Annie

On August 8th, we put Annie to sleep. Instead of mulling over the things leading up to the decision; I wanted to post some happy memories.

Ryan and I wanted a dog once we got a house (heck, we probably got the house because I wanted a dog so bad, who am I kidding?). We had considered a rescue dog (multiple breeds) but after several home visits, we weren't in love with any dog we saw. After looking at the Humane Society website for probably weeks on end; we made the trip to the Humane Society. (It was right after Ryan arrived home on a flight from MN; returning from Paul and Nicole's wedding).

We had looked at puppies but in one of the pens was an adorable spotted dog who was calmly sitting next to the fence, giving me the look. We had the staff bring a few dogs into the room to meet them. Annie came in and crawled up into my lap hugging me. I knew she was the one. They had told us she was about 2 years old but after getting to know her, we guessed she was younger (and our vet did too).

She spent the first week or two being the calm dog we saw at the pound. Then she quickly warmed up to us and her true personality came out. She was a lover (loved to put her paws on your leg), a tail wagger (happy tail injuries occurred from wagging her tail too much and too hard), and her barking (always at something, not just for fun).

Annie was a smart, energetic dog. We took her to dog school to teach her some basic manners. We quickly learned that she liked doing tricks. Ryan had her doing left and right hand shakes, turning around, laying down, and our favorite, playing dead after you shoot a "finger" gun at her and say "bang!". We usually had to take a second shot to kill that darn tail of hers. She also liked the obstacles at the dog park.

Annie's best bud was Bear. They had play dates in the yard and at the dog park. Timber, Bear's sister, wanted to be her friend but she just wouldn't warm up to her. I think she felt threatened by Bear and Timber living together. Girls. LOL! Rio and Scooter were her other pals. Scooter became Bear's replacement after Bear moved away. They loved to run wild with each other.

There were many parties, camping trips, and road trips that she went on. I remember sneaking Annie and Scooter into a hotel on the way back from MN. They were jumping across the beds in the hotel room. We thought for sure we would get kicked out.

When the kids were born, she would sneak little kisses and tuck her feet under to make sure she didn't scratch them. She liked to wake both kids up by sticking her nose in the crib and giving them a lick or a cold sniff. She never bothered their stuff (well, maybe 1 or 2 toys had a few bite marks). She loved the kids blowing bubbles. She would chase them and eat them-the bubbles, not the kids! She liked to climb up on the kid's outdoor slide/house and play with them. She was always concerned when they swam and kept a close eye on them.

Some of her favorite toys were her kong ball, any squeaker toy she could rip stuffing out of 5 minutes after given to her, chasing the laser and "killing" it when it was time for a treat-she never got it if it was on a human, and taking tops off of water bottles. She also liked to play catch with the one that looked like a dumbell or the chicken.

Although she and Jazzy didn't snuggle together, they had their own way of keeping an eye on each other and playing. Both would look for the other if one wasn't home.

She loved to snuggle in the bed with us and was a squirmy wormy, wiggling her way right up next to you. She liked elbow rubs to calm her down. At Christmas time, I will be able to decorate the bottom branches of the tree. I used to have to keep them "tail" free. I am sure I am missing many other memories or quirks that will come to mind after I publish this.Annie was a good dog. Annoying habits and all. Rest in peace Annie. We will miss you.