Maggie Mae Pup Reporter

By Maggie Mae…with Ronni Diamondstein

One day, when I was walking with my owner, we saw our single neighbor Stephanie drive in from Kennebunkport, Maine. In her car were her two Shih Tzus, Abby and Sam. When my owner asked her why she had the dogs with her she said, “They are great company! I travel with my dogs a couple of times a year.” On this trip she had stayed at the pet-friendly Hounds Tooth Inn, and the experience had been wonderful.

“What a good idea!” I thought and I looked up at my owner who I hoped was thinking the same thing. One of her favorite places to visit is The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and sure enough, when she checked their website she found that it was a pet-friendly lodging. So at the age of ten months, I spent two days in the Berkshires to see how both of us would fare.

My owner had always gotten a warm welcome at The Red Lion Inn, and I did as well. I was greeted with a treat and was happy to find my own crate in our room which was conveniently located near an exit for easy access. When I couldn’t go out with my owner, I rested comfortably and felt safe in her crate.

I felt like a celebrity. With my outgoing and friendly personality and very unusual markings, people regularly stopped us to meet me and chat with my owner. I had a great time and I think she did too. Even when I didn’t accompany her, I helped her meet people. One evening as she dined alone at the Inn, people at the next table struck up a conversation asking where “Mags” was! They had overheard her talking to me earlier and calling me by one of my many nicknames.

It occurred to me that Westchester must have pet-friendly lodgings and sure enough it does with a Bed and Breakfast right in Chappaqua, Crabtree’s Kittle House Restaurant & Inn. I asked my owner if I could check it out, just in case we had pet guests coming to town who couldn’t stay with us. I toured the very comfortable guest rooms with John Crabtree, the gracious innkeeper who said they welcome four-legged friends at the Inn. “People know their pets,” he said, “and we’ve always had good experiences when they have been guests here.” I roamed around a lovely garden with him, thinking that perhaps I would go there if I ever wanted a vacation from my owner. I felt right at home! We could certainly recommend the charming, old world style inn with modern conveniences and delicious food to our out-of-town guests.

Stephanie gave my owner lots of great advice about traveling and planning a trip with a pet from making enough pit stops along the way to the many websites where you can find pet-friendly lodging like, www.bringfido.com, www.dogfriendly.com. The best advice of all: “Choose destinations that you all can enjoy,” says Stephanie. “Make sure you plan a trip that is fun for your pets too!” I wagged my tail at that and hoped we could go on another trip soon, even one right in our own backyard like Crabtree’s Kittle House!

Contact Maggie Mae Pup Reporter at
maggiemae10514@gmail.com

Maggie Mae lives in Chappaqua with her adoring owner Ronni Diamondstein, who, when she isn’t walking Maggie is a freelance writer, PR consultant, award-winning photographer and a School Library Media Specialist and teacher who has worked in the US and abroad.

By Maggie Mae…with Ronni Diamondstein

When I was a puppy my owner got lots advice on raising a dog. There were trainers, the pet store owner and the veterinarian, and she had books of advice all over the house. One of them was How to Talk to Your Dog, by Jean Craighead George. I liked the idea that my owner was going to talk to me and to understand what I was trying to say to her–even when I didn’t make a sound.

When I discovered that Mrs. George, who’s an award winning author of children’s books, lived in Chappaqua, not very far from my house, I knew I had to meet her. I wanted to know how a human could know so much about dogs. So, on my next walk into town I walked a little farther to her home.

I could tell this was the home of someone who loved animals and nature. It was nestled in woods, and I could hear birds chirping and a bullfrog croaking in the pond. I saw a chipmunk scurrying in her garden.

Mrs. George, who is 91 years old, has lived in Chappaqua for 51 years. She told me she’s working on a new book about an ice whale. She said she wasn’t going to go to Alaska again to observe the whales. Instead, she’s using research by her son, John Craighead George, who has studied the bowhead whale for more than 30 years. On Mrs. George’s working table were her notebooks and sketch books and a stack of letters from children. I was glad she read her fan mail. While we were talking, I heard a funny sound from her dining room. It was her pet African parrot Tocca. Mrs. George said his name means “Sunshine” in Swahili and that Tocca is good company for her.

I asked her how she knew so much about us dogs and how we think. She told me she had had five dogs and had studied wolves. Her dog Qimmiq was the most wonderful dog and the inspiration for How to Talk to Your Dog. “After I studied wolves I realized Qimmiq was talking to me the way the wolves do,” she said. “He howled ‘Ah oohh’ just like a wolf. My granddaughters would call in the morning and say, ‘I want to speak to Qimmiq.’ I’d hold up the phone and he’d howl. And then they would hang up. They didn’t want to talk to me.”

Dogs and parrots are not the only pets that Mrs. George and her three children, Twig, Craig and Luke have enjoyed. She once wrote a book called The Tarantula in My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets. It tells a dozen stories about their unusual pets from crows and raccoons to a screech owl. I was surprised when Mrs. George added, “Skunks make wonderful pets. They’re friendly like kittens and curl up in your lap.” My nose twitched and I wondered about that.

I liked the way Jean George talked to me and was very intrigued by the way she spoke about Qimmiq. I wished I could have met him. We could have been good friends. When I got home, I turned on the computer to write my story. But first I went to her website www. jeancraigheadgeorge.com. There I found a video of Jean George and Qimmiq talking to each other. I could hear the love in Jean’s voice and in Qimmiq’s howl.

Before I left, Jean George gave me some good advice: “Always obey,” which I didn’t much like, and “Let your owner know when you are annoyed!” That made my tail wag, and I hope my owner heard it too!

Contact Maggie Mae Pup Reporter. Maggie Mae lives in Chappaqua with her adoring owner Ronni Diamondstein, who, when she isn’t walking Maggie is a freelance writer, PR consultant, award-winning photographer and a School Library Media Specialist and teacher who has worked in the US and abroad.