Happy Anniversary, Annie!! It's been a month!

Today is January 25th. I can't believe that it was a month ago that little Annie arrived. This time has flown by. So much has happened but I have to say, the best part has been getting to know this little dog that I call Annie. I am laughing she and her 15 year old sister are playing together, that would not have happened a month ago. Annie has come a long way in the short time that she has joined us.

Last Monday, Sharon the local Dog Whisperer from Bark Busters arrived for a training session. She did a great job educating Annie and I on new training and reinforcing old training. I feel bad because half the time, I AM THE ISSUE, not little Annie. Sharon is very patient with me and good at showing me how do to thing, I think I am a visual learner. Annie just takes it in stride I am glad to report!

This morning, I had a big scare. Bad weather - pouring down rain, howling wind and I let the dogs out this morning for their first potty break of the day. Not thinking, I went back to making coffee, doing morning things. I see Annie's doggy siblings, Tiger and Ginger at the door waiting to be let in. Annie is normally an explorer so I wasn't surprised not to see her there. I opened the door and a gust of wind came in, something clicked in my 47 year old brain that screamed, "MAY DAY!!! MAY DAY!!!" and the thought of the fence gates blowing open dominated my mind. I immediately ran out on the deck and saw that the main gates had in fact, BLOWN OPEN. They were so wide open, I couldn't believe it! Suddenly, I found myself on full panic auto-pilot running down the steps calling Annie's name, doing the "come" command that Sharon had worked so hard to teach me and that Annie normally responds so well to. Did I mention that all I was wearing was a towel? Yeah, just got out of the shower before I let them out. So, I stop at the bottom step and listen, I hear the "jingle jingle" of Annie's dog tags but I don't see her. It sounded like she was on the wrong side of the fence. So, I RUN FULL TILT out through the gates and into the front yard, I run over to the side of the fence that I thought I heard her tags and no Annie. All I kept thinking was the horror of the reality that I might never see this little dog that I have so diligently tried to give a much deserved good life to. I kept calling her and I hear, "Jingle Jingle", "Jingle Jingle". I actually said a desperate prayer. I look down and there is a little white blur.. Annie! I have no idea where she had been but I scooped her up telling her she was a GOOD GIRL! That little dog probably thought I was crazy, I was just happy to have her back. Lesson learned. The gates have been wind proofed. The wind had blow so hard, it pulled the latch right off the main gate. We had some strong winds! I think this is an appropriate time to say.. "all is well that ends well."

So, I wanted to document my first experience being part of a dog rescue transport. The Shih Tzu and Furbaby rescue founded by the Angel of a lady named Meredith that I mentioned on Annie's first day, transports dogs up the east coast. For some reason, there are a lot of rescue dogs that come from the south. Different attitudes toward our little canine buddies in the south? I don't know but it is a fact that more dogs are rescued from the south than anywhere else in the country. When I adopted Annie, I told my adoption coordinator Sandra that I was interested in running the transports as a way to do good for the dogs that are desperately in need as well as give back to the shelter that brought Annie to me over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Good people.

Well, on this trip, I met plenty more good people involved with this rescue. Sandra and I made up the Maryland to Delaware part of the transport. There are many segments that comprise the entire route from Florida to Northeast where they are either going to be fostered or adopted. We picked up 15 dogs from the member that keeps them overnight in Gambrills, MD. It was very sad to me to see these little pooches in their kennels, looking so scared. Some were shaking, some where trying to hide and some were actually curious. My heart went out to all of them but one in particular I will never forget. Her name was "Princess". She had been severely abused and was very uncomfortable. I petted her nose as I loaded her into the back of Sandra's Honda minivan. What was nice to hear was when Sandra called Meredith to ask some questions, Meredith made sure that we passed on Princesses story to make sure everyone was aware the sad abusive and neglected life she had been rescued from and to give her special attention. I found myself saying a little prayer for all of them but especially Princess. I hope and pray that little rusty colored Corgi-mix finds a happy, loving and peaceful home.

The other thing that I need to comment on is the fact that EVERYONE I met, was just like me. DOG PEOPLE. Very nice people to get to know. We all have our stories as to why we want to help our furry friends but the important thing is that we are. I have talked about doing something like this for literally years. I am glad that I have finally personally rescued a dog, Annie and also that Annie's story has finally motivated me to do something other than give money to the ASPCA and other dog charities. Talk about a fulfilling feeling. We passed the pups on to a couple from Pennsylvania that we met at the Christianna Mall in Delaware. They continued on their journey. Each one had their own destinations. I hope that the little dogs that I saw together, that appeared to be together all their lives, stay and are adopted together. I can't imagine how much it must hurt them to be pulled apart from their friends. I guess I should just be grateful they find healthy and loving forever homes.

