I know that Anna’s fans have been wondering about her medical situation.

The good news is that she did get spayed on 09/24/14 by the wonderful folk at MN SNAP. She was licking the incision a bit, so first we tried a necklace, and then a skirt, but she did not like either fashion choice, so I was forced to give up! What I really mean is that we tried to stop her from licking the incision by using a round neck pillow, which would not allow her to reach the incision – like a neck cone, but softer. I attached it to her collar with sewn Velcro strips, but she decided it must be like a stuffed animal, and was attacking it and getting the stuffing all over, so that experiment was over. So then I took one of my daughter’s old T-shirts and put it on Anna upside down, with the fluffy tail through the neck hole, the back legs through the arm holes, and the bottom of the shirt cinched up around Anna’s waist. That worked OK for two days, and we didn't need to have it on her when we were around her, because whenever she started licking, we just asked her to stop, and she did so immediately. It was just for when we were gone to work/school and overnight. Well, by the third day, the skirt outfit must have been unacceptable, because when we came home, it was off, and Anna had two large scrapes on her tummy from her exertions to remove it! So foster mom quickly decided that the incision was healed enough, and the licking was infrequent enough that we could quit trying to augment Anna’s wardrobe. Or maybe foster mom just knows when to give up.:)

Now the bad news: Sadly, the second type of antibiotics did not do the trick. The nasal discharge came back. I had started to think it might be gone, because it is less frequent now, or else Anna has learnt to quickly lick it away before I can see it. It appears most often right after exertion. Our walks are relatively slow and sedate, but Anna gets the zoomies occasionally, and that's when I notice it: When we go out to potty, she zooms around the yard in a humorous mood, just wanting to play and let off some steam. The exercise doesn't seem to hurt her, but when the discharge starts, she stops running - maybe because breathing is more difficult? And the running makes the snot run down her face all the way to her chin, poor, poor dear. When I can, I wipe the discharge gently off with a tissue, because when Anna licks it off, then she tends to hack up phlegm. Anna also sneezes fairly frequently, but this rarely causes her nose to run. She does not show any signs of allergies, i.e. no hot spots, no itching, no scratching, no red skin, etc. So, this week, she is going to have that scope procedure, so my next update will probably be about the results and any treatments.

In the meantime, let me tell you a little bit more about Anna and some of the things that we will be looking for in her forever home.

First, she is loving and sweet, but she needs a certain amount of attention each day, so we want a family that has time for her. There was one day last month when this became very evident. We got up early, because we were moving my older daughter back to college. We took care of Anna, and she got a short walk, but did not really get any attention. We left her home with our 17-year-old twins, but they slept in and then left mid-morning to go to Marching Band practice. My husband and I got home around 4:30, let Anna out and fed her, and then left to go watch a Marching Band show at 5:00 p.m. So we did not have time to give Anna attention until about 8:30 at night. When I got home, Anna followed me around like the proverbial lost little puppy – I literally could not take a step without my little shadow following me, right next to me. I felt so bad, and we've never done that to her again. We spend individual time together every day, because she needs it in order to feel safe and comfortable. And I’ll tell you, when she trusts you, she’ll crawl on your lap, and then lay her head on your chest and just look at you with those warm brown eyes of hers. If that isn't incentive to give her your time, then this probably isn't the right dog for you.

Secondly, by the way, is that we prefer a family that will allow Anna to occasionally crawl onto your lap(s). :) This means that you will need to allow her onto at least some of the furniture.

Third, Anna has a good sense of humor and is adorable on a regular basis, but she was never taught some of her manners, so she needs a family that will calmly correct her behavior when she does something inappropriate, like playful biting or inappropriate jumping. From everything I have seen, she is good with children except for the biting and jumping, and so I think any children in prospective forever families should be older than 8. However, I did meet one 6-year-old at a Meet and Greet, the daughter of another RAGOM foster, and I was impressed with how safely she approached and handled all the foster dogs that day, so younger, dog-savvy children are also a possibility.

Fourth, as mentioned in a prior update, Anna is definitely a middle-of-the-pack animal. When I say this, I mean that Anna is often wary when facing new situations. She lets me know that she is feeling nervous or uncomfortable by licking her lips or yawning frequently, or just by looking scared. I've included a couple of pictures of Anna to try to show what this looks like. The first is from the first day of school, and while Anna was willing to help my daughter put on her shoe, she knew something was up and looked a little intense at picture time. The next photo is from right after the kids left, and she had just turned over in the chair so her ears flopped funny, but if you look at her eye, you’ll see that while the concentrated stare is gone, there was still some stress, and maybe some sadness, too. Sometimes I have no idea why she might be feeling anxious, but I comfort her and talk to her, and she usually cuddles right up next to me, or she want to play, so I take that as a sign that she feels better.

The last picture is from just the other night. You can see that now both Anna and my daughter have big smiles for each other, both of them confident in their affection for one another. This is important from the standpoint of understanding what Anna needs from her forever family – she is not going to be the leader. And from a practical standpoint, if you do not have a confident resident dog that will go outside to potty with her, then a human must do so. That might seem fine now, but when it’s -20 degrees and windy, it will be less attractive.

Also, any resident dogs must have good canine etiquette or be able to learn it quickly, because Anna does not tolerate it well when other dogs get in her face. She will huff and puff, and put that other dog into its place! However, I do believe that with proper introductions, Anna can get along with just about any dog. For instance, it’s been a few weeks already, but I thought I’d tell you a few things about our day at Goldzilla – Anna thought it was GReat! She met lots of nice people and got lots of attention, so she thought that was just GRand. She also liked the other dogs, but we've learned that she is a proper sort of young lady, the kind who insists on polite introductions to other dogs – which means that Anna does not want her butt sniffed unless she knows it is coming. Dogs who came up from behind without any warning and just started sniffing were apt to get a sneeze, or even a snarl, and Anna would back off and look slightly tense, so I know she was not comfortable. So then I tried to make sure, as best I could (which wasn't 100% -- did you ever see so many gorgeous dogs in one place before in your life??), that Anna saw the dogs first before the butt-sniffing would commence. My intent was to make sure Anna was prepared to greet all her adoring public and that she could meet the other dogs carefully. Like I said, though, with neutral introductions, I believe Anna can get along with any dog, and the reason I think this is because she got along with my brother’s dogs, and one of them doesn't really like any other dogs. The first few weeks that Anna was with us, we were dog sitting for my brother. He has a two shih-Tzu mixes, rescues of course, but they were abused before they were rescued, and so they are frequently testy with other dogs. We let them meet Anna slowly, one at a time, at the edge of our driveway. We watched them carefully, and let them fuss a little bit at each other for a few minutes, but soon started rewarding them with attention and treats for tolerating each other’s presence without any kerfuffle. They did not become BFFs (best friends forever), but within two days, they could all stand to be within 18 inches of one another, snoozing on the same love seat. So I know that good things are possible, even when dog personalities are difficult.

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll try to let you know soon about her nose situation. In the meantime, please think positive thoughts for our sweet little Anna!