Please keep Annabel’s family in your thoughts as they recently said goodbye to their sweet girl.
Her momma writes: Our little Annabel earned her wings yesterday morning and is among the angels now. Just a week prior, we had lost her big brother, our beloved Great Dane, Otis. Her big brother was a regal, gentle ambassador for all Bulldogs who came along and she was no different. She would often snuggle up with him and on his last day, she was right there with him.
Our hearts were already grieving when she left, so her departure came as a sudden shock. She was thriving and tenacious as ever. It came with no warning, but in a blink, she was gone and nothing we did could bring her back. She went out on her own terms. True to her personality, when she made a decision, that was it and death was no exception.
She was a little lady of firm discernment and always on a schedule. She never let us forget when it was time for breakfast, lunch or dinner, time to potty, time for bed or cuddles.
In complete contrast to Otis, she was the tiniest in our home and yet she was the loudest. You could hear her tap dancing on the floors all over the house a mile away and her bark could blow the roof off.
For being elderly, nearly blind and mostly deaf, she always knew where you were and what was happening around her. She was always in the know, always in your business and always under foot. We couldn’t do anything without her help or approval. She always had something to say.
She was center of our home and the center of our hearts. It’s hard to believe they are both gone. We just weren’t ready to say goodbye yet! We had more adventures to take and more dreams to make!
Heaven gained two more saints this week and heaven just got a little bit louder with Annabel in the house! I’m certain the adventures will continue there, and St. Peter best watch his step because Annabel is sure to be underfoot, barking out the orders!
How blessed we were to have sweet Otis and Annabel. It will be so different without them! They made our lives happy. They made us laugh. They brought us comfort and they made us better humans. We will miss them dearly.
We are grateful to everyone who helped save these precious dogs for us to love and to all the veterinary staff who helped us care for them. We are grateful for every minute we had with these dogs, cherish the memories and look forward to the day we will see them again.
Hello everyone and Happy Halloween!
We went to the pumpkin patch and look who we found, Annabel and Samson Reid!
We are happy to announce that these two great pumpkins have been picked from the patch and are now forever part of our pack! Proud to say we foster failed again and got the best of the bunch!
We are beyond blessed and forever grateful to those who were part of their rescue and rehabilitation; from the animal shelters to LSBCR to the Frisco Veterinary ER to Brightstar Veterinary Clinic to Stonebriar Veterinary Clinic. So MANY compassionate people have been part of their healing love and care! Please know you are deeply appreciated and will never be forgotten.
To those of you following Annabel ‘s hospice adventures, please don’t worry, we will continue on her adventures and we will definitely continue to keep you all updated along the journey.
Hope your Halloween was spooktacular!
Please keep Annabel in your thoughts. She was found as a stray, but our friends in the shelter found her owners. They, in turn, relinquished ownership. Obviously, that was for the best, considering her gut-wrenching condition. Estimated to be 10 years old, she’s still very sweet and has the desire to be loved. Even if she only has a couple weeks or a year left, we want to ensure she’s given the dignity to enjoy her remaining days experiencing comfort and compassion for a change. Stay strong, Annabel. We have some good meals and meds coming your way!
We picked up sweet Annabel from the Colony Animal Shelter and brought her out to Dr. Larsen in Sulphur Springs for the urgent medical care that she needs.
She’s a very sad little lady. The Colony Animal Shelter folks said she was found 5/29/21 standing in the middle of a busy street, hyperthermic and sick as if she were asking to be hit by a car and put out of her misery. That image has haunted my mind all day and hurts my heart.
The Colony Animal Shelter took her to the emergency vet in Frisco when they found her, and thankfully before she had heat stroke. They said she smelled like a dead dog!
She was treated for multiple system problems due to neglect and being kept outside and exposed to fleas, ants, weather of all extremes. She is gaunt and missing most of her hair. Her skin is burned from the sun and the urine she has been exposed to. Her skin is infected and flaking off in places. All four of her feet were severely swollen from infection, her nails overgrown. Ears swollen shut from infection. Severe KCS -dry eye and entropion, to the point she has severe scarring in the left eye.
She reminds me of our Frannie in the sense that she has several mammary tumors, one is about as big as a plum and ready to rupture. She had significant lymphadenopathy when she was initially brought to the ER, but since being on steroids her lymph nodes are smaller.
