Bird Dog, no doubt!

Background: Since it's been freezing and we did not want to have to go the the screen door to let Maya out and in every 45 min we propped our porch door open with a shovel. It's been great! Now we just have to open the back door and she goes out! Apparently last night a bird thought it was great too..... we're sure it was a break from the wind. The only problem? Dave didn't see it before he let Maya out this morning. At this point I was still in bed so Dave's report is as follows: 

The bird started flying frantically around the porch (couldn't find the door apparently) and Maya leapt up and caught it in her mouth! Dave told her to drop it and get in, and he said she immediately obeyed! What a good girl. I got a text saying Maya caught a bird... alive. Needless to say, I jumped out of bed and threw on a robe. As we peered through the glass on the back door with Maya begging to go back out, the bird was laying upside down right by the door! I could see it breathing but was worried that she had fatally wounded it somehow. After scolding her about Irish Setters needing to have soft mouths, we decided Dave would go out and move the bird with a shovel. So out he went, scooped up the bird, walked to the steps and BAM! The bird took off! He said it had been looking up at the ceiling and as soon as it saw sky it came to life. PHEW! I'm so glad it was able to do that. 

We were able to let Maya back outside and giggle as she tried to bound through snow, some drifts higher than her chest! She still stopped and smelled around the porch for the bird.... there's no doubt, she's a bird dog!