are her other favorite things.
She’s acquired the nickname “bandaid puppy” and “velcro puppy” because she always wants to be with Jimmy and I. Being in the same room as us isn’t enough, she has to be touching us at all times.
She is much better about being held since she was attacked by our neighbor’s dog, but pretty much only by me. She still doesn’t like having her paws touched, so we’re not sure if we will continue to pursue therapy dog work.
The not liking to be held or have her paws touched may be something she grows out of as she matures and we work with her, or it may be a sign she isn’t meant for therapy work. We’ll see as time passes! She’s still a youngster and has a lot of life ahead of her 🙂
She has been through Puppy Level I and II, Adult Level I and II training classes, and took her AKC STAR Puppy and Canine Good Citizen Test. The only thing she didn’t pass was her Canine Good Citizen test (due to the paw touching–she passed all the other aspects of it!).
She did all of that before she turned nine months old, which is crazy to think about. I’m proud of our intelligent little gal! She knows sit, stay, come, down, chill, leave it, and paw. I’d like to work on heel with her a bit more.
Mavis went into heat right around her birthday and it has been quite the experience for the Zottola household. Let’s just say I’m glad we have hardwood floors!
We will probably have her spayed in the near future, because we aren’t interested in breeding and I don’t foresee myself having the time to show her in competitions. We’re more interested in agility or therapy work, and being spayed doesn’t impact eligibility for those hobbies.
We’ve had our good days and our bad days with Mavis. She’s definitely not perfect, but neither am I and she accepts me just as I am. I try to do the same with her and remember that she’s growing and learning the rules of this world day by day. Puppies take a lot of patience, but are so worth it in the end!
Mavis’ Favorite Treats/Food/Toys
- Fruitables Treats
- Nature’s Recipe Grain Free Food
- Whimzees Dental Treats
- Busy Buddy Meal Dispenser
- Hide a Squirrel Puzzle
- Hol-ee Roller Ball
Past Updates
- Welcome to the Family, Mavis
- More About Mavis
- Mavis at 10.5 Weeks
- It Could Have Been Worse
- Post Attack Update
- Mavis at Four Months
- Mavis at Five Months
- Mavis at Six Months
- Mavis at Seven Months
- Mavis at Eight Months
- Mavis at Nine Months
I first met Mavis when she was five weeks old, and she’s been pet sitting with me pretty much her whole life. We spend a lot of time together, and our bond is strong. She has quickly become part of our family and I can’t imagine life without her. I’m excited to see what the coming years bring for little May May!
Living My Full Life 
Such a sweet post! I love little May soooo much, and what she has learned and accomplished in a year is absolutely amazing. She is so athletic its crazy!! Just like her human Mama!
She is absolutely obsessed with Lola, and has definitely helped with keeping Lo young! She and Malcolm are hilarious together — they act like true brothers and sisters!
I will never forget going to Lew’s and picking little Mavis out… and him taking a little clipping our of her tail to know which one we chose– even though we would have known regardless!
Love you,
Madre
Thanks, Mama! And thanks for loving on our little May May! It really is amazing how much she has learned and grown in just a short year of life! LOL about the tail! I almost forgot about that. Oh, Lew! He’s the cutest!
Love you! ❤
Mavis used to be so small!! It’s crazy how big she has gotten. Mavis did so much in her one year of life. Hopefully she gets better at having her paws touched soon so she can finish her work to be a therapy dog.
Seriously!! I feel like she was under 10lbs when we got her?! She had to have been! Crazy! Now she’s like 25 pounds I bet! I hope she can get better with having her paws touched, too 🙂
So sweet Allie thank you for sharing!!
Love ❤️ you!
Dad
🙂
Thanks, Dad! I love you! ❤
Look how tiny she was in that last picture!! Oh bless her, sweet thing. She is such a spunky little thing and I love it! I hope she will be able to get past the paw touching thing (Oreo still won’t let anyone other than me or Christopher touch his paws and he hates even that). Hopefully with enough work she will! But if not, agility training would be a lot of fun too! She definitely has the energy for it. 🙂 Happy one year to Mavis!
Isn’t it crazy how little she was?! She was 5 weeks in the picture and must have weighed like three pounds! She really is so spunky! Hopefully she gets better with the paw touching, and if not, that’s a-okay, too!
I love all of these photos! She has grown so much. It sounds like she has a fun and happy life 🙂 I want to know more about therapy dog training! I just brought home a puppy a few days ago and that would be so fun to do with him. P.S. Love the overalls and the belly:)
She really has grown SO much! I like to think she enjoys her life! At least I hope so 🙂
Congrats on your new puppy!! I want to hear more about him! Thanks for the compliment on my overalls and bump!! ❤
Mavis sounds so smart. She does have a long life ahead of her I’m sure she’ll get past the incident 🙂
Sometimes I think she’s too smart for her own good, haha! She can find trouble super easily, haha! I hope she gets fully past the incident, too!