On the journey, Sandra informed me of different issues regarding regulating Puppy Mills. I can tell you, I have a totally different perspective on the Amish. There will be a Puppy Mill awareness day in NC in May and another one in Lancaster, PA in September. Me and my little dog Annie, will be at both. I don't know if she was a puppy mill dog but regardless, they need to be rescued just like she was, so we'll be there in support for all those Puppy Mill dogs that don't have a voice.

I have to comment on something else. In this blog, I have provided links to Igive.com where you can donate just by clicking an icon on a screen, it's free and they give money or they donate money based on the websites you "browse". So far, I have raised $12.78 for Shih Tzu and Furbaby rescue. That is the rescue I have decided to support, there are many others out there. Another good one to support would be the Washington Animal Rescue League, those folks have their hands full. Please find a way to help or give, there are so many dogs out there that need our help. Remember I spoke about the PTS date? Put to Sleep date? Annie had one, I am glad she never saw it come or I never would have the pleasure to have her join my family. She's the best, I can't imagine life without her now.

Here's to you, Annie. Cheers! 5 weeks ago, you were in your rescue kennel waiting for a forever home, now you're free and in your forever home! Congratulations, little dog!

Week Three - Annie's got a routine!

I can't believe it's been three weeks. Annie is doing fine and has turned into a very loving little Jack Russell. Let me correct that, Annie is a Parson's Russell Terrier. Her almost 15 year old sister Ginger is a Jack Russell Terrier. I truly didn't know the difference until just recently. Apparently, Parson Jack Russell developed two strains or at least someone did. They are almost identical but where Ginger is smooth coated and small, Annie is rough coated and a tiny big bigger. Their markings are very similar except for the texture of their hair.

I have to say, Annie is true to her Parson's Russell nature and is a digger. I have great concern about letting her in the back yard unattended. She loves to dig under around and under the fence when she has scented her "prey". I have to thank Sharon at Bark Busters again for teaching me how to regain Annie's attention and distract her from the digging. It's amazing how the training works. Annie now comes when called in the yard. Something she didn't do a week ago. She would just continue sniffing and digging, darting around and following the scent she was tracking. Now, when called.. she darts right over ..enthusiastically I might add.

Annie no longer chases the cat, Caesar. She leaves him alone and doesn't growl. I still have to check her when the Animal Planet Channel is on but every time she gets a little more tolerant. She just growls now instead of launching herself trying to attack the TV. She loves going for her walks. I tried to integrate Annie and Tiger walking together but that is a bit too much to manage. Besides, I don't like leaving Ginger sitting at the door watching us leave. I just looked around, I have all of them asleep and peaceful except for Annie just waking up snapping and snarling with a nightmare. I don't know what I can do about that, I don't think there is anything other than comfort her and hope the nightmares go away. It's odd how the other dogs act when it happens, they used to get upset but now it seems like they know she can't help it.

She is settling into a routine which I think has given her some security. Every night when I come home from work, she is excited to see me and wags her tail barking as if saying, "where have you been? It's about time you got home!". I lift her up and she licks my face and then we go right out back so she can do her business.

I have tried to imagine her life until now. Spending a year in a kennel can't have been easy. I think that is why she barks at the Animal Planet and images of dogs on TV bother her. I imagine all she heard were things like dogs barking all the time but with no socialization since she was caged all the time. I think she had a kennel run from what they told me but no human interaction other than little snippets from care givers feeding her, must have been a very lonely existence.

She's happy now, that's for sure. Every time she eats, I watch her. It's a pleasure because she no longer wolfs food down. She knows that she is going to be fed and there will be plenty to go around.

Sharon, our local dog whisperer is coming on Monday and I need to remember to tell her about Annie's gains but also areas I need help in. She needs help in socialization, it can be embarrassing taking her out in public because she wants to attack any dog bigger than she is. Also, she needs to relearn "sit". I know it's got to be something I'm doing wrong but she only seems to "sit" when she feels like it. She's great at the stay and come commands. Heel is okay as long as it's just she and I. If Tiger is along, heel doesn't seem to work.

She is a good dog, definitely worth the effort!

Two Week Anniversary / Congratulations Annie!

Wow, two weeks! And we all survived. I want to mention a special shout out to Sharon at Bark Busters in gratitude. Great job and this training works! I have to give credit to Annie too, she is a quick study and Sharon explained that when I do this right, Annie will be ready and willing to please. Smart dog!

As mentioned, we survived the past two weeks but without this training we wouldn't have survived this happily. Right now, I'm looking at a happy cat (no longer a target for Annie's terror campaign) and three dogs peacefully sunning themselves ..sound asleep. This is great.

