Annie, my new BFF who arrived April 18, is doing great. We’re not getting in all the walks I’d imagined — to no one’s surprise — but she seems pretty laid back anyway. She seems to prefer being inside with me more than outside by herself, and she’s quite the supervisor, following me from room to room. If I settle for a while, so does she, someplace where she can keep a close eye on me.
I’ve a limited number of pictures of her to include because she ate my first camera. Only the case, actually. But in doing so she apparently inflicted a fatal bite on some critical part of the camera inside. It looked like it should still work, but didn’t. So I ordered a new one, and the advance of technology being what it is, the new one is decidedly better than the old one.
She’s also destroyed virtually every cat toy that was in the house — before turning to all her dog toys. She also chewed the top off one of the sprinkler heads in the backyard. It might be easier to stop watering than to fix it and risk having her destroy it again because my scent will be all over it, and the ground will be freshly dug, etc.
My vet thinks she’s more nearly a year old than the seven months the rescue group estimated. That’s good. She’s a good size now, about 45 pounds. Wouldn’t want her anywhere near as big as some of those Goldens they had. I don’t know when Goldens got to be 90-pound dogs, but these were.
I’d swear her coat is getting longer and thicker in places, as though she’d originally been clipped down really short when she was first picked up, as a quick easy way to clean up a badly matted, dirty coat. What she has now is rather thick and wooly, not at all the sleek short coat of a lab or the longer waves of a Golden.
If you missed the earlier post about her, I’d talked about naming her Jessie and soon changed that to Annie. I guess I got stuck on the idea of Lil Orphan Annie and Annie Oakley. Plus I couldn’t think of any Annies I didn’t like, and several I do (I hope they don’t mind). So she’s my BFF Annie, just good ol’ honest, straight-shootin’, plain-speakin’ Annie girl. No frills, no froufrou, just all dog, all heart.
Healthwise she checked out great at the vet’s, so it looks like Annie and I are going to be buds for many years.
Start-up costs have been considerable. It’s amazing all the things you need for a dog — all the things I used to have three of four of before the great house clearing of 1999 (whole ‘nother story). Food and water dishes, food storage, leashes, collars, tags, brushes, nail clippers, kennel, toddler gate. And the vet visit, with several tests, exam, heartworm med, etc.
She seems to have settled in quite contentedly and I’m happy having a real buddy (the kind of buddy a cat just can’t be).
ANNIE is sooooo beautiful! I’m so happy for you PT, that she is there and you are both getting along so well. It’s pretty rare that she’s calm for a 1 year old- that’s a good sign 😉 She is adorable and I love her name! Ugh, I wanna steal her from you- truth be told but the two drama queens I already have would probably be a bad influence on her- LOL! I’m really thrilled for you and your new BFF- it is totally differt than being “besties” with a cat (no offense cat lovers) – I love cats too, but my pups are like my kids.
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I adore my cat, but Annie doesn’t sleep all day, so it’s a lot more like having someone else around. That’s makes everything seem more “normal.” She’s not much of a watchdog, though (Goldens and labs never are). She just barely pricked up one ear when she saw the yard guy mowing out back — clearly he wasn’t worth getting off the couch for!
She looks great and seems healthy.
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Thanks; I think she’s a really handsome dog, but I’m biased. I may have to reduce her rations slightly, though. She’s a bit “too healthy” around her midsection.
Aw… you named her after me! LOL. She’s a beauty. They are really a sweet breed and they do bond naturally to their owners, so she will be your bff, no doubt. As to the chewing issues – you might want to consider getting a bag of rawhide ‘bones’ they satisfy that urge to chew and often save your possessions from becoming lunch.
She’s a beauty. And I’m with you, a dog is so much more of a bff/companion than a cat (although there are always exceptions to the rule). Glad you found each other.
Annie
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I read somewhere that the “compressed” (layered like plywood) rawhide bones last the longest, and that seems to be true. It takes a couple of days for her to finish off a large one. And she loves working treats out of her different Kong toys. Still, last night she wiped out another cat favorite (I’m just hoping she didn’t swallow the golf-ball-sized ball, which I can’t find). I also hope she outgrows all this before I go broke buying chew toys for her!