Maisie

She shouldn't be left completely alone for more than about 4 hours at a stretch, she starts to get anxious past that. Coming and going for shorter errands is totally fine.

She eats twice a day. Both meals go in clean bowls. The dog bowls are in the cupboard with our plates and bowls, and they sit inside the bigger bowls that came with her elevated food stand.

Morning

Half a container-lid full of kibble mixed with pumpkin. Do not microwave the morning meal.

Evening

Her dinners are pre-portioned for you (chicken, rice, and pumpkin). To serve:

1. Microwave the pre-portioned container for 30 seconds.
2. Add half a container-lid full of kibble on top after microwaving.

Water

Change her water bowl every morning when you give her breakfast. She'll likely need a refill at some point during the day too, use the fridge dispenser to fill it. She's very food-motivated, so she'll let you know she's interested.

She needs to go out every 4–5 hours. She usually poops 2–3 times a day, so that's normal and nothing to worry about.

Your yard works great for these few days, feel free to do yard sessions rather than walks. She can go on walks too, but as you know she can be reactive, so there's no pressure to walk her.

Collar and gear

We only put her collar on before going outside, and take it off once she's back inside, so she's collar-free when she's home. Her harness, leash, and collar all hang by the back door.

Muddy paws

After walks or yard time, give her paws a quick wipe with her dog wipes. She also gets half a cookie from the fridge (her dog treats) after walks.

• Morning Greenie. We split one in half and hide the two pieces for her to find after her morning walk. She loves the hunt.
• After-walk cookie. She gets half a cookie (her dog treats, kept in the fridge) after her walks.
• Back deck treats. Mary Kay and Trixie drop treats on our back deck most mornings. Maisie watches for them, so don't be surprised if she's staring out back.
• Trades. She likes to rip pieces off her toys and hold the piece in her mouth, waiting for you to offer a trade. Offer a treat and specifically say the word "trade" as you do. She'll usually give it up happily for the swap, though sometimes she needs a little help getting it out of her mouth. It's a bit of a game for her, so don't worry, it's normal.
• Tricks for treats. If you're giving a treat just because, have her earn it. She knows sit, shake, speak, sit pretty, and spin, and she's good at all of them.
• Nothing else, please. Stick to her own food and treats only, no table scraps, human food, or outside snacks. She's gotten sick before, so we're playing it safe and keeping her to what she knows.

Here's the full setup so she stays calm:

1. Close all upstairs doors except the bedroom.
2. Turn on the bedroom and living room TVs to Toy Story.
3. Turn off any lights you've turned on. No need to touch the living room lamp, it's on its own schedule.
4. Double-check all exterior doors are locked (remember, she can open them).

When you head out, please turn on the Ring cameras (bedroom and downstairs) so we can look in on her while you're gone. You can unplug them again once you're back.

She may protest bark for a bit when you leave. That's normal, and she'll usually settle down on her own. Try to keep alone stretches under 4 hours when you can.

Last potty trip before bed, then settle in. Since you'll be sleeping in the room with her, feel free to watch whatever you'd like.

Tooth brushing

Part of her bedtime routine. Her toothbrush has two sides, use the smaller one. To entice her, let her lick a little of the toothpaste first. Then put a pea-sized amount of her chicken-flavored toothpaste on the brush and do one half of her mouth (left or right), then re-load with another pea-sized amount for the other half. Each side gets its own pea-sized amount. If she isn't interested, it's not a big deal, and it's fine to shift it to the morning instead.

Where to sleep

Please make yourself at home in our bedroom. We're putting fresh sheets on the bed, and Maisie is used to sleeping in there with us, so she'll be most comfortable there. It also has the better TV and a phone charger on the nightstand. The guest bedroom is available too if you'd rather use it, whatever's most comfortable for you.

• Mail / packages. Grab anything that arrives and bring it inside.
• Thermostat / lights. Keep things comfortable and normal, adjust as needed.

• Music. Our Alexas are synced to our Apple Music, so feel free to play whatever you'd like on them.
• Lights. The living room and bedroom lamps are on Alexa too. Heads up: the living room lamp is on an automatic schedule, so it turns on around 6 am and off around midnight on its own. You can still override it anytime:
  • "Alexa, change the bedroom / living room lamp to [color]"
  • "Alexa, set the bedroom / living room lamp to [percentage]"
  • "Alexa, turn on / off the bedroom / living room lamp"
• TV. The TVs have Netflix, Apple TV, Prime, Peacock, Hulu, Disney+, and HBO. Watch whatever you like.