Yesterday, here in the DC/Baltimore metro area, we had a good snow. About three inches. I let Annie out in the back yard to do her morning business and she took off running around acting like a little nut. Funny! It dawned on me that this was her first snow. Annie was dropped off at a shelter in San Angelo, Tx. and then kenneled for the past year by Shih Tzu and Furbaby Rescue in Florida somewhere. She's never seen snow. When she arrived on Christmas Day, we still had snow on the ground from the 2009 Blizzard but it was hard packed and went away quickly after we got all the rain.

It also dawned on me, a little over two weeks ago.. this same dog was sitting in a kennel that she has sat in for almost a year.....waiting to be rescued. I can't imagine what her life was like then. Just waiting... for almost a year. I know she received excellent care at the rescue kennel and I've been told that she was walked three times a day but this little dog and all dogs for that matter, deserve to be loved. She is a joy and all she wants is to be loved.

I hope she doesn't remember those bad times that have given her nightmares and created a fear in her so badly that she felt the need to attack other dogs. This little dog, that jumped up on my bed this morning to do nothing but cuddle, wagging her tail the entire time.

This same dog, that when we do the Bark Buster training goes absolutely crazy with happiness when I give her the "free" command. She cracks me up, getting all excited and running all through the house at top speed. She is free now, she is happy now and it's been a pleasure to be able to give her the good life that she deserves.

Folks, please support a local rescue. If you can't afford to give financially, give your time. There are dogs like Annie waiting for their forever home, just looking for someone to love them. Be that person, go spend some time in a shelter or a rescue. I have always been a big fan of dogs and pets in general but only until now did I realize the lives that these rescue dogs live (if they aren't euthanized first.. remember about the PTS date?).

Also, be their voice.. they don't have them to tell us what is wrong or what someone has done to them regarding neglect and abuse. If you know of an abusive or neglectful situation.. contact a rescue or your local shelter. If you don't know who or where they are..do a search in Bing or Google.. plenty of information out there.

Did you know that you can donate to rescues for FREE? Yes, for free. All you do is visit the site and click a button. The site, based on your click, will donate a bowl of food to a shelter or rescue. Here's the website http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/. Check it out, not many things in life has no strings attached, but this is truly a free way to donate and improve the lives of strays and rescues by clicking a button on your computer, you don't even have to get out of your chair.

There is another site that if you buy online a certain percentage of your purchases can be donated to the charity of your choice. Again, no strings attached. This is free money that retailers will donate a certain percentage of your purchase to your charity. It doesn't cost you a thing. Did you know that? I sure didn't but I will do it now. Check it out, it's at http://www.igive.com/. There are big name retailers involved in this, why not donate for free when you were going to spend the money anyway?

Thanks for following my story on Annie. I also want to close this by giving out a special shout out to my parents. They are the best and have always been there for me as I step through this journey we call "life!" Truly, you are both the best and just like Annie must feel like she hit the lottery getting me as an adopter, I got lucky being born into our family. Thank you! I love you both.

Annie Meets the local Dog Whisperer

What an interesting day this has turned out to be. On New Years Eve, I really did not have a good time. Not that I didn't enjoy the get together at my sisters but I have been very concerned about the impact of little Annie's presence on my happy doggy family. Not by any fault of Annie's. Her bigger Beagle sister, Tiger has always been the chief dog in charge in this house. I have always protected Tiger's strong spirit and I never wanted to see her spirit "broken". Then throw into the mix my boy Caesar, my black domestic rescue kitten (now cat) and my oldest and the original Jack Russell, Ginger. Ginger is now 15 and was diagnosed with Leukemia. She's been battling it for over a year. Recently, someone called her a soldier meaning that she continues to tough it out. The vet told me that she couldn't understand how she was still kicking strong with a lymphocyte count over 280,000. I have no idea what that means but she's still running strong.

Back to my concerns on New Years. So here I have this old dog that doesn't need this crazy stress, another relatively old strong willed dog and a confused cat.. he can't figure out why the new dog (Annie) doesn't treat him like his older sisters. Tiger and Annie had once again battled that after noon and I kept thinking.. "what have I done?" No one was happy. I noticed when I took them for a walk, they didn't want to come back in the house. Well, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

So, I'm sitting at my sisters house watching a Fringe marathon and it dawns on me... I'm not giving up, I have never given up on my pets and I reminded myself that I made her (Annie) the same promise I made the others, "til death do us part". And I plan to keep that promise. It also dawned on me, when in need, seek help.

