A volunteer from Texas Cattle Dog Rescue brought Annie to her new home last Sunday. Annie and 507 other dogs were rescued from a puppy mill that was closed down. According to the vet, Annie had two litters of puppies a year for the last five years. Annie could use a boob lift. Something I an relate to. (Perhaps I can find a BOGO for us). She had been living in a plastic 55 gal. drum that had a hole cut in the side of it. (She couldn’t even completely stretch out her legs while she was in the drum). There was a 3′ rope attached so she could get out to potty but couldn’t run away. She had mange and had to have 80 stitches when she was rescued. I think people who run puppy mills should just be shot- no trial, no nothing.

Evelyn kept Annie to herself the whole first day, just wanting time alone to bond with her. Annie was friendly but not playful. She didn’t know how to play- She’d never been allowed to play. Yesterday, we all went over to Evelyn’s for dinner- but I went mainly to meet Annie. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d never really been around a dog that had come from such horrific circumstances.  When I entered the house Annie came to greet me. I called her Annie and Sweet Pea. She came to the couch with me and lifted her paw so I could rub her tummy.

After dinner, Evelyn got down on the floor with her to try to teach her to play. Within 10 minutes Annie was racing around the room. She ran over the top of all of everybody on the couch to get back to her mom more quickly.  Annie and Evelyn played hard for at least 10 minutes. Then Annie laid down near Evelyn’s feet and zonked out. (I think I saw a smile on Annie’s face while she slept). She’s going to be just fine, better than fine actually. She’s a very lucky girl dog now. If you’re going to get a new pet, please think about a rescue. They are great; I have 6 now, and they’re always grateful for a second chance at life. Today’s trivia answer: 3,000

Here are two great links to help animals, and it doesn’t cost you a thing. All you have to do is click on them each day and food is provided to an animal in a shelter. You can click to help cats too. http://www.freekibble.com and http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com