| Author |
Barnyard Buddies:  Annie  |
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 18 2016 : 4:33:38 PM
|
Annie won't let me out of her sight since I have been dealing with a light outbreak of shingles. I experience shingles every year or two. Always a light case which adds to the fatigue of MS. She seems to sense when I am dealing with something out of the norm.
My little girl is growing up and will be eight months old next month. Sometimes I look at her and see a puppy ~ other times I see a mature dog. It's hard to remember my life before she came to live with me. She is a joy and on days that aren't so good she gets me out of bed. On those days I need something other than myself to think about and care for ~ and that's Annie.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
Red Tractor Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
6663 Posts
Winnie
Gainesville
Fl
USA
6663 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2016 : 06:33:17 AM
|
Oh Sara, this is such a wonderful tribute to your wonderful Fur Friend and companion, Annie!! Bless her sweet heart for taking such good care of you. I hope you will be feeling better soon from the shingles outbreak. I remember that you have said the long hot months of summer can be the hardest with your MS. I keep praying that cooler and drier days will be coming soon for us down here in the baking southern tier of the US! What a summer it has been!!!
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014-2015 |
 |
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2016 : 07:54:59 AM
|
Winnie, it has been cooler here for the last week and that helps.
Annie wanted to go outside and soon I heard a thump on the deck. She had one of the pink flamingos by the neck. The beak is gone and I still haven't found it. The pair of flamingos have been in my backyard since Annie came to live with me but today is the first time she has bothered them. The flamingos are now safe in the Yellow Rose Cottage.
Yes, for you that are shaking your heads at the mere thought of pink flamingos peaking through fences I like them. That wasn't always true but something happened when I turned sixty and started seeing 'tacky garden art' in a new light ~ must be a little old lady thing.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
|
janamarieje
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
Jana
Southern California
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2016 : 08:15:52 AM
|
Dogs are such characters and wonderful companion, if I had the space and time I would have several but unfortunately working full time and no one home all day do not make for a good situation. I do however enjoy the company of three cats and live through my daughter who has two dogs, the younger one who is ten months old and recently chewed off a pvc sprinkler head in the back yard. One of many stories I could tell you, like chewing through the couch cushion, chewing through the bed sheets to get at the mattress cover heater controller, digging a hole at the base of a newly planted tree, pulling out the vegetable plants out of a planter, etc. Regardless, they are part of the family and we just keep loving them and hope they will outgrow the curiosity stage.
Jana
#7110
http://www.emhardt.com
Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes. ~Author Unknown
All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! ~Charles Schulz
|
|
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2016 : 09:53:13 AM
|
Oh Jana, aren't the days of puppyhood entertaining but sometimes frustrating too. Not to mention they can be expensive. The first day I had Annie she chewed my printer cord. I yelled at her and she stays clear of all cords.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
|
janamarieje
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
Jana
Southern California
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2016 : 10:04:08 AM
|
That is too funny Sara, but yes I agree sometimes frustrating and expensive. Your cord story reminds me of a picture we received via text messages, it was a picture of the DirecTV channel changer that was in bits and pieces. Thanks goodness for Amazon, where my daughter was able to purchase a replacement for $5.00. Emily's first dog chewed up her cell phone three years ago, which was a little more expensive to replace. Dogs are not the only destructive animals, so are cats! We have cats who have chewed threw charger cords and knocked things off the counter that broke. We have had a cat who ate some scrap fabric from a prom dress I was making at the time, same cat years later got a throat infection from cleaning some new kittens we adopted, etc. On the other hand pets are also fascinating to watch and their love is unconditional!
Photos and stories of some of our current pets - http://emhardt.com/category/pet
On another subject...how is your outbreak of shingles?
Jana
#7110
http://www.emhardt.com
Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes. ~Author Unknown
All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! ~Charles Schulz
|
Edited by - janamarieje on Aug 19 2016 10:20:26 AM |
|
|
|
MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
7231 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
7231 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2016 : 11:03:21 AM
|
I love how wonderful and caring dogs are. They are always by your side and know when your sick and take care of you the best they can. This is why I always have a dog. They really are my best friend. I'm so glad you have a great dog to make you feel better and be by your side through everything! Get feeling better. I'm sorry to hear you have shingles. Hope they pass soon.
