Annie is doing great in her new home! According to David, her new dad, she is healthy and happy. She goes jogging and skiing with David. A friend takes Annie for a walk every noon while David is at work. Her social life continues to be busier than mine. David takes her everywhere he can. She is the light of his life and is still quite the celebrity. He is asked quite often if she is 'the  Annie'. Of course, she is!  FM

I apologize for the delay in updates the past couple of days. Annie's life has been pretty boring during that time--until yesterday!! Annie met so MANY wonderful people who have been so touched by her story and wanted the chance to meet her. I am amazed at her ability to handle such a crowd of well-wishers for so long. My resident dogs would not have been able to do it! I guess she is really used to being the center of attention and having her picture taken. She was hugged, kissed, petted and had her picture taken by so many people and was a real trooper!

Click here to see more pictures of Annie's party.

I was touched as well and so pleased to be able to meet the In-laws of the wonderful Good Samaritan who found Annie at the end of his driveway and brought her in to be cared for. Annie thanks you! And to meet Connie who has made the wonderful coats Annie wears to cover her naked hide--and also made coats for other dogs in need. Annie thanks you! And to meet the vet who first saw Annie and knew she would need specialty vet care. Annie thanks you too! And to meet some of the wonderful families that have applied to adopt Annie. I am reviewing applications now, and believe me, I feel the pressure to choose the perfect place for Annie to spend the rest of her life. Annie thanks you too!

And I thank you all as well, for your kind words, for the many toys and treats and cards you brought for Annie. I am rationing them out for her! She definitely knows they are all 'hers'.

I am so touched.......

Annie's Party!

Click here for Annie's Party Invitation in PDF format.

For maps and more detailed directions please visit Walser Subaru's web site.

Annie has a very busy social calendar this week! I am going to try and resolve the questions about cats and other dogs. Dogs are such social, pack animals and I want to get the answer right for her. There is so much interest in adopting her that I am overwhelmed by the love! It's not going to be easy to decide from the wonderful families out there hoping to give her the Golden love and life she deserves.

Annie doesn't appear to be a runner but it is difficult to assess in foster care as we don't let our dogs off leash in unfenced areas. She does not make a mad dash for the gate when I go out like my resident Scout used to do. Scout would take every opportunity to chase rabbits and squirrels throughout the neighborhood. Annie doesn't even seem to notice the gate is open.

She is also not the Velcro kind of Golden we so often see. She comes for pets-especially if everyone else is getting them! She doesn't follow me every time I get up anymore. But if I am gone for a few minutes she will come find me. She likes to be in the same room which is typical of most dogs. She pushes her way to the front for the nightly grooming session--just like the other two. It is a sight to watch! And a little tough to get the job done. A brush stroke to each dog and then back again--round and round. I brush the same tiny little patches of hair that she has and she is happy.

I want to once again thank all of the folks who have helped with Annie's medical expenses and especially all of her sponsors! Too many to list here but very appreciated!

Annie went to the spa yesterday! Reportedly, she did not like the blow dryer but was sweet about it anyway. Her coat - what there is of it - feels very soft and clean now. We also got a report on her lab work. She is no longer anemic and her protein is good. All of her labs were fine. Since she is healthy, she was able to get all of her vaccinations. She needs to gain a little weight but now can be proclaimed healthy! Annie is eating a growth formula to add the extra pounds she needs.

She has had a few human visitors including kids and continues to show that she loves meeting people. She will snuggle right up and ask for pets and kisses. She is learning the 'sit' command and is pretty consistent in coming when called. Annie has not had an accident in the house and has had free roam with the rest of the pack for the last several days. She hasn't been alone long though so I'm reluctant to say she is house trained until I know she can go for several hours. The dogs go in and out so often here that it is difficult to tell sometimes with fosters.

She and Skye were playing a bit this morning and she seems to be relaxing around the dogs. She is not so 'worried' when they are rambunctious in her presence. Things are going well in Annie's world!

Annie has her very own personal clothing designer! The wonderful woman who made Annie's pink suede coat has sent her a New Year's Eve outfit. I must say she looks STUNNING in it! My resident dogs are jealous...

Annie will not be revealing her new outfit until the proper time--tomorrow evening. You will have to check back to see a photo of this beautiful girl with her boa.

Annie has attracted so much attention! So many wonderful people have shown compassion and generosity for her and for RAGOM in the face of staggering vet bills. We would be remiss if we did not continue to thank her generous sponsors and all of the wonderfully, generous people--including Joan Barnes from Sweetspot. Joan is the one who gave of her skills with the media in order to help RAGOM get the word out about Annie. Many, many RAGOM volunteers were swamped with the additional work that the attention brought to our rescue. Annie gives kisses to each and every one. She would like to meet you all one day!

Annie had an exciting day today. She came with us to our family holiday gathering where she met many people including several toddlers. She was very gentle and gave them tail wags and a good sniff, following them around. It didn't bother her when they touched her or gave what little hair she has a tug. We left after a couple of hours when the decibel level started to rise!
 
She was polite in asking for people food and I know she scored a few bites of ham. Annie is sporting a new 'indoor' coat made by talented fellow RAGOM foster Jill. Annie says 'thanks, Jill'! It also helps her stay away from her many staples and old IV sores. So then she avoids having to wear the dreaded cone as often. Today Annie hasn't spent any time in her crate. Instead she has claimed a comfy dog bed--also given to her by a fellow RAGOM volunteer Kristin. Thanks, Kristin!
 
