Here and There//Texas/New Mexico: Anna

This is Anna, the our new family dog. I signed the adoption paperwork for Anna on Friday before Labor Day weekend. Then we went off camping in the mountains while poor Anna had to stay in the pound, waiting for her surgery on Wednesday. At 5:00 PM I arrived at Midland Animal Control to pick up our new family member! She was groggy and obviously in pain, but very sweet and calm. She seemed happy to be lifted into the backseat of my truck and driven home. She wouldn't sit down and eventually worked her front paws onto the center console. When we got home and I got out of the truck, Anna jumped into my seat and exited via the driver's door. Ok!

Over the holiday weekend, Debi, Mary and I had a lengthy brainstorm session to find a name for our new white dog. I originally called her "Whitey" but this clearly was not suitable as a permanent moniker. The runner-up name was "Talcum", suggested by Debi, but we decided it was too awkward to say. "Anna" just seemed to fit, and it stuck, so Anna it is: I've already ordered the collar tags.

Anna is an English Setter mix. She is about one year old, I think maybe a little less. She is mostly house-trained and seems to have been someone else's dog. She begs at the table and knows how to sit. Anna is extremely skinny to the point of looking starved. She isn't so fond of dry dog food, but she does like meatballs. I might make her a few meals this weekend to fatten her up a bit.

I really miss Sabkha, and there will never be another dog like her. I thought Anna would help to fill that hole, but she hasn't. She's a different dog, cute, sweet, and I'm sure that, given time, we will all love her very much. But right now she does more to remind me how much I miss Sabkha.

In another three days or so, after her wounds heal, we can start to play fetch and other things with Anna. For now we are trying to keep her still, although she likes to wander the house, sniffing, and searching for Toby the cat. She also is a tick magnet so I spend time morning and night removing ticks from her fur. She's a little bit too curious for Toby's taste -- he's not a fan of dogs. Mary and I took Anna for a short walk this evening and she's definitely interested in other dogs, and even barked at some behind a fence. Sabkha knew not to bark... unless someone rang the doorbell.