Krista |
|
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2016 : 2:52:25 PM
|
Annie got game. A while back my back fence neighbor told me she liked watching Annie play by her tossing a toy into empty rectangle plastic planter; taking the toy out; run around with the planter; come back to same spot and toss the toy back into the planter to start it all over again. Today I saw her to it. Same game though the planter and toy are the worst for wear.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Sep 07 2016 : 10:11:00 AM
|
Today at the grocery store I bought Annie a marked down beach ball for $1.35. It lasted less than five minutes before she got her fangs into it and it went flat. She's still playing with it - tossing it up and catching it so I guess I got my money's worth.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
|
janamarieje
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
Jana
Southern California
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Sep 07 2016 : 10:22:32 AM
|
Too cute! You might want to try a Frisbee next time, with a little effort on your part it is entertaining and great exercise for dogs (providing they fetch and return). It is also fun watching them attack the poor thing, swinging it back and forth hitting themselves on the side. Hopefully the frisbee can live a little longer before being destroyed.
How is the shingles? How long does it last when it comes every year or two?
Jana
#7110
http://www.emhardt.com
Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes. ~Author Unknown
All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! ~Charles Schulz
|
|
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Sep 07 2016 : 10:47:58 AM
|
Jana thanks for asking about the shingles. All are gone but a few spots on top of my head. They seem to last forever.
I have thought about a Frisbee but haven't bought one yet. Annie hasn't learned to fetch yet. She likes for me to throw the toy, for her to catch it and then run with it especially circles around me but not for me to have it. As smart as she seems to be fetching isn't one of her talents. Keeping it away from me is what she finds fun.
Everyday she looks more and more like Scrubby Doo. And everyday she is a joy and I can't imagine having another dog. Been thinking about writing a children's book about "An Great Dane Unaware" or such title. Who would have thought I would go looking for a English Mastiff/Yellow Lab mix and come home with a Great Dane.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Sep 14 2016 : 09:43:50 AM
|
Late yesterday evening I found a dead baby snake in the back yard. Can't be sure it was Annie but the snake was mauled pretty good. I think it was a copperhead. Whatever it was it had the head of a venomous snake and this is copperhead country.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
|
janamarieje
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
Jana
Southern California
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Sep 14 2016 : 09:56:34 AM
|
If it was Annie who killed the snake, is she okay?
Jana
#7110
http://www.emhardt.com
Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes. ~Author Unknown
All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! ~Charles Schulz
|
|
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Sep 14 2016 : 10:29:05 AM
|
Jana thanks for asking. She shows no signs of a bite and hasn't slowed down any. She has that hunter instinct and will go after anything that moves. What I have read about Great Danes is they were bred to hunt wild boar and are descended from English Mastiffs. There are wild hogs all over Texas but I doubt she will run across one in my backyard. So she will have to be content with much smaller game.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
|
janamarieje
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
Jana
Southern California
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Sep 14 2016 : 11:11:23 AM
|
Not sure I knew Annie was a Great Dane...I love great danes? I grew up with great danes, my parents had several that they owned and showed. My mother has great stories of us growing up with the great danes, including us as toddlers in diapers hanging on to their tails riding around the living room and dinning room wood floors. We didn't have dogs after we moved out to California (when I was 8), but my daughter has two dogs and I hope to have a few after I retire and move out of the city to the country with land.
Jana
#7110
http://www.emhardt.com
Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes. ~Author Unknown
All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! ~Charles Schulz
|
|
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Sep 14 2016 : 11:31:19 AM
|
Jana, Annie was 3 months old when she came from the animal shelter where they told me she was Yellow - Lab English Mastiff mix. She is now 8 months and looks more & more like a fawn colored Great Dane and less like the other two breeds. She may be a mix of another large breed but she has all the markings of a fawn Great Dane.
I loved hearing your story of how good they are with children and as a family pet.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
Edited by - YellowRose on Sep 14 2016 11:32:08 AM |
|
|
|
janamarieje
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
Jana
Southern California
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Sep 14 2016 : 12:04:19 PM
|
My first memory I have of Grant Danes is a house I baby sat three children. The dog would bark like crazy at the front window with anyone who walked down the street, but after the children were all asleep, he would lay on the couch next to me with his head in my lap (usually on top of my homework I was trying to work on) wanting me to pet him. He wouldn't leave the rest of the night until the parents came home. Great Danes are wonderful dogs in my book! Along with Pit-bulls, who are lovable dogs both wanting attention, prancing around the with their prize toy, or taking a toy from the other dog and hiding it in the couch cushions. They can also be stubborn when they are tired of walking and plop their fanny down and refuse to take another step. You always have to bring hidden treats just to get them home again.
Jana
#7110
http://www.emhardt.com
Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes. ~Author Unknown
All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! ~Charles Schulz
|
Edited by - janamarieje on Sep 14 2016 12:07:29 PM |
|
|
|
MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
7231 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
7231 Posts |
Posted - Sep 14 2016 : 12:33:07 PM
|
I agree with you two! Great Danes are the best dogs ever. I absolutely love my Great Dane and she is so well mannered with my little boy. He climbs all over her and she just lays there! My Great Dane is a Mantle and mixed with an Anatolian Shepherd. Sara, you will have to share a picture! I would love to she her!