Doc is going to complete diagnostic work up on her to evaluate her for metastatic disease. She is hoping to get the tumors removed once she gains some weight and stabilizes a little more, then we will bring her home.
She’s a very sweet dog who craves affection. I hope she gives us enough time to love her the way she deserves to be loved. We will send out more pictures in the next couple days.
6/18/21 Update: She had just returned from the ER in Frisco where she was treated for hyperthermia and infection when we picked her up. She’s a little brittle old lady who just needs some tender loving care, good medicine and a soft cozy bed indoors. We got to talking with this little lady and you know word gets around….Annabel heard of this wonderful veterinary clinic in Sulphur Springs that does amazing work on bulldogs. She heard of a very compassionate and intelligent doctor by the name of Dr. Larsen and asked that we take her to her for help. We said, “ yes of course we will!” So we scooped her up and put her in our car and took her to Dr. Larsen. She’s been with Dr. Larsen about 11 days now and already looks like a different dog. Amazing what love will do! She is working on gaining weight and getting her vaccines up to date. She is being treated for ear and skin infections, KCS. We are working on pain control for her hip dysplasia and spinal disease. She had basic lab work, fecal, urine and x-rays done and all those look pretty good. No evidence of cancer on x-rays so, she is scheduled for surgery 6/22/21 to remove the mammary tumors and then will recover for awhile at the clinic and then we will bring her home ! Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers and we will be in touch after her surgery.
6/22/21 Update: Little Annabel did very well with her surgery today! She went under for about an hour and had her ears packed, teeth cleaned, 7 teeth removed that were rotted, several breast tumors removed and a few nipple tucks that were sagging! The biggest tumor on her chest has been sent off for pathology. We should know results in 5-7 days. According to Doc under the largest tumor on her abdomen were lots of little baby tumors along the mammary chain that were dark in color, which usually indicates malignancy. Let’s pray for a miracle folks! This little lady deserves so much love still and I’m worried we may not have much time. It brings me back to our Frannie 2 years ago who had a massive 7lb mammary tumor and lots of little tumors in the mammary chains just like Annabel. I brought Frannie home same time end of June just before my birthday in July and lost her October 5th. It’s a bittersweet deja vu.
I want to thank Doc and her team for letting me be there all day during Annabel’s surgery and Dobie’s! They were both fascinating to watch and I was honored to help and be part of the miracle work they do. I took tons of pictures, but best of all I got to spend the day with amazing caring people, lots of precious animals and stay close to my sweet little Annabel. Ronnie will be sending out pictures and an update for Dobie’s surgery soon and some pictures have already posted to FB! All I can say is I’ve never seen a foot tumor like that before, reminded me of the Elephant Man. But Doc being the awesome Doc that she is took that hideous thing off and stitched him up neat as a pin as if it was never even there! Thank you to all for your prayers. Please keep the prayers going for these little ones as they recover. I’m hoping to bring Annabel home in a few days if she continues to do well post-op. I bought her a soft swanky donut bed today and a few other things on the way home. I can’t wait for her to snuggle into her new bed! Aunt Stacy Peek in our rescue family also made her a beautiful bandana too! She will need to grow into it some or get it shortened a little because she’s still so tiny, but the colors look so perky on her! It will definitely help her feel and look better! Surgery, a new bed and new clothes – all the best things to make a lady feel better! Fine food to follow courtesy of Chef Scott… and this girl will love the menu, it will be soft, flavorful and home cooked so she will never miss those nasty old infected teeth!
I’ll be in touch when we bring her home!
6/28/21 Update: As expected, the histopathology report came back with cancer. Unfortunately, it also has metastatic potential.
7/3/21 Update: Happy Fourth of July! Here’s to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness! And what a day to celebrate freedom along with my homecoming. It doesn’t’ get anymore beautiful than that!
7/23/21 Update: It’s me, Annabel, reporting in on my bucket list adventures extravaganza!
I never knew we celebrated birthdays until Mother told me all about it! She said every year, there’s a celebration of life for each of us with dinner, cake and gifts. How amazing is that!?
And we sing and dance too…. It goes like this…
Happy Birthday to me!
Happy Birthday to me!
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to me! Wooo Hooo!
