dogs

Annie

/ Katie / 42 Comments

We had to say goodbye to Annie on Monday.

It’s been a hard week. Monday was a hard day. I don’t know when we’ll feel better. I do know that from the day we brought her home way back in 2010, Annie gave us all her love, and she brought us so much joy.

I do know that she made our lives better every day that she was here. I hope we gave her a happy life, too.

And I know that we’ll love and miss her always.

My sweet little weirdo. She was tired and slow, at the end, but she never lost her spark. She was a good dog.

Annie got a haircut!

/ Katie / 4 Comments

And I think it tired her out.

We’ve actually not gotten her groomed in a very long time (probably too long, honestly), because there’s been a dog flu going around in our area. We know someone who lost a beloved pet to it, and it was scary and sad. Annie’s older and not in the best health – nothing awful, just aging and such – and so I worried about her being in a place with lots of other dogs. And unfortunately, she doesn’t really enjoy it when we try to bathe and brush her. Luckily, we found a mobile groomer!

And also luckily, cases of this particular illness have been going down pretty precipitously.

At any rate, she’s looking much better, and I’m sure feeling better, too. The groomer said she didn’t really want to stand up much, which isn’t surprising. She’s just a little old and creaky these days. But it’s funny, looking at her little graying muzzle. No matter how old she gets, I will always see her as the spunky puppy we brought home all those years ago.  

Annie Love

/ Katie / 14 Comments

She needs some attention, too.

With a new kitten in the house, and with how much I’ve been talking about Merlin here on the blog, I know Annie’s feeling a little left out. Don’t worry – she’s getting plenty of treats and cuddles. But I know it’s an adjustment for her. And she’s handled Merlin so well. They’re not friends yet, but they keep getting closer and closer to each other, and Merlin occasionally makes a move to play with her. Maybe one day, she’ll actually respond!

Annie’s going to be thirteen this spring, and we’ve had her since she was a tiny puppy.

She’s so sweet, and much slower than she used to be, but she’ll always be our puppy girl. Dogs love us in a totally different way from cats, and Annie is the first dog I’ve ever had. I’m so glad I get to be her person, though she’d tell you, if she could talk, that Graham is actually her person and I’m the other one. Doesn’t matter.

She’s a good dog. And if I’m even a small part of making her happy, then I’m happy.

Annie is a beach dog???

/ Katie / 10 Comments

Y’all, I just had to share one more picture from our beach getaway.

Now that we’ve been home for a week, Annie is up to her usual antics – barking, guarding the back window against deer and groundhogs, generally being sort of loud and energetic.

She was a different dog at the beach. As you can see.

Calm, sleepy, relaxed, easy-going. I’m beginning to think our country puppy who loves the snow and cold is actually A BEACH DOG! Who knew?

Life is full of surprises, isn’t it?