Krista |
|
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Sep 22 2016 : 02:44:33 AM
|
Annie has been a 'little toot' lately - tearing the stuffing out of the border of her bed. She has filled her bed with it three times. She knows it's wrong, she knows she will be trouble, but I guess it's just too much fun to stop. She did get through yesterday without doing it. Stuffing is only left on the two sides; both ends are empty and flat. I saved the stuffing to use for crafts so all is not lost.
She is laying with her head under my chair as I type. She has grown and her head and neck are the only things that will fit. She is now too big to be in my lap so she sleeps on my feet. Should be nice and warm this winter.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
|
texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2016 : 04:55:30 AM
|
Sara, i am sorry you are dealing with all those health issues. I am glad you have Annie even if she's been a stinker lately! My Scarlett just turned a year old. She is not letting Bonnie out of her sight right now. We may be losing our Bon soon. I know Scarlett will be lost without her puppy mama.
Don't you love how warm they are? All of ours are snugglers! Pat Annie for me!
Farmgirl Hugs,
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Farmgirl of the Month, January 2013
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/
www.facebook.com/suburbanfarmgirlblogger |
|
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2016 : 05:14:29 AM
|
Nicole, I am so sorry Bonnie is not doing well. I know what it's like to lose our companions.
Annie is lying at my feet as I play on the computer. My sister came over yesterday for snacks and she commented on how well behaved Annie was compared to just a couple of weeks ago. Made this mama proud to hear her little girl bragged on. Annie still wants to jump on you but if you tell her no in a "I mean no" kind of voice she will stay down and just dance around you in a crouching position. She's fun to watch when she does that.
Annie has found a toad in the backyard and won't leave the poor thing be. It's the first toad I have seen in the five years I have lived here. So far Annie is either smart enough or just lucky that she hasn't tried to bite it. Every time I see the toad I shoo it under something that Annie can't get to.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2016 : 10:13:58 AM
|
Annie did good today and I have a need to brag on her. It was her first time to be left alone in house while I grocery shopped. Before today she was left safe and sound in the hall bathroom. When I came home she welcomed me at the door and went back and forth with me as I bought in the groceries. Then I checked out the house and everything was in it's place and nothing chewed on. I think she was happier because she was able to look out windows which is one of her favorite things to do.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
|
Dreamer42
True Blue Farmgirl
2694 Posts
April
Central
Oregon
USA
2694 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2016 : 3:23:05 PM
|
Hi Sara, Pets are such angels in so many ways - Annie sounds nothing short of that! I hope you're feeling better! ~ April
Dreamer42
Farmgirl Sister #7038 |
|
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2016 : 07:03:29 AM
|
Thanks April, Annie is a sweetheart.
Last night neither she or I slept well. All night long she went from room to room. She never barked. It was like she was on patrol ~ watching and listening. Around two a.m. she woke me to go outside. I let her out the backdoor and she went a couple of feet onto the deck, sniffing the air all the time. Then she stopped backed up till her tail pressed against the storm door and she all but backed into the house when I opened the door. I have no idea what she smelled but she was having no part of it. For the rest of the night she stayed on patrol but went outside without a problem at 7:30.
There's something unsettling when dogs smell or hear something we do not. I always wonder what it is that they are aware of that we are not. I'm just thankful that they are.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
|
MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
7231 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
7231 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2016 : 10:48:15 AM
|
Oh Sara, I agree. It scares me when my dogs are like that but at the same time I know they do it to protect me from things I'm unaware of. I guarantee Annie would do anything in her power to protect you. My guess would be it was just an animal she was unaware of. Hopefully tonight the both of you can get some sleep.
Also I'm happy to hear she did so good when you left her out! That's the best feeling when you can trust them being out while your gone. My Great Dane was the hardest to trust staying out. She had a thing for shreading paper and her paper of choice was always without a doubt my school notes and homework! Oh boy. She caused so much work for me.
Krista |
|
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
7114 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
7114 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2016 : 10:57:30 AM
|
Krista, I know what you mean about them loving to shred things. One of Annie's favorite thing is to stand on one end of an old sock and tear it to bits. You can hear it rip all over the house. Each week when I grocery shop I buy her one of those large tug of war toys made out of braided material. It takes her about two days to have it in pieces but it's worth it to keep her from going after something of mine. Great Danes even if they are mixed with another breed seem to have a thing for ripping up.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
|
|
|
Barnyard Buddies: Annie |
|
Annie
