FUN WITH ANNIE

My sweetheart of a girl has unbound-less energy.  It's all I have to do to keep up with her - actually, I really can't keep up with her.  She constantly surprises me.  After 9 years, Annie is still running around like a puppy.  I love to see her break into an all out run.  She appears to be an inch or so off the floor when she does this and all I have to do is stand still uttering an occasional word, clapping my hands or shaking my arms to keep her going.

What kind of crazy things does Annie do?  Well, for one, she wiggles.  Yes, wiggles.  Whenever she's happy (and that's about every evening when my brother comes home from work) she gets on her back, paws in the air and wiggles like a worm.

Annie also cuddles and will rub the top of her head, ears, eyes and snout over our cheeks and under our chins.  Annie is also a bit of a hoarder.  She will take her cookies and place them on my bed or near her dog bowl if she doesn't eat them right away.  Another funny thing she does is take a cookie but immediately ask for a second one.  Once she has both, she will either eat them both or put them aside for later in the day.

What really touches my heart is when Annie crouches down with a wide-eyed, hopeful look on her face and starts to hop around.  This is Annie's signal she wants to engage in play.  If I respond, she will run to her toy box and select a stuffed toy for me to throw.  After a fetch or two, she will break into a run, stopping to look over her shoulder to see if I'm chasing her.  This is a favorite ploy of hers when playing with other dogs.  Annie is great at getting other pets to engage in play.

Every evening I sit in my recliner to read or watch TV.  I love it when Annie crawls onto my lap and goes to sleep although I can only take about a half hour of this tops because at 42 lbs. she's a bit heavy to be a lap dog.  Of course, our mini massages are wonderful bonding time; I try to do this every day since Annie loves them so much.  She always appears calmer and quite serene after a session.

The best is when Annie shows her contentment by sighing.  She will do this if cuddling, sleeping on my lap or during a mini massage.  To me, it shows her complete contentment with what we're doing and makes me happy to know she's happy too.

Annie is a sweetheart - I love her so.