My sweet Annie girl

As most of you are aware, we had to let Annie go on March 10th.  She had cancer and it was just taking every ounce of energy she had, leaving her nothing for herself.  She could no longer stand on her own, walk without help, eat, or even drink without vomiting the water back up.  We knew it was coming, we had been prepared for months, but she did seem to go downhilll very quickly.  We were trying to let her just die on her own, perhaps being selfish by keeping her around a bit longer, but that Monday afternoon we knew it was time to say goodbye.

her last picture ever, on her way to the vet for her trip to the rainbow bridge :(

I had Annie for almost 12 years, the day I brought her home was the first day that Ian ever came to my apartment, so it was hard to say goodbye, but I knew it was the right thing to do.  But 12 years is a long time, I have so many memories with Annie in them or about her, so I thought I would share (just really more just document them) so I will never forget my first "child".

my annie puppy

Just a bit of back story on Annie before the memories part.  I had wanted a dog, I was living with Lisa who had Chandler at the time and I wanted one of my own (and Im sure we thought Chandler would enjoy a playmate).  I was looking at getting a boxer, didnt have basset hounds anywhere on my brain, but I walked into the pet store one day and fell in love.  I was working at target in Bloomington, it was in the mall "complex", so often times on lunch I would just walk around the mall or stop in to look at all the doggies.  Well, I saw her that day and my heart melted, I dont remember the particulars but Im guessing I had Lisa come back to see her that same day, I wanted her.  However, she was $1200, yes, she was a pricey thing.  I did not have that amount of money so I walked away without her.  I went back almost everyday to play with her, I even got her a toy at Old Navy (her lobster, I still have it), and they kept it at the pet store so when I cam to play with her it would be there for me.  They knew I wanted her, but I just couldnt get her.  Well, she was there a long time, Im guessing 4 to 6 weeks, and Lisa and I still came to play with her all the time.  One day they told me she was down to $650 (plus she had gotten many of her shots and even micro-chipped by this point), but I still didnt have the money (or credit cards yet).  Lisa offered to buy her and I could pay her back, she said lets to go and if she was still there the next day we would get her.  Well, as you probably imagined, she was still there, waiting for me :)

We decided to name her Aniston and the rest will now play out view 12 years of memories...

• We knew she was stubborn right from the start, after we got her we decided to take her to target to show all my co-workers, and she decided she was not going to walk, and as small as she was, she was putting every ounce of her weight against the floor as we tried to drag her through the mall, so I just picked her up.  I kinda cant believe I used to be able to carry her, she was so big, but she was a small thing once.
• When she was a puppy she was always tripping on her ears or falling over her big ole paws, she was seriously the cutest thing ever!!!
• When we got her home she of course was hiding from Chandler (but who could blame her, he was huge), but even that 1st night they starting playing together.  We also discovered her love of destruction, as she was walking under the coffee table and removing the magazines and eating them!

• She had some issues with being house trained.  This dog just did not want to learn that skill, so she pretty much ruined the carpet in the brand new luxury apartment we were renting.  Thanks Lisa for never killing her for her messes.  The best ever was when she decided to go poop in the air vent, we are guessing it was so we didnt see it, I didnt think she was that smart but it does make sense
• She and Chandler were buddies and quickly learned to work together.  Chandler would knock the trash can over so that Annie could eat all the trash (and then get sick), good times...
• I tried to train her, we signed up for Petsmart classes, we dropped out :(  The trainer couldnt even get her to do the things, and then she got sick, I got sick, and we just stopped going.  Bassets are stupid and stubborn, not the best combo.

her blue mouth from the blue raspberry hawaiian ice she got to "sample"

• I think the happiest day of her life was very early on, Chandler had managed to finally catch a fish at the dog park, but once he had it he no longer wanted anything to do with it, so he gave it to Annie.  She was in heaven, she would paw at it, toss it in the air, shake it, and repeat, and repeat and repeat.  She smelled HORRIBLE and was covered in fish guts and bones, she had fish bones stuck to her collar, but she could not understand why she was banished to the backseat of the car all alone on the drive home.  It was bad, but she was so happy.  I bet she would dream about that day for many years if not until the day she died!!!
• She was a thief, she learned to open purses and backpacks to steal chapstick and pens.  She would also steal food any chance she got.  The best time was when she took one of Lisa's Godiva truffles.  We took it away (cause that stuff is good) and about 10 seconds later she walked right past us, head and tail up, proud as could be, with the little gold godiva bag hanging out of her mouth.  Every time I think about that moment I smile, even 10 years later.