We had such a grand time at my party. I got all dressed up, from head to toe! I felt so glamorous, kind of like a movie star.
I really enjoyed my cake, as you can see. Mother said I can have a piece every night until it’s gone. Dinner was fabulous too. I had something called a filet and it was simply divine.
If it were up to me, I’d celebrate my birthday every day. I guess I kind of doing that right now.
Mother said to make a wish when we blew out my candle. Do you know what I wished for Well first, I thanked God for one more day and then I wished for the gift of life… more birthdays!
Stay tuned for my next adventure. It’s just around the corner!
7/26/21 Update: I’m on my bucket list adventures and this time, it’s a Friday night slumber party with a Great Dane!
Yes … It’s tall meets small or small meets tall, but it’s definitely an adventure! Something everyone should do at least once, if not more.
Now, given the size of a Great Dane, I might recommend a king size bed, but on the other hand, a twin size isn’t so bad if you like to cuddle.
This handsome Dane in the picture is actually my big fur brother, Otis. He’s kind of intimidating at first due to his sheer size, but he’s really a gentle giant. I don’t doubt for one minute he’d do whatever it takes to protect me or my family, but underneath it all, he’s a big lover.
I don’t think we are at all biologically related, except that we have the same skin parents and we all love each other!
Love is such a beautiful thing! I haven’t felt love in such a long time. I’ve definitely never had a love like this before. It’s the kind that warms you inside and out and makes you feel cherished, it’s the kind of love that never dies.
Love one another, love with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and love like there’s no tomorrow. That’s what mother says and I can’t disagree. Good night for now everyone!
8/9/21 Update: Hello It’s me Annabel and I’m on my Bucket List Adventures …..!!
Well I left my birthday party tiara, boa and all and off I went to HOLLYWOOD! Yes that’s right! HOLLYWOOD !!! I was all glammed up and ready to make my paw prints on a star on the “Walk of Fame” there. This is a special Hollywood just for dogs and cats, they call it Hollywood Feed and the nicest people work there. They welcomed me with open arms and made me feel like a movie star! After I made my paw prints, I shed my boa and tiara and went bandana style into exploration mode. They gave me tasty treats, rubbed my head and told me I was beautiful. They had all kinds of amazing food, toys and beds there. You know what my favorite thing was? The BEDS! I love a good bed! I tried them all out small, medium and large, plaid to swanky. After much deliberation, I found the bed that was just right for me and that was a big swanky bed! I just melted right into it. We took it home and that was that. I had a glorious time in Hollywood and I brought the best part home with me. Hooray for Hollywood! Stay tuned for more adventures!
8/19/20 Update: I’m so excited to tell you about my swanky bed bucket list adventures.
I just loved Hollywood Feed last week and…..and you know how much I love a good swanky bed – big or small. Well, mother and I got to thinking: why not stack swanky on swank and make my bed super double decker swanky?
Well we did and …..TaDaaaaaaa! Mother said I looked like the princess and the pea…. all I can tell you is that I LOVE my double decker swanky bed. I just melt right into it and drift off into a perfect blissful dreamland!
I’m going to catch a few more ZZZZs, but stay tuned. More adventures of every kind are just around the corner!
9/13/21 Update: Special delivery! Special delivery!
You know, I’m not used to getting gifts in the mail, so I was quite excited when the mailman arrived today and told me he had a package from P Dawg Accessories for me! I thought surely he must be mistaken. But he wasn’t.. he did have a package for me!
Ms. Erika Wesson and Ms. Pippa Lou Snuggleton sent me a gorgeous colorful leash and matching collar! I feel so pretty in it, I just want to wear it all the time.
You know what makes this leash and collar so special? It was handmade by them just for me. Yep, that’s right! They made it special for me just because they care!
Truth be told: it made me cry. Their kindness really touched my heart. I hope to meet Ms. Erika and Ms. Pippa Lou one of these days and when I do, I will give them the biggest Bulldog wiggle and kiss ever!
Meantime, I guess I’ll just have to shop for more accessories on the P Dawg website. You know a girl can never have too many collars or leashes!
9/30/21 Update: Hello It’s me Annabel!!!
I’m still on my bucket list adventures and having a sweet old time! I’m enjoying vanilla custard you see and ain’t nothing better than that on a hot Texas day! Stay tuned for more adventures just around the corner!