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Annie is shown above with her new "Mom" Shari A wonderful lady from Idaho has fallen in love with our Annie and they headed home in October 2006...we wish Shari and Annie the very best for a very long, happy and healthy life together! We received this update from Shari...update late October 2006 "We have had busy week. Sunday Annie decided she didn't like the wood blinds and so she did a little redecorating (that's what is in the background of the picture below).
We went out to the foothills after work on Tuesday and went hiking. She is definitely in better shape than I am! I took her to the dog wash after the hike and she did great. We go over to a school track and soccer field or walk the subdivisions everyday. No one wants to believe that she is deaf. She is so aware and alert. The guy at the dog wash didn't believe me and I told him I'd show him when it came time to turn the dryer on -- he was amazed as he thought she had turned when he talked to her. We work on the things you taught her and have added a couple. I'm trying to teach her "ball" and to stay out of the kitchen. She has the kitchen thing down. Just wanted to let you know we are doing great. Annie misses the cat too. She watches the Animal Channel on tv while I am gone and just today she was watching a cat on TV. I also think she remembers your SUV as we saw a similar one and she perked up, stood very still and watched it until it was out of sight. Shari and Annie K"
Please click on any photo to see a larger version! Update - September 20, 2006 - Jessie wrote: "Annie is now about 7 months old and still full of beans! She has a very funny sense of humour and thinks everything is a game. We play this game of changing hand signals really quick and she thinks it's the greatest game on earth. She'll be in a sit and drop to the ground when I switch my hands really fast, and vise versa, she'll jump to a sit if she's in a down, it's too cute.""Annie's obedience classes are going really well, on top of her regular obedience training she's already started some basic agility equipment and gone through some Rally-O stuff too!! What a little smarty pants!" "Annie now loves her crate, she jumps in all by herself, she knows she gets lots of treats when she does it by herself. We are still working on 'stay', but we have sit, down, come and heel nailed. She is even responding when I page her with the vibrating collar, that's a huge step in the right direction." Update - August 22, 2006 - Jessie wrote: "I just really can't explain what an amazing dog she is. She is really a well rounded dog and could suit almost anyone. She will need someone that is gentle and soft though. And I think if the right home came along and they don't have another dog, I don't think that would be an issue anymore. She so much loves to be with people and wants to please you so bad that I think she would be content with just her people. she comes everywhere with us and is an excellent car rider and waits patiently in the car for our return. Her crate training is getting better, she doesn't really like to go in, but does if asked to and is more comfortable inside it. Annie is a once in a lifetime dog, you will never come across another like her. And did I mention that she'll do almost anything for a treat? :-)" Update - July 26, 2006 - Annie is sure growing into quite the little lady! Her manners are coming along very well, she knows not to jump on the bed or the couch, although it is still very hard to not jump up on the people she loves. When given the comand she will 'sit' or 'down' in an instant. 'Stay' and 'come' still need a little practice, but it should be a breeze with this little smarty pants.
She hasn't met a dog that she didn't absolutely adore to pieces and when her foster dogs are all played out Charlie the cat is always up for a game of play fighting. Annie has an amazing sense of smell, on our trip to the cabin we were on a walk to a neighbors house when all of a sudden Annie stopped dead in her tracks and was looking around and started growling, we couldn't see anything, so we waited for a minute for her to settle down. Then she gave out these small, but very deep barks. We weren't sure what was going on, so we carried on. Once at the neighbors we found out that at the very spot we were 3 days earlier there had been a BEAR sitting beside the road. Wow, 3 days, do I hear TRACKING prospect? She is very in tune with her her other senses to make up for her hearing loss.
Although in some of the photos of Annie's first trip to the mountains, she is off leash, this dog must always stay on a leash as she will not hear a car coming or you calling her back. She has absolutely NO hearing whatsoever. She does stay close to you and is always looking at you and checking in, but this will not save her life if she is in danger. Please be aware that this is a huge responsibility and and one that shouldn't be taken out of pity as she is a very capable little girl and has the potential to do great things. July 1, 2006 ~ Annie is just the sweetest little Aussie girl you've ever met. She absolutely loves everyone she meets and gets so excited that you have to watch your toes a little, as her bladder isn't quite strong enough yet. She adores all of the dogs she has met in foster care, even the ones who are a little crabby with her, she just can't give them enough kisses, she even gives her feline pal Charlie kisses.
Annie is only about 5 months old so she has all of the typical puppy behaviors; would be a lap dog if she could, would love to jump up to give you a kiss every morning, has tons of aussie energy and doesn't know when enough is enough, yet. But she is a very smart little girl and is learning more and more each day. She really strives to please her people and is always up for doing something for a treat!!! She is learning hand signals and knows how to 'sit' and is working on 'come' and 'down'. We are also working on walking nicely on a leash and she is doing very well at this. And one of the greatest things is since being in foster care Annie hasn't had one accident in the house!! But much more training is needed for this little girl to be someone's best friend and to keep her safe. She is excellent with all of the dogs we have encountered, and she is great with our cat. She does have tons of energy and really needs to burn that off, she would probably do very well with children a little older, as she could bump them over and the kids would have to understand that she can't hear. I have a few 'test' kids that live down the street that I'll be borrowing. I think she needs another 4 legged pal, she has really latched on to Mazie and I can see she is learning from her. She really needs that other dog around to learn from. Not to mention that I can get her to come to me if she's following Mazie around :) So, if the right home is out there and willing to put in a lot of training and socializing, I would say that she could go now. But they would really have to put in a lot of work, and take her to some obedience classes I would think. She really deserves the best home and we aren't willing to part with her very easily, if she stays with us for 6 months or a year, that's what we'll do. :) And in the mean time I'll take her to puppy class and keep up with the training until she finds her home.
With the right home Annie will succeed at almost anything she tries, she wants nothing more than to please you and make you happy. This is a great foundation for a life long friendship. Stay turned for more on our special girl Annie!!! If you think you might be Annie's "someone", the special person who would love her for life and care for this special little girl, please get in touch with: Jessie Kendrick at jessielk@telus.net or by phone at 403-277-7470 for more information!
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