Annie

Last night everyone in our house cried.  We cried because we all knew that today we’d be losing our 11 lb mutt, Annie.  Our vet has informed us that it’s time.  Something they informed us of a while ago, but it’s been a decision that has been difficult for Wes and I to make.  It’s difficult to make this decision with any dog, but I’m confident it’s harder for us in this case because she was our first child and the one of few things that has been consistent and with us throughout our marriage.

When I asked Wesley to marry me, it wasn’t a surprise.  She and I had been dating since freshman year of college and both clearly knew we were meant to be together.  However, when I asked Wesley to marry me, she said “yes” under one condition:  That I get her a dog before I deployed.  My mom has a knack for finding good mutts so I put her on the hunt.   I proposed in December and we would get married (and I would deploy) in June.  So, with 6 months to hunt, I was confident that L (mom) would find the dog.   And the week before the wedding she delivered.  My mom brought an 11 lb firecracker mutt from the Corinth SPCA to our wedding weekend in June of 2005.  We think she was about a year old at the time.  We debated what to name her and considered Arlene after the tropical storm that was parked over our wedding weekend, but we ultimately decided on Annie.

Wesley was immediately in love with Annie.  The dog spent the entirety of our wedding weekend with Wes, and hasn’t left her side since.  In fact, I suspect that Annie has spent most of her life in Wesley’s lap.  Particularly during our first few years of marriage, whether it was while running errands in the car or while sitting on the couch where Wesley would diligently clean the “eye boogers” out of her eyes (while we watch the bachelor), Annie never made it far out of Wesley’s shadow.  Annie slept with us, ate with us, and even followed Wesley to the bathroom.  Wesley and Annie were so inseparable, that Wesley would get indignant when we were living in the keys and Annie wouldn’t be allowed in a restaurant (most would allow it).   There weren’t many places you could find one without the other.

So, it wasn’t that surprising to me when Wesley and I were together in the delivery room in Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island, FL just hours away from the delivery of our first (human) child, that she asked “do you think I’ll be able to love this child as much as I love that dog?”  We both laughed (nervously).  Thankfully, Wesley proved that even she had another gear of love to give and has showered our children with an unconditional love that only mothers can provide their children.  But in spite of this it was during this time that Wesley and Annie’s relationship really shined, in my opinion.

As anyone who has had a dog and then kids knows, the dogs are the losers in this arrangement.  They go from belle of the ball to second fiddle instantaneously.  But that is what was so remarkable about Annie.  While Huck would stand watch outside Attie’s nursery and frequently, longingly lean his head into Wesley’s lap during Attie’s feeding sessions for attention, Annie was much more restrained.  Almost as if she knew that her and Wesley’s relationship hadn’t change – just the circumstances had.  She would patiently keep her distance while Attie was being tended to, knowing that that her relationship with Wesley was strong enough for her to be remembered.  She was right.  Wesley continued to love Annie as a child and always found time to provide her with the walks and special treatment she deserved – even after late nights of feeding or early mornings getting ready for work.  Annie still rode around in the car with Wes while Attie was in the car seat in the back.  Wesley was also always careful to snap Annie to the outrigger clip we fashioned to Attie’s stroller when we took them on walks, always careful to let Annie know that she hadn’t been forgotten.

Annie was also great with the kids.  As Attie and later Lamar grew up, Annie would constantly entertain them – always careful not to be too rough (a courtesy she didn’t always extend to other children).  She could sit, play dead and shake and retrieve things for the kids.  She also put on a little weight helping to clean up under their high chairs during mealtimes.  But it wasn’t her obedience and food clean up that made us all so deeply in love with her.  It was constant sense of awareness for the role she needed to play.  As many know, Huck is our trouble maker.  He is the inspiration for this blog’s title because he is known by many as the world’s best (worst) dog due to his genuine love for everyone he meets but also lack of trustworthiness.  Annie was different.  She was mature.  She could be trusted.  She would stay out of the way if she sensed a job was being done in the house, but would be the first to defend her Labrador brother in the dog park from dogs 5x her size.  Throughout her life, she has played the role that we needed her to.  So, while the more notorious and infamous Huck has always been the best (worst) dog, Annie has just been the best.

She accommodated all of our life changes, moves and new additions and remained the loving, supportive constant throughout all of our seasons of marriage.  Gobbling up attention when we could give it.  But also waiting patiently when other priorities precluded her from the attention she probably deserved.  In Virginia Beach, she was the perfect dog to be the center of our universe and run on the beach with.  Then, when we moved to Key West, she seamlessly transitioned into being a boat dog that happily took on the supporting role when Attie was born.  Then, when we moved to Southern Pines, NC she welcomed yet another child that would relegate her further down the chain but she remained the loving companion to Wes while I was constantly deployed and Wesley was home alone with young kids.  When I came off of active duty and we moved to Chicago and Annie continually received less and less attention, in lieu of a walk in sub freezing temperatures she would run out the front door by herself and go to the bathroom in the patch of grass right in front of our townhouse.  We didn’t teach her to do this.  Like so many things that Annie did, she just realized how we needed her help during that time when Attie was 3 and Lamar was 1 (and still not sleeping very well) and I was leaving early for b-school classes every day, so Wes was trapped inside with Attie and Lamar.   Dog walks at 6 weren’t a part of the program.  When walkers would come down our sidewalk and see an unattended dog they would wonder if they should pick her up, only to look up and see our son in his underwear staring out the window waiving.

And now in Nashville she continues to love us unconditionally even as her health is failing her.  About 8 months ago she had to have an eye removed.  Which due to her level of activity wasn’t a huge hindrance since she only went two places – to her bed in the living room and bowls in the kitchen.  It was only when we went other places (where she was less familiar) that we realized that she couldn’t see at all.  If we traveled anywhere else with her she would walk off – probably in search of her bed in the living room.  Sadly, at the lake we were able to use the same “LOST DOG” poster twice.

Then, about 6 months ago, she started having trouble walking and getting up.  We had had her eating fish based dog food for some time for her joints, but it was at this point that we decided to start giving her Gabapentin to ease her pain.  And then about a month ago when Annie was having a lot more difficulty getting up and walking around, the vet started the conversation with us about Annie’s quality of life.  Which brought us to last night.

Last night Wesley set her a place at the table (just like we did at our first house in Virginia Beach) and played Jack Johnson (the soundtrack to our first home together).  Wesley fed her fried chicken while Annie laid on her side in Wesley’s lap.  Wes then gave her a bath in the laundry room sink (which she always loved).  After the bath Wesley sat with her to clean the eye boogers out of her one eye just like she had done when she was a puppy.  Annie was reminded of how much we and particularly Wes still love her and appreciate her for all the joy she’s brought to us.

Wes and I talked about how we couldn’t help but wonder if we weren’t provided with this opportunity during the quarantine to reflect on Annie a bit more and show gratitude for her being placed in our life when she was.  We are all thankful to have had Annie, but I think God gave Annie to Wesley and Wesley to Annie.  This 11 lb mutt rescue has been a the perfect friend and companion to Wesley for 15 years through our journey to this point, and while we all have loved Annie, she has always been Wesley’s wingman and her best friend.   She will be missed by all of us.