It’s been a very long time since I’ve blogged. The initial intent of this blog was to write about the trials and tribulations of raising a puppy. That puppy has grown up and the need to write (or vent) is not as strong. Based upon her massive personality as a puppy, I would never have imagined what a beautiful adult dog she would become. Sure, she still has a quantum personality and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is what makes Annabelle who she is today.
She continues to keep us on our toes with her brilliance. Nothing gets by her more than once and her vocabulary is stellar. In looking back on an earlier blog of the words she knew at that time, I can add quite a few like: adventure, wave, fishy, special cookie (not the same as normal cookie), lettuce, lunchie, carrots, fly swatter, bath, Grandpa, swimmy, want some water, someone’s at the door, Check the door, easy, patience, speak, give me five, back in the bed, feather…and the list goes on. 
One of the things we wanted to ensure with this dog is that she would be comfortable with road trip vacations. We have taken several with her, and have never been disappointed with her flexibility and acceptance that all is good as long as she is with her people. I love that I can trust her to obey my commands and will also extend that courtesy to others who may also give her commands, including children. She never ceases to amaze me and she is what keeps me going every day and gets me out of bed every single day; even on the days I don’t want to. She is by far, one of the greatest pleasures of my life. She is always solid about almost everything. And if she isn’t, she has no problem letting us know how she really feels; in a very vocal manner.
We are lucky to have her and look forward to many, many years of happiness with our Annabelle.
My first lesson was just about the most frightening and exhilarating experience I’ve had in quite some time. When Kevin (my guitar instructor) arrived, we went downstairs to the exercise/music room and he dove right in going over the basics of the guitar and began my first lesson by drawing out a chord … my first chord – G major, which seemed to me to be about the most seemingly impossible finger placement I had ever experienced. Then came C major….I was wrong about G major this seemed even more impossible than G! Finally D major, which was easier that night; but has become increasingly more difficult. He also gave me the scale to practice and some finger strengthening exercises. He spent 30 minutes with me, and it felt completely over my head….however…I was giddy and excited about this new learning.
Annabelle is still on the fence about the whole guitar. She hates the tuner posts because the steel strings poke out and she bumped her nose on one. This infuriated her. She does tend to calm down though and lay by my feet when I practice the chords. She also seems very fascinated by the vibrations of the strings..She will touch her nose to the string and then sneeze and look at it.
It sucks to keep a dog leashed while camping and unfortunately, the park rangers seemed to patrol regularly, but there were several times we had her off-lead to play Frisbee. It was a real leap for me to give her that freedom. It was a great time. I think our next camping adventure will involve this sweet little unit (WITH A/C!).
Our second trip to Ely area occurred in the middle of winter, 2006. We had our Dalmatian, Hillary with us and she had a blast running through snow banks, racing across frozen icy lakes and generally being a goofball. TK and I also took our first snowshoeing trip into the BWCA. Now THAT was an experience. It was exhilarating to be the first ones to make a path in the snow as we shoed across the frozen BWCA lakes. It was easy to feel like we were the only ones left in this empty landscape….just us and the scrabbly pines.
So, here we were again in Ely. This time we rented a cabin on the most northwestern part of Shagawa Lake. Sure, this lake is a busier lake and certainly not in the BWCA, but on this particular week it was quiet and only filled with the occasional fishing boat. It was relaxing to sit on our deck (which actually sat over the water’s edge) and listen to the loons singing and laughing.
On Sunday, we took Dad to the dog park with us (my heart couldn’t take anymore off lead adventures in a non-fenced environment). Within one day, the park had gotten very mushy and sloppy, so this park is no longer an option until it has dried out. It was fun to see some old friends (dogs and people). And here is my last “first.” As we were milling around the front entrance, a couple of people commented on how obedient Anna was when I call her to me. Generally no one can get their dog to come when called at the front entrance, because all the dogs are congregating and there is quite a bit of chaos. She always comes when called and sits pretty right in front of me (treats are an amazing training tool). This was one of the first “proud dog mom” moments I’ve ever had. Both of us have worked hard on her obeying our commands and it seems that it’s paid off! The only thing I have to work on with her now is heeling off-lead. This will be my complete focus in the upcoming weeks. I know that Anna and I will succeed, because I am a good trainer….but more importantly….she is a very clever dog.
She smelled a challenge.
Anna’s Victories: 15,025
We headed into the park and it felt almost tropical with the warm sun shining down on us. After one loop (each loop is about a mile), we decided to go around one more time. This time we went towards the very back corner of the park. Anna was bounding around and enjoying the walk when we saw her stop dead at the base of a small scrub pine. Not only did she stop dead, she went into an instant point. Hmmm. 
As we were trying to figure out what the deal was, she started digging like mad in the snow and UP came a mouse in her mouth. With a quick shake of her head, a drop, and another pick up and shake...said mouse was dead. We got her away from it and she thankfully LEFT it and much better there was no blood. Blech. She was pretty damn proud of herself though. It was pretty cool, and yet not. I am undecided on the whole scenario.
Something surprising has happened since I've been training with her, which makes me smile every time I think about it. She has bonded even more towards me. She essentially looks to me for the next command and actually cuddles with me again on the chair. Sometimes it's a pain in the neck, but most of the time I really, really like it. Here's to more training!
Posts
