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dogs

Annie the adventurer…who knew?

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Every time Annie does something remotely “dog like”, I take note.

Behaviors that might seem completely normal and maybe even annoying in other dogs, are behaviors that she is learning.  She wouldn’t take a treat from my hand.  She wouldn’t come into the same room with me.  She wouldn’t go through new doorways.  She wouldn’t go upstairs.  She wouldn’t voluntarily leave her crate. She wouldn’t leave our yard to go to the car or for a walk. Slowly, as she got more comfortable with us and her new home, she started doing these things.  One day at time.  Sometimes she would regress, and we would start over, trying to make her comfortable.

She still won’t roll over for a belly rub. She still barks out of fear when someone other than my husband or I walks through the door, even if it’s someone she knows well.  She still hides behind me when we are out for a walk and someone is walking towards us.

Imagine my surprise Sunday morning, when I heard a commotion at the front door.  Maisie and Winn were crowded together with their tails were wagging and I could tell they either saw someone on the sidewalk or even on the porch that they knew.  Annie was in the middle of the living room barking her alarm bark.

I went to the door and my next door neighbor was there.  He didn’t ring the bell but when I opened the door, he said one of them was wandering outside in front of his house and he had just brought her back. Winn had recently brought in the paper and maybe I didn’t latch the door all of the way.  I was a little surprised, but thanked him for returning the rascal.  I figured it was Maisie.  As he turned to go down the stairs, he said “it was the dark one”.  The dark one!  I said, “Annie?”. “Yep”.

I couldn’t believe it!  I was cleaning the bathroom when I heard her barking, and that’s when I went around the corner and saw the other two with their wagging tails at the door.  Apparently he had returned Annie, she ran inside and then started barking which led the other two to check out whatever was happening.  I can not believe she actually left the house and went for a stroll.  That is something completely new!

I certainly don’t take it lightly that she got out, but there is a part of me that can’t help but smile because it’s one more little sign that lets me know that she is confident enough in her surroundings that she thought she would go say hello to the neighbor.

Annie, Annie's second chance

Back to the vet we go…

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Last week we celebrated Annie’s 11th birthday, which is a big marker but was a bit tempered because right after dinner she started coughing.

I’ve written about her “old man noises” before.  She starts out with 2 or 3 gasps and then expels this horrific, loud noise. I was pretty sure it was her way of coughing because I’ve never heard her cough in a different way.  She has done this sporadically since we’ve had her, maybe once every 3 or 4 months but on her birthday she started and couldn’t seem to stop. After 5 or 6 episodes, she was tired and my nerves were rattled.

I couldn’t help but think that she had made it to her birthday and now she was taking a turn for the worse.  My heart was aching during her celebration but I know this day will be coming at some point, I’m just not ready yet.

She had a few more episodes and on Friday I took her to the vet.  After a thorough examination we sat there talking about what it could be and we both had the sense that it might be some sort of lung disease. Her lungs and heart sounded good when her doctor listened to her chest but we agreed that an x-ray was needed to try to find the answer. It couldn’t be done that day, her doctor wanted to have more people available to help her since Annie is so big so it had to wait until Monday.

Over the weekend, Annie did seem to be coughing less frequently and by Monday it had subsided but I was still bracing myself for bad news.  Poor Annie was trembling as soon as we sat down and when the tech came to take her back she did not want to leave me.  I walked her back as far as I could go and that seemed to help.

As I sat there waiting, I had rushes of so many different memories.  The first time we took her here was very traumatic.  She has changed so much and seems so happy with her life.  Whenever I get up from the couch or a chair, she is at my feet and I have to stretch over her.  We love our walks and she trots out to the car when I say “car ride”.  She loves food but she has curtailed her scavenger ways and hasn’t found anything to get into in quite a while, thank goodness.  She is still very nervous around strangers, especially men, and isn’t yet comfortable with my son but hopefully by the end of the summer they will reach an understanding.  It has been such a joy to have her with us and I am so honored that she has chosen to trust me to take care of her and keep her safe.

After what seemed like hours but was really only about 30 minutes I was able to join Annie in one of the exam rooms.  Her x-ray was done, we needed to wait while her doctor looked at all of the pictures.  Her doctor came through the door with a big smile which instantly put me at ease.  Everything looked great! No masses, no white spots and no foreign objects.  There was one tiny spot in her stomach and she went over it with an ultrasound and concluded it was a particle of a stick, stone or leaf that hadn’t digested, all probable since Annie frequently chews sticks when she is lounging in the grass. She looked at her lungs, heart, liver, spleen and trachea and all looked to be just fine.  The only concern was evidence of arthritis in her spine, something we both assumed but now was confirmed.  Her conclusion was “old man lung” which isn’t something that is treated. When lungs get old they get a little more sensitive. Heat and allergies could have triggered her coughing and it has been hot and she takes medication for allergies.

