Annie's Antics

(Annie is our 6-7 year old Chihuahua-type rescue dog.)

A couple Sundays ago I remained at church for a meeting while Jenni went home for the afternoon.  Just as my meeting was about to begin I got a frantic call that Annie was missing.  (She has been known to slip out of the yard and then check herself back in—the game camera has caught her doing that before.)  Jenni had gone through the house calling her name.  I told her to go to the bedroom closet and, sure enough, Annie was sleeping on the rug there.  I know this dog’s behavior.  I also know she can fake deafness when it is to her benefit.

Yesterday, I went upstairs to help Jenni with a little project.  I was gone 5 minutes.  When I came down Annie was gone.  This is a dog that has created a permanent indention on the back of the sofa; yet she was nowhere to be seen.

If this was the first time it happened I might have been concerned.  Instead, I went straight to the bedroom walk-in closet (where we shelter during tornado warnings) and found her cowering on the floor.  She looked pathetic.  It seems that the “roar” of the sewing machine upstairs was enough to frighten her into seeking shelter.

Being a rescue dog, we can never be certain what all she had to endure in her life before us, so we try to extend her as much grace as possible.

If you want to really stress her out, let me and Jenni be in separate rooms.  She doesn’t know where to get in order to keep tabs on both of us.  Or if we start doing things in Wanda the van, she is certain a trip is about to take place.  Recently we were just organizing the storage areas for an upcoming trip.  Annie came aboard, hopped in the shot-gun seat, and looked back at us as if to say “Let’s get a move on!”

I took her to the veterinarian for her annual checkup this summer.  I explained that she was having some difficulty with her knees and hips.  The doctor examined her and said, for starters, she would like to see Annie drop a few pounds.  I asked about an ideal weight and she replied “I’d like to see a waistline” to which I replied ‘wouldn’t we all’.  Doc was on her toes and said “we all have trouble with that as we age”.  Okay Annie, looks like we’re going to eat less and walk more.

Who’s a good girl?