Annie Arrives!

Meet Annie!

Annie is the name given to her by her owners- but it really seems to fit. Red head, orphan....little orphan Annie. Except that she isn't that little, she is one of the biggest cattle dogs I've seen! She is a little chubby so that is part of it, but she still dwarfs my blue ACD girl. She is probably around 50 lbs, but has an ideal weight closer to 40-45lbs.

Annie was turned into the shelter in WV by her owners. They said that their neighbors had beaten her for being on their property. Around here not many people keep their dogs fenced in- but most people will just shoot a gun in the area/near the dog to get them off their property, not run after them and beat them. We suspect that it was the owners...and when they saw how bad her eye was they decided to turn her in.

Doesn't matter who did it- Annie is scared. She cowers if you raise your hand or lean over her too quickly. She is quick to flip over and show her belly to us. Within 20 minutes of being home, she started to really perk up with us. She LOVES to play fetch with sticks!! Her tail is docked, so she makes up for it by wagging her whole rear end.

We're going to work slowly to get Annie comfortable around strangers. Most cattle dogs are wary of strangers (and Annie will bark at people walking by the house). We're going to have every new person give her a treat and not pet her for now- just so she gets used to strangers = yummy food. If she is comfortable they can pet her but I don't want her scared by anything too much yet.

Annie is an incredibly smart girl so I think she'll catch on very fast. Maybe in an week she'll be seeking out strangers! She learned right away how to sit, and sits to cross intersections. She has yet to pull on leash too- quite a nice susprsie.

Annie has a LOT of love to give. She is adoring our attention.

We hope Annie can find a home that can take her to obedience classes, maybe agility too. Not just the PetCo basic obedience but a few levels so she can be a very well trained dog. She has the smarts and drive to learn- and it will also build her confidence a lot. Learning with positive reinforcement will help her feel happy that she is doing good, will further her bond with her adopters and is good all around!

Keep checking in for more updates on Annie! She is a great dog just waiting for a home and a chance to fully open up.