Annie is Amazing

 Monday June 3, 2024 5:10 pm. Let me try and make sense of the past few days. Friday the 31st started out so good. For the first time since my tumble when the ladder sunk into the ground, I was able to get out of bed without pain in my foot or leg. I changed up Annie’s routine and put in her eye drops before feeding her. When she turned up her nose to her food I thought that might have been the reason. This bouncy puppy was lethargic and avoided any kind of movement.

This brought back how Stumpy was in his last days. I took Annie to the Vets later in the morning. They thought it would be best to drop her off and they would get back to me. It was later in the afternoon the Vet called and wanted to do a test for the parvovirus which can be deadly in unvaccinated puppies. I did a quick check on this virus and was not encouraged. I equated this to a death sentence. When the call came back Annie had tested positive, the doctor assured me there was a fighting chance. I walked back over to the office and left a payment.

For the rest of the day I was numb. Parvo is highly contagious. Fortunately Annie’s playdates were all vaccinated so there was no risk of them getting infected. All my clothes were washed in the hottest water and bleached to kill any virus that might have been on them. Annie’s dog cage, stuffed tiger, and food bowls were all disinfected. I’ll keep her quarantined for the next few weeks.

The office is closed on Saturday and Sunday. The phone call on Saturday was very encouraging. Annie was holding her own and eating well.

Sunday’s call was even more encouraging. Annie had greatly improved and should be ready to return home Monday afternoon. The vet and I both pretty much agreed that had this happened a week earlier when she first showed up, Annie would not have survived. That one week of healthy eating built her up enough to fight that damn virus.

Annie’s sudden arrival has sure changed the tenor of life here. Having the house back to just Holly, Me, and sometimes Snowcat over the weekend was a reminder of calmer times. It sounds horrible but I began to feel such resentment towards whoever abandoned this puppy into my care. The puppy’s life was no doubt saved but my comfortable life was turned upside down with a guilt trip added on by someone unknown to me.

I’ve been spreading the word that once Annie is healthy and back on her paws, I’d be comfortable rehoming her to a forever home. She is getting stronger now and it is amazing to watch her jump straight up in the air now!

Doc explained to me Annie’s eye was defective at birth and she will never have vision through it. He said it is fine as it is. That poor puppy is a fighter. After all she has gone through, she deserves a break…..

Annie will be on pills for a bit to treat her hookworm and the parvovirus. I learned early on with Stumpy when I had to give him thyroid pills, to mix the pill first with a small amount of wet food and once that is cleaned up, feed the rest of the meal. This worked like a charm for Annie.

An Abandoned Puppy Story

 I've put together journal entries to publish on my "Public Journal" that tell quite a story. 

This saga begins on Thursday May 23, 2024:

My sleep was disturbed by a dog barking. I figured it belonged to some student. Finally at 4:00 a.m. I gave up the idea of sleeping and put the water on to boil for coffee and hydrated as I caught up on the news. I use my beer mugs for everything. These mugs were a XMAS present from Linda and Paul back when I got my apartment in 1976.

Holly shared my water!!!

Installing the brick driveway back in 2012, Stumpy kept hydrated from these mugs also!!

Poor Ron used to get so agitated when his big white cat “Sister” would drink from his water glass. No matter how hard he tried to keep that glass away from her, she would find a way to drink from it! It is so much easier to just give in!

I heard this dog barking again. With the side door open it seemed to be coming from the front of the house. Checking the front porch I found a rope tied to the railing with a note:

At the end of the rope was a poor puppy.

The rope holding this puppy had this note:

There was a message folded around her collar

Inside were instructions how to treat this eye infection.

Sometimes I really despise the human race. Abandoning a helpless puppy and littering the “information notes” with smiley faces and “LOL’s” is beneath my contempt. I’m trying to work out a plan to get this poor puppy’s eye taken care of and find a home for her. There is no way I can take on the responsibility of caring for a dog. I’ve heard the horror stories how such helpless animals are used as “bait” for dog fights. She will get a safe environment.

I’ve put the word out with friends who hopefully can give me contacts.This poor puppy has been eating up a storm.

