Chewing Gum: The Crack Cocaine of the Canine World

It looks so innocent in its wrapper, doesn't it? I indulge in it - we all love gum, don't we? So does my dog - when it's ABC. ABC? you ask. Yes, Already Been Chewed then spit out on sidewalks, in parks, on people's perfectly mown and weed-free lawns just begging for Annie to scoop it up and keep on chewin'. What's the big deal? you ask. The big deal is that I have to put my hand in her mouth and pull out that wad of corn syrup and germs. I've never been a germaphobe, but, ewww. That's right: for the past 11 months, almost daily, I pull someone else's chewed gum out of my dog's mouth because she just can't resist it, and she's not picky: HubbaBubba, minty, big wad or small. My baby's not alone. I hear all the time that other pet parents from all walks of life, single or coupled, struggle to prevent this addiction in their beloved pet, regardless of breed, and perform interventions as often as I do.

Until yesterday, that is. After telling her only three times to "Leave It," Annie dropped a white wad of some stranger's gum out on the sidewalk where she had found it. This wasn't a one-off, a fluke, either. On tonight's walk, she dropped another (the same?) piece of gum when I told her to. I'm cancelling that methadone order.

AnnieBanannie

Yes, it's been forever since I blogged. My digital camera finally gave up the ghost so I've been without it for about a year. Oh my gosh: Now that I've written it, I can't believe it's been that long! Anyway, it felt like I couldn't blog without it...so, I didn't. Erika generously gave me one of her cameras, and now I'm back in blogging business. It feels pretty good, even if the only person reading this is my mom.

Annie turned 10 months old on 30 September. I tell people that she's 80lbs of love and insanity, especially the kids it looks like she might traumatize when she tries to jump on them as they run past her in the park. So, now that I have a camera again (a camera that doesn't require me to take my film to Black's so they can put my photos on a disc), here she is:

Smiling nicely for the camera.

Sitting on her favourite forbidden spot.

Chewing a bone on the bed, which is better than chewing the bed. She has chewed bedclothes. This is a huge improvement.

The one thing the camera didn't capture is how green her eyes are. I'm working on it.

The Angel

A week ago, I would have told you: Don't be fooled, she's a wee devil. This week, she lives up to her pose. She not only looks sweet but is sweet: she's well-behaved, funny, eating all her apples, and sleeping 8 hours straight. Thanks to her nose halty, she walks right beside me without attempts to dislocate my shoulder or chances of traumatizing toddlers. Two weeks ago, Annie, at 16 weeks old, weighed in at 37lbs. Yup, she's gonna be a big dawg.

Meet Annie

Her full name is Colonel Anne, after one of my ancestors, Lady Anne MacIntosh, who rallied a bunch of troops from Clan MacIntosh in the 1700s during the Jacobite uprisings in Scotland. The king (deposed king? Scottish history is convoluted and I get easily confused by it - if it were the 1700s BCE, I'd have no problems with it...) - anyway, some king nicknamed her Colonel Anne. The really cool part? Lady Anne fought on the other side, not her husband's. At one point, her husband was arrested and put in her custody then when the political tides turned, she was arrested and put in her husband's custody. I think that's hysterical. I'm hoping to find an account of their personal lives together. That's probably some juicy reading.

My brother, Jason and his wife, Claudette, had decided to breed their golden Lab, Shiloh. She had eight puppies on the day I went in to have a cancerous mole removed. They were calling her Annie since she was three weeks old and it stuck. Annie was born 30 November and came home to me on 31 January. She is such an Annie: "Greek name: (meaning) gorgeous, kindhearted, rebellious, gentle towards others." (urbandictionary.com); or "a variant of Ann (Hebrew) and Hannah (Hebrew), and the meaning of Annie is 'favored grace'". (thinkbabynames.com)


I now get up at 6am. We have a fairly regulated eating schedule, which is new for me. She loves manhole covers and rocks. I call her My Little Geologist every time I pry open her mouth to remove the latest stone she's picked up. Even when she's sleeping, she's knows where I am and will wake up to follow me into the next room then flop down and pass out. Her favourite chewtoys = Curious George, froggies, beef tendons, and my hands. She likes cheese and hot dogs. I just found some recipes for homemade dog treats so will now bake for humans and dogs. She loves everyone she meets and will actually stop, sit and watch wistfully as every single person who has talked to her walks away. Funny and exasperating, all in one move. Her eyes are a stunning, clear green and I was told recently that they're very close in colour to my own.


The photo above is of her watching a big screen TV for the first time at Greg's, one my neighbours. She doesn't get to do that around here. We're more radio folk. Her current CBC boyfriend is Jim Curran. She likes traffic.