Flash forward, it's now 2am and I'm sitting at the laptop surrounded by three sleeping dogs. I did a websearch and found "Bark Busters" at http://www.barkbusters.com/page.cfm. It was the fourth dog trainer website that I had reviewed. I liked what the website had to say. Positive training, no discipline. I read more and decided to give it a try. I realized I needed help and as soon as I sent off the request, I felt better. I could not let this little dog down after she had been let down so many times before.

So, today I raced home from work to be here by 5pm when our Maryland version of the Dog Whisperer was scheduled to arrive. She was right on time. The dogs went nuts realizing we were getting company. All three were huddled at the door, barking their heads off. I let them bark because I wanted Sharon (the Bark Buster Dog Whisperer) to see reality with them. I have to say, this lady knows her stuff. She was great, very thorough and her expertise was evident from the minute she walked in the door.

I am still amazed. Sharon was here for 3 hours and by the time she left, I have dogs that sit and stay, stop barking on command, have learned to share a meal time without fighting and come when called even when they're distracted. I have learned about good dog food vs. mainstream. People, please buy your dogs HUMAN GRADE Dog Food. It's important. Did you realize some big companys "recycle" dog carcases from shelters into dog food? Huh? please.. research it if you don't believe it.

Back to Sharon the Dog Whisperer. I'm not going into cost but I have to say this was no where near as expensive as I thought it would be. And for what my doggy family is getting, I couldn't ask for a better arrangement. Home training and EVERY issue I have brought up, Sharon's had the answer to. Of course, I have to practice but people.. it's works. I have no doubt that I did make the right decision getting Annie and once again, this can be a happy house or as I fondly refer to it after 17 years.. the "dogpatch".

Now, I have to say.. I personally thought I had dogs figured out a long time ago. I have had dogs since I was 8 years old, that is almost 40 years ago. Guess what, tonight I began my journey on truly learning how to speak "dog". The important thing is to understand dog behavior. Did you know that dogs really do try to communicate with us? And, in a nutshell, it's all about who the pack leader is. Sharon very nicely explained to me that I have forfeited my Alpha status to my wonderful little beagle Tiger. Ginger's been fine with that and Caesar the cat could care less but my new little addition, Annie.. cares....she wants to be the Alpha.

To make all this work, I have to re-establish myself as the alpha (pack leader) and get their confidence in my leadership of our pack up to par. Once that is accomplished and after more training regarding specific behaviors (sit, stay, etc.) occurs, this little dog pack will be more peaceful than it ever has been. Sharon left over two hours ago, I have used the skills she taught me and warded off a potential fight, addressed some dominance behavior from Annie to Ginger, addressed Annie chasing the cat, Annie attacking the TV when she heard a barking dog and guess what? All is well. None of us our stressed out. Let the good times roll!

Thanks Sharon from all of us.

So why "Annie" ??

OK, so why did I need to change this little dog's name. There were many reasons why, I wanted to give her a fresh start in life especially after I began to understand all the hardships she has suffered under the name of "Maxie".

So, she has her fresh start as "Annie". Annie's name came to be as a tribute to a wonderful woman, my German Godmother, Annie. I always thought of her as a german Sophia Loren and maybe even one of the Gabor sisters, definitely Eva.. not Zsa Zsa. My Godmother Annie did survive great hardships in WWII but she never spoke about them. She had a heart of gold and our family loved her to death, she loved us too. She was always there for my parents and always seemed to have that touch to make sure we were taken care of and loved. Some of my best and warmest memories in life have Annie in them.

So what's the connection with the new pups name and the tribute? Well, Annie always had little dogs. She treated those dogs with incredible love and always made sure they were treated very well. Annie is the one that showed me that dogs truly are a man or womans best friend. She taught me the special bond that humans can have with their pets. I remember Annie making those dogs special meals, taking them everywhere with her. She even made a special car seat for her dogs to sit in the passenger seat of the car with a seatbelt. This was back in the seventies, she was way ahead of her time. One of my favorite stories is when Annie went home to Germany to see her relatives. She put her dog, a little Chihuahua named Mousie in her carry on bag. The dog slept the entire trip to Germany. You couldn't do that now but I think that was back in the late 60's early 70's before we needed the Xray scanners and the sophisticated security that we need today. Much simpler times then. We lost our Godmother back in 1995 and even now, we still miss her. She was a special lady.

A'right so in honor of Annie showing me the way to appreciate and value little animal friends, I decided to name the new pup, "Annie". So here's to you Annie, we all miss you and will always love you! Thanks for making making sure our childhoods were special. :) .

So my girls name, is Annie. I tested out "Maxie" by calling her by it a couple of times. She had no clue about her name. So, Annie it is and it signifies the birth of her new life in her real forever home. Here in Maryland. She's had a long journey from San Angelo, Texas but I think she would agree, she was meant to be here.