Puppy sure threw a wrench into my plans for today!

My first assumption is this puppy was abandoned by a student. There are instances when the student apartments are to be cleaned and pets are found that have been left behind. The “eye instructions” written on the note paper are a total contrast to what was written on the “cardboard instructions.”

Tuesday afternoon a homeless man stopped by looking for work. He said he had not eaten for days. I had fried chicken fingers left over from the Sunday picnic. I gave him most of what I had. I’m wondering now if he might have something to do with this abandonment? I should not be so quick to pass judgment. Perhaps “Puppy’s” owner realized “Puppy’s” care was beyond their means and knew “Puppy” would be cared for here. To have to give up a companion in such a way is really an act of total love.

Puppy has an appointment at the Vet in a few hours. She is very docile and sleeping on the cool bricks of the front walk. I think she knows she is safe now.

Phil stopped by early Tuesday morning and we visited on the front porch. He told me he was sorry that he was going to miss the Home In Place program at St Francis. My head stung from the dope “slap!” I’m to be a greeter there in a couple hours. It totally slipped my mind.

Parking in that area of the University District is a bear. It is easier to just walk over. It is about a mile and a half from my house. The stiffness from the fall seemed to work itself out as I approached the church.

The audience was all us “older folks” and the speaker was a retired Gerontologist who gave a talk on “10 Ways to Avoid Seeing a Gerontologist.”

One of those ways was to perform a “random act of kindness.” It did me good to give that homeless man food and now helping out this poor puppy really released the dopamine into my gray matter!

This speaker gave me a recommendation for a Gerontologist who is in the medical practice I’ve been going to. I have an appointment for August.

Snowcat has not been around this morning. She is smart staying away from all the drama!!!! As disconcerting this has all been, I so hope this messy morning will culminate with a forever, happy home for “Puppy."

Friday May 24, 2024:

Friday morning 8:08 a.m. I’m on the front porch enjoying the breeze from the ceiling fan. The new switch was delivered and the installation was a simple job. Just the kind of rewarding task I needed after all the drama of yesterday. I had to check the computer to see what day it is!! Back to Thursday:

There is a wonderful vet just around the corner from me. I was able to get “Puppy” in at 11:30 a.m. The major problem is her left eye. Doc said the lid was never formed properly and who knows how long that eye has been infected. Hopefully we will be able to save it. The eye drops seem to have made a difference already. Two drops in the morning and two at night.

Puppy is four months old and loaded with fleas and hookworm. She got all her shots and goes back in two weeks.

Jim and Ruth stopped by with dog supplies for me. Puppy seemed much more at ease and stretched out on the bricks. I am just bowled over with the outpouring of help I’ve received.

This poor dog can’t go by the name “Puppy.” Ruth said how since this puppy is an orphan, Annie would be an appropriate name after “Little Orphan Annie.” From now on Annie is this puppies name.

My neighbor Andrea brought over food for Annie who gobbled it right up. Andrea, and the twins Hunt and Mary Charles showed me how to give Annie a bath.

I’ll bet this was the first time Annie was ever bathed.

Caring for a dog is totally different from cats. I usually don’t have my cell phone on me so I was sorry not to be able to capture the excitement last evening. Annie is so wary of going up and down stairs. Ray is not into social media so he was unaware of all that had transpired.Word had filtered around the neighborhood. Ray showed up at the door with another neighbor, Taylor, and his dog. Annie charged off the porch, and down the stairs to make friends.Then Andera showed up with her dogs. Annie was in heaven getting and giving sniffs from her new friends. What an interaction. I realize now how dogs can be a social magnet. It is the total opposite in cats!!

I so want to take Annie out on the lead for walks but she is still skittish over leaving the front of the house. She will sit or lie down flat.

My street has a lot of foot traffic. I’m typing this out on the front porch and a homeless man just passed by. Annie stood up and looked. I wonder if she knows him?? From her demeanor I don’t think Annie was ever mistreated or abused. The more I study the notes that were left, I theorize whoever gave Annie up loved her and wanted a better life for her.