• She was afraid of storms and smoke.  Whenever there was a bad storm, or when I couldnt control my cooking and the house got smokey, she would run and hide in the bathtub.  She could also smell the smoke before anyone else too, so sometimes we were able to get it under control before it got crazy cause we would see Annie running to the bathroom!!!

hiding from some smoke

• Not anything Annie did, but the day I realized the Aniston was after Jennifer Ansiton.  Lisa named her dog Chandler after Chandler from friends, and she mentioned the name Aniston.  I thought it was a great name so I went with it.  How I never put 2 and 2 together, especially since I loved Jennifer Aniston, I will never understand, but it just never clicked for me.  
• You could always tell when Annie tried to jump up on the counter to steal food, because every single time she would fart!!!!  Oh, so funny!!!

• Speaking of funny, she ripped off and ate every picture that Lisa had on her bulletin board.  Lisa might not think that was is funny, but I do.
• She also loved to stick her head under things but of course could never get her body to follow.  So she would hide her head like she was hidden.  One day she figured out how to fit her whole body under the bed (couldnt do it for too long) and she would get under there and just rip the bottom of the box spring to shreds.  She was certainly a fan of destruction.

• She was not a fan of baths, but as soon as they were done she would run around the house like a crazy dog, growling, barking and spinning in circles.  I could tell when she was getting old when she stopped doing this.  As she got older (and we got our house) I would bath her outside, which was great cause it kept my bathroom clean, but that meant as soon as she was done she would run into the yard and roll around on the grass, so she was never really clean i would guess for her last 6 years of life!!!
• Probably a memory I could do without (also one I dont think I'll ever forget) but she ate her poop.  It made her breath and teeth horrible, we tried everything, nothing helped.  The only thing they said to do was to take her out on a leash and when she went to pull her away.  I did not buy a house with a giant yard to have to keep walking my dog, so she had bad breath till the end.  Oh well.

her famous 2010 christmas drool!!!

• She and Jaska pulled me down 3 flights of stairs, almost breaking my knee cap and giving me whiplash that resulted in over a year of therapy.  It wasnt all their fault, I tripped and they got freaked out and they pulled me, but they made it worse, plus the only reason I was on the stairs was cause of them. 
• In Florida we evacuated to Jacksonville for one of the hurricanes.  The hyatt there offered all of the Coconut Point employees a great rate and allowed us to bring dogs (which normally was not allowed), but they put us on a floor where we needed to use the elevator.  Well, one morning when we woke up Annie really needed to pee, and as we got in the elevator she relieved herself right there. Luckily we were alone, but I felt horrible about it!!!

they always wanted to be where they werent, so many hours of her life was spent looking outside and then back inside :)

• Annie was like a boy dog, constantly marking her territory.  On walks she would seriously try to pee in every single yard we passed.  Which means we stopped a whole bunch, which Jaska didnt like so she would start to cry :)
• As she got older she became such a grumpy old lady, whenever she would lay down you would hear her grunt and sigh from across the house.  she also hated puppies, they were just too much for her to handle, so grumpy!

• She loved going to doggie daycare, she would plant her big ole butt on the ground in the middle of all the action and then just sit there are bark.  It was her way of interacted, not very physical but it wore her out for days after!!
• She was the boss dog, even though she was like a quarter of the size of Chandler she was in charge, same with Jaska (even though size wise she was smaller but heavier).  She was the alpha dog for sure.

• She was also the sweetest dog ever, she just wanted to be loved on, which was often hard because she smelled like poop and corn chips.  But she just wanted to be pet and hugged and to sit next to you.  I remember once when Lisa was sick and sitting by the toliet, Chandler (Lisa's dog) came out into the living room to sit by me and Annie went into the bathroom to comfort Lisa until she was feeling good enough to come out.

i guess she thought she was a cat

i always told ian that annie didnt like him, but of course she did, she loved ian, and we have many pictures of them sleeping or cuddling together

• She loved to sunbathe, it seemed crazy as most of her fur was black, but she would sit out in the sun until her fur was so hot it was hot to my touch, but she just loved to be outside in the sun.

