Maya

Me and Maya

Maya is an Australian Cattle Dog. She's the ranch dog and I've crowned her as my sweetheart. Every morning, she'll trot up to me, wagging her entire body and rolling over for a belly rub. It's the happiest way to start the day. We've really bonded through my runs and walks, where she accompanies me–always stopping and waiting if I'm out of sight. She also likes to follow me to the chicken house to sniff at the food scraps that I scatter for the hens. My boyfriend has this silly voice that he uses on her. He goes: "Nej! Nej! Nej! Happy poppy-pops! I can't believe it! Nej! Nej! Nej!" (Nej means "no" in Danish and is pronounced /nigh/) She goes absolutely bananas over this, dancing and smiling. It's the most hilarious thing.