Ruth and Jim loaned me a dog crate which I set up in the bedroom. Once Annie settled in, she got comfortable and went right to sleep. Annie has gotten toys and treats. She went to sleep with her new tiger toy!

Holly seems to be pretty much nonplussed over the new addition. She just looks, no hisses or growls. Snowcat has been MIA for all this. Alex has spotted her in his backyard so she will show up when she wants.

When I first bought this property in 1996 little did I know what vibrant and caring community I was getting onto. The outpouring of help towards Annie and me is humbling. I honestly feel like I’m in the movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

Andrea and her son Luke,and the twins Hunt & Mary Charles stopped by this morning with a flea pill. What a loving interaction between Annie and this family. I need to give Annie another bath today as she still has a lot of fleas. Andrea said to use Dawn this time as the soap suffocates the fleas.

Will shift gears and move Annie into the backyard later. I’m afraid to leave her alone in the front just in case someone might snatch her.

The speaker at the “Home in Place” meeting on Tuesday gave ten ways to avoid seeing a doctor. One of those ways was to give of yourself to help others. Helping out Annie and then the outpouring of love and support for Annie has me so humbled.

A favourite New Year’s Eve episode of the radio show “Amos and Andy” made a lasting imprint onto my mind. Andy gives up numerous opportunities to major New Year’s Eve parties to others. Andy got the major prize to be Lena Horne’s escort to an “A list” function. Andy closed out the show saying, “I cast a few crumbs on the water and I got back a bakery!”

I feel like Andy

Todays journal entry:

These past few days have been such a learning experience. Annie, the puppy continues to blossom and improve. It is like I’m living a “DoDo” video. I can’t thank enough all the help from my friends.

I uploaded a video that Andera shot of Annie playing with the family’s dog Jasper. This all occurred Friday evening. What a change from the traumatized puppy I found tied to the railing at 4:00 a.m. Thursday.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MnL3cOJd23c

Sunday afternoon I had Annie on her lead on the front porch. When I was planting the front flowers Annie began to whine and fuss when I was out of sight. I figured it was separation anxiety. We moved to the backyard where she has total freedom to run. I think in Annie’s mind, being on a lead and alone she thought she was being abandoned again. She is fine on her own in the backyard. She has made up favourite spots in the ferns to keep cool. There are a number of water dishes for her to drink from.

Annie helped with cleaning out the back patio and the undergrowth behind the workshop. I’m inspired to finally scrape and paint the siding that has already flaked off most of the old paint. This area is in shade in the late afternoon so that time slot can be used for painting. .

Annie was such company. She rested as I pulled weeds from between the bricks. To block out the present day, we listened to one of my favourite Kitboga YouTubes, “Do Not Cut the Cards.” This is the full 3 ½ hour dialogue between a scammer and Don & Dawn Doitt. I first enjoyed this back in 2020. The Regina Changer restoration was my COVID project. It was refinished to Don and Dawn Doitt in the background. I know all the dialogue and voice inflections I’ve listened to it so often

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKOBZ7PpQI8

Annie’s eye infection seems to be clearing up. I hope her eye can be saved. I’m improving at getting the drops in. Two drops twice a day.

Snowcat made her presence as I worked on this entry. The view out the side door from the desktop.

Snowcat joined me and realized there was a puppy here.

I witnessed Snowcat being traumatized by the puppy her owner brought home. That was the puppy who grew into the dog central to the “dog bite drama” a few years back. As Annie regains her strength and curiosity, she approached Holly. Poor Holly took off. The backyard was her domain. Now she is on the front porch or side patio. I do my best to keep them separated.

It was a low key Memorial Day. My hometown, Lockport, NY has a “Hometown Hero” project displaying banners of veterans. I submitted my mom and dad’s wedding picture. They were married in their uniforms.

I wonder if anyone will pick up how mom and dad went against Army regulations of fraternization between officers. They were married in a whirlwind wedding before deploying overseas in 1943. The Army was never wise to this marriage. Serious repercussions could have happened.

I need to get a picture of Holly to finish out this entry. Then it will be working in the backyard before the day heats up……