 

• She was spoiled, she always wanted to lay on the couch or the bed.  Eventually she was banned from the couch and could no longer get on the bed, but she made do with the floor

• She had a few health scares, she was once bleeding from her colon, that was a big bill with IV fluids and all sorts of  stuff.  She also got bit by a snake on the back of her tail one day.  I remember seeing blood on my hand after petting her and then seeing the bite.  I rushed her to the emergency vet (it was late on friday night) and the whole time keeping my hand on her belly making sure she was still breathing.  No clue what I would have done had she stopped, but I was soooo scared.  She was fine, got put on some strong pains meds and was just so funny to watch, she couldnt walk without falling down or moving to the side.  
• She (like every dog) hated the "cone of shame" but what cracked me up with her is she would spend the first day or so just frozen, wouldnt move at all, then she would realize she could walk backwards, so thats how she would get around.  It would take a day or 2 before she would walk like herself, but even then she could never eat/drink/or walk up the stairs with it on, her low head just didnt work well for that.

after her eye removal

• Her birthday parties, she liked all the attention and getting yummy food, but I dont think she liked having to wear the party hat, but she always wore it and it just melted my heart!!

7th bday

7th bday - carob brownies!

10th bday

10th bday - ian being mean to the birthday girl

•  She was a pro at removing lids from 2 liters or water bottles.  She had it off in no time!

• She wasnt too sure about Logan when we brought him home.  For the first couple of days she wouldnt be on the same floor of the house as him, and she wouldnt sleep in our room cause he was there.  Luckily Lisa was here so Annie was able to sleep with her (even though that meant she was on the same floor as the baby).  But after a few days she got over it and then tried her hardest to protect Logan until she was no longer able.

this time they were guarding Amelia, she loved her human siblings!

• She had the droopiest eyes, even as a puppy.  When she closed them they never fully closed, but they never bothered her.
• She hated nail triming and ear cleaning.  If she saw me with a bag of cotton balls she would run the other way and then find a corner and just get her head as low to the floor as possible.  Same with nail triming, but I could never do that alone, I always needed help.  I was at least able to do her ears alone.

• She once gave a vet tech a bloody nose during an attempted nail trim, I also think everyone at any PetsMart grooming we took her to probably was not her biggest fan either.  She would buck like a wild bronco all the while shaking, and making this whiny/gutteral noise.  She might have been short but the girl was solid and heavy, she could cause some damage.
• I remember leaving her for my 4 month internship, I was so sad and I was just sure that she was going to die when I was gone. Not die from something happening but think that I had died or was never coming back and die of a broken heart.

• I dont think I will ever forget the eye issues at the end, especially the day it started bleeding everywhere and I thought for sure we were gonna have to put her down, so I called Lisa to come over and bring Annie a cupcake.  It was Nora's 1st birthday and we had cupcakes left from the party, Annie's 12th birthday had just passed but I didnt make her anything, but I was determined to celebrate her (what we knew would be) last birthday, so Lisa rushed over on her daughter's 1st birthday to bring me cupcakes and take Amelia so I could deal with it.  The weeks that followed were stressful and ultimately just over a month later she had lost her battle with the cancer that took her eye and her life, but at least she got that cupcake and the super yummy banana cake I made later that day just for her.

She was loved by so many people, but most of all by me.  I know towards the end of her life I didnt have as much time to spend with her, and I was a bit grumpier and didnt cuddle much (since she was so stinky) and it makes me sad, but I hope that she knew how much I loved her and that I will never ever forget her and she will hold a special place in my heart until the day I die and I get to play with her again.  She was my sweet annie girl, my school bus, my log, my fatty, my anniekins, my first baby and I hope she is living it up on the rainbow bridge with Chandler and all the other animals who had to leave this world way too soon :(

We did one last photo shoot with her on her final day, you can see how she lost all her color and she just looks tired, but I will treasure these pictures forever!!!