Since we’ve been home, she hasn’t coughed again.  Her energy level, appetite and breathing have all been normal.  She’s sleeping by my feet, moaning every now and then as she stretches and seems to be completely content.  Once again, she rang my alarm bell and ended up being just fine. She’s an aging dog, and with that comes a variety of health concerns but for now I am relieved.IMG_1508

 

Annie, Annie's second chance, dogs, Our 3 Newfies

Annie turns 11!

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Wow! Another year has gone by and we are celebrating Annie’s birthday. This birthday is a big deal, she’s 11 and is still in really good health.  Last year before her party, we had just come from the vet.  She had her stitches removed from the removal of a cancerous lump as well as an EKG to evaluate an irregular heartbeat that appeared while she was in surgery.  Not only did she have a clear pathology report, her heart rate was normal which was a huge relief.

Since then, she has had a couple of ear infections but nothing else major and she continues to let her personality shine.  She has also responded so well to Winn.  She’s actually more lively and playful with Winn around, and she seems so happy.

We invited one of the neighbor dogs to join us, I baked pup cakes using the same recipe I used last year for her cake, got pictures of everyone in party hats and had a very fun party with lots of laughs.

It’s no surprise, Winn was not a fan of the party wear.

She was excited about the pup cakes, but then saw Maisie’s hat, snatched it off her head and played keep away.

Annie LOVED her treats and kept coming back for more.  She even started pawing at the plate in an effort to bring them closer so she could grab them!

Our guest wasn’t sure what to think about it all, but she seemed to have a good time and got a pup cake to take home and enjoy without being stared at by other dogs.IMG_1927

Annie's second chance

Our heart grows with each dog

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I’m feeling sad today, I just heard that one of the dogs from Annie’s rescue group has passed away. Like Annie, she was a senior girl who survived many years of breeding abuse and neglect.

I think it’s hitting me especially hard because I am out of town right now, and will be for another week.  I’ve always known my time with Annie is limited because of her age and this is a reminder that we need to make each day count.

Amber was with her owner for 2 years and had a lovely life with him.  He loved her and spoiled her and she learned what a dog’s life should be. Her final meal was a stack of bacon cheeseburgers that she thoroughly enjoyed. Last year she was joined by another, younger Newfie girl from rescue that turned out to be her niece. She was from the same kennel but I think had been one of the many puppies that had been purchased and then later surrendered to rescue.  Several other dogs from this kennel have ended up in rescue, another common trend of disreputable breeding practices.

In his tribute to his special brown girl, her owner posted this poem by Erica Jong.  It beautifully sums up the feelings of many of us dog owners.

Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love,

they depart to teach us about loss.

A new dog never replaces an old dog,

it merely expands the heart.

If you have loved many dogs your heart is very big.

 

Rest in peace sweet Amber.

Amber (Autumn) was one of the dogs featured at the end of this blog post: Adopt or shop, just do it responsibly

 

Annie's second chance

Happy Gotcha Day Sweet Annie!

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One year ago, you came into our lives and so much has changed since that cold, January day.

It was not easy for you, during the previous year you had moved 4 times.  You were rescued from the only home you knew.  It was a terrible place that failed you in so many ways, but the future was scary and unknown.  You were taken to a temporary foster kennel until your foster placement was found.  You were with your foster family for several months before you were adopted but your needs were more than that family could handle so you were returned to your foster pack. On January 31st, we found each other and started down a new path together.

It took a while for you to trust us.  I don’t blame you, you were 9 1/2 and it was really hard for you to shed your fears and memories.  I wasn’t sure that you would ever bond with us, but I was OK with that, I just wanted to show you that you were worthy of the love that every dog should know.

Slowly, very slowly you have let me in.  You search me out and join me in different rooms in our home.  You trust that you are safe with me when we leave the house.  You show your personality which is very silly and you are so affectionate. You love food and treats so much, you seem to never get enough. You talk to me, almost every day.

You have changed our lives, filled our hearts and honored us by choosing us to be your family.

Annie, I promise you this, just as I did with Thomas and Abigail while they were growing up, I say this to you:

When you are nervous, I gotcha.

When you want to change directions because someone is walking towards us, I gotcha.

When you have a belly ache because you ate a whole loaf of bread you found on the counter, I gotcha.

When you howl at me to wish me good morning or are telling me that yes, you want to go for a walk, I gotcha.

When you are feeling unsure at your Dr.’s office, I gotcha.

When you are so hungry for dinner, you start dancing around, I gotcha.

For all those moments we share, fun, scary or otherwise, I gotcha.

Until we say goodbye, I gotcha Annie, I gotcha.img_4487