Little Annie is eating normally. We tried putting her pills in the wet dog food but she got smart and left them behind--along with the peas, of course. Annie doesn't like peas! Thanks for reading about Little Annie. Annie says don't forget to check out some of the other wonderful RAGOM pups! She'd like to meet a few herself.

Annie slept great last night. Not a peep out of her! She is wearing a cone some of the time since she is bothering the staples and scabs in various parts of her battered body. She seems OK with the cone. Annie is on meds about every 3 hours during the day and it is a challenge to get them in her. But she is eating regular dog food with some gusto.
 
She has met the other dogs here and play bowed although she lets them know when they are too rowdy near her--gives them a growl. She feels safe in her crate and spends most of her time in there sleeping. She comes out whenever I leave the room and follows me. So far it seems like she is not in pain--she moves freely.  Today will be a quiet day so she can continue to have time to rest and get used to our home.

Annie is home for Christmas!! After giving 'goodbye' kisses to all of her friends at the University of MN Veterinary Medical Center, our little Annie was the star of a press conference. She trotted out to greet the cameras and reporters despite being camera shy. Annie handled herself well and patiently endured all of the cameras and questions. The cameras followed her home with her new foster but once the hoopla was over, Annie was able to chill in her bed. She ate some dinner and took her meds with some ice cream. She does not seem to be in pain and is settled down for the evening.

We got great news from Dr. Tart at the press conference.  Annie had been moving air around her throat since the surgery.  We had been told that this could lead to throat surgery, which would be delicate and expensive. Everyone, including the vets at the U, was very concerned about this surgery because of its intricate nature and we were holding our collective breaths.  Dr. Tart told reporters that she believes that Annie will make a full recovery and be able to live a normal life.  That is my Christmas miracle!  Thanks to all of you for your prayers. There was also talk of a transfusion, but it didn’t sound like she was concerned about that either.  Obviously, my vet will be keeping a close watch on Annie to make sure there are no complications.  We will be doing a chest xray this week to make sure the pneumonia is clearing.

Her Christmas stocking is up on the mantle and her presents await under the tree! Annie says thanks to everyone and have a GReat holiday!

Annie is likely to be released in the next day or two! Her drains have all been removed. Her IV is still in for antibiotics but they are switching her to oral meds today. She is eating hamburger and rice. The swelling is down in her legs and the holes are not leaking fluid anymore. Her pneumonia is not resolving very quickly and her protien is slow to rebound. Dr. Gray said she is trying not to pay so much attention to the lab results and is trying to look at the patient instead. And Annie looks pretty bright today! Lots of tail wags and nose pushes for pets. Annie's Christmas stocking is filling up with treats! She is not too interested right now (she has hamburger after all) but we will make sure she gets to take them home with her.

Such a girl!

Merry  Christmas, Annie...may your life, from here on out, be as full of wonderful things  as your stocking!

FOLLOW MORE OF ANNIE'S STORY HERE

Good morning everyone! Annie is doing well this morning. Her legs and feet are still puffy and seem to be irritating her a bit, but she's taking that in her stride, so to speak. Her blood tests still show anemia and she may require a transfusion to get her stable. Last night she vomited when the vet was palpating her abdomen. Guess she didn't like that! But she is eating much better and that is a great sign.
 
Her story continues to receive a lot of attention in the media--including the national news web sites and CNN. We know that a lot of the public and also our wonderful RAGOM volunteers would love to visit her at the U--hold her paw and give her some kisses. We are not allowing visitors at this time. She needs her rest and it is also causing quite a hubbub for the U ICU staff who must also care for the other critical dogs (and their human families). Thank you for understanding! ! And thank you for your continued support and concern.

Evening update:

Hi Annie fans! Little Orphan Annie's kennel is sporting a Christmas stocking made by RAGOM volunteer Nancy M. It's adorable and hanging on her kennel. She also received a stuffed reindeer and was wagging her tail and I think even skipped a bit at the squeak it made. She didn't want to take it but she enjoyed others squeaking it.

Her white blood cell count was elevated and so they manipulated her antibiotics to make sure she is covered for all of the bugs that it could be from. She vomited again today. When I asked Dr. Gray if she was worried about that, she said that Annie is keeping most of her food down so she is not too concerned about it. She seems to be making progress every day. Notice the festive red bandage!  (Yesterday's was green.)

One of Annie's staunch supporters, Dayle S.	Camera Shy Girl!
Merry Christmas Annie, from Nancy M.	A festive red bandage for our girl today.

Evening Update:

We've been warned, again and again, to remain cautiously optimistic.  So that's how I'll start out this update.  However, when you see the pictures...well, it's hard not to feel a bit of jubilation.  She looks so good!

Annie ate two half cups of turkey tonight, with vigor. You can see how puffy her paws and legs are in the pictures below.  This is from the protein and fluids and will go down with time.  But from the way she was shifting about, it's obvious that they're a bit painful for her.  

So far, she's doing as well, if not better, than we could have expected.  You go, Annie girl, we love you!

Which way to the grass?

OK...I'm ready, how about you?

Hey...is that my Shepherd friend?  I feel frisky.

 FOLLOW MORE OF ANNIE'S STORY HERE