Cali Darling

I don’t have any children yet, but I do have one fur baby named Annie. Annie is a shih-tzu mix (we believe with Yorkie) who we adopted back in 2012. I say “we” because it was my mom, dad, and I who adopted her. Now that it’s just me, Annie and I just have each other now!

We adopted her from an animal rescue that takes in dogs and puts them in foster homes until they find their “furever” home. Annie was found at a warehouse and someone took her in. They called the animal rescue who came and got her the following day. However, while she was at that house, their dog got Annie pregnant! So while Annie was in foster care, she delivered 6 puppies! We would have loved to take one of the puppies AND Annie but all the puppies were spoken for. When we were on our search for a new dog, we met another one from the same rescue but it just didn’t seem like the right fit. So we met Annie and we immediately fell in love. The night we met her, she already had a bond with my dad.

We had to wait about 2 weeks before we could pick her up because she was still nursing, but when we finally did, she fit into our family like a missing puzzle piece. She bonded well with my dad, mom, and me. She had a special connection with my dad since he was home everyday while my mom and I worked.

Anyway, fast forward to now and she is still here and apart of my family. I noticed that she had been having some cloudiness in her eyes that I thought might be cataracts. She also was babying her left leg so I made an appointment with the veterinarian. I took her in and he didn’t even do any x-rays or tests before he told me it would cost $1,100 per leg to fix her. I obviously wanted a second opinion and made another appointment for the same day and this doctor was much more detailed and ran tests to find out what was wrong. It turns out that she has arthritis in her right leg, hip dysplasia in her left leg, and luxating patellas in both legs. The doctor said that surgery may be an option in the future but she doesn’t recommend it quite yet. We are starting her off on supplements and some injections. Her eyes are also just age and not cataracts.

Anyway, even with all that going on, Annie is still very active and playful! She definitely has mellowed out since we first got her, but she loves to play. When I first moved into this house, I had to carry her up the stairs but now she can do it all on her own. I felt like a proud mama when she went up by herself the first time… I imagine that’s how a mom feels when her baby takes their first steps. I asked the doctor if going up the stairs would be okay and she said yes and that having exercise will actually be good for her.

Annie isn’t very social with other dogs. She’s very submissive and definitely not “alpha”. She loves humans though! After bonding with my dad, she tends to gravitate more towards males when meeting new people.

I can’t believe how much love you can have for a dog and how much they become a part of your family. Our previous dog, Missy, was loved very much and we had a void in our hearts after we put her down. Of course no dog can replace another, but Annie definitely filled that void. She definitely has been good to have during this past year.

Do you have a fur baby? What kind do you have?