ANNIE'S STORY
Owner: Bevalee

From: WHIPPET RESCUE
Dr. Barbara Henderson
Karen Carter

On October 27, 2001, I went to look at a whippet from a woman who had rescued her. There was an eighteen month old, skinny dog that was very withdrawn. Nevertheless, I decided to take her.

On the trip home, she started drooling and threw up almost all the way back with the worst case of carsickness I had ever seen. The rescuer told me that the person who owned her basically left her in a cage. I found out what that meant the first time that I tried to crate her. She would ram her head on the bottom of the cage until she almost knocked herself out. I decided to just leave her loose in the house so she wouldn't kill herself.

At the first vet visit, Annie only weighed in at 17 pounds and was infested with worms. After we got her healthy at 25 pounds, I had her spayed. I found out that she had escaped from her owner and was loose in the mountains for about a month or so at one time. Who knows how she survived in her condition or what she ate. I used to live in the mountains of Virginia and I know how cold it gets at night. She must have been tough to live through it, especially with no body fat.

Ironically, on that vet visit, the doctor was able to figure out that Annie was bred in West Virginia. She even knew the breeder because Annie was actually sired by one of her whippets. Surprising, we had no idea that Annie's father was in the waiting room for the next appointment so she got to meet him. I was also able to get her registration papers.

Today, I still don't know the entire story of her past, and I can only imagine by the condition she was in when I got her. She still has occasional vet visits as we think her immune system was weakened by her ordeal. She loves all people and other dogs despite the neglect she suffered.

Annie completed the basic obedience course and is now in the immediate classes. Greenbelt Dog Training has done wonders in building her confidence and teaching her manners. She went on to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test and is currently visiting as a therapy dog with the Pets on Wheels Program. Annie also is a member of the Greenbelt Dog Training Parade Drill Team and participates in many parades throughout the region and will be involved in various upcoming demonstrations as well.

She also loves to ride in the car and no longer gets sick. The only real reminder of her past is that she still fears abandonment despite all the things we do together. She gets very nervous when I leave her and trembles very hard. Since she is great with other dogs, I decided a companion might help. After 10 months of searching . . . . along came Chase, a whippet, her new 7 year old brother that I adopted. He is very calm, stable and quite the gentleman.

Annie still gets a little nervous when I leave, but she is not as bad as before. Chase curls up beside her and the trembling stops. I think with a little time, Annie will realize that Chase is there for her and she can let go of the past and enjoy her new life which will hopefully include an obedience title or two.