My Angel Got Her Wings

Yes, my Anner-Bananer passed away. At the end of (good grief) last April, she just couldn't take any more. I made the heart-wrenching decision to take her in. It was HORRIBLE! I still miss her so very much. She was such an angel dog. She always made me feel that there really is a reason that "dog" is God spelled backwards. She gave unconditional love. She was always there beside me. She was my puppy that I will never forget. I really don't think there will ever be another like her.

I count myself lucky to have had her for almost 12 years. I got her when she was 8 weeks old from a backyard breeder down in Niles. I was teaching a cc:Mail class at Whirlpool back in 1995 when I saw an ad posted for Goldens. Of course, (1) I was not in a position to get a dog (I was renting), and (2) if I did get a dog, it was going to be a male and I was going to name it "Simba." Well, I thought I would at least go take a look at the puppies - all 12 of them. It had been three whole years since I lost Cory, my previous Golden. What a mistake!!! NEVER go look at puppies if you don't "intend" to buy! I got attacked by 11 puppies as soon as I stepped into the little pen they were in out on the grass. They all were on me, each one wanting more attention than the previous. One monster mutt refused to join in; instead, this little instigator zoomed around all the rest and then would crash through the little mob - tumbling puppies left and right. Of course you know which one I picked. Little Miss Independent. The biggest of 12. She was quite the raucous soul! And a mind of her own. She even told me her name. I had her on my lap in my Mustang, driving away, lamenting the loss of "Simba" and wondering what on earth this little thing should be called, when I looked down at her. Clear as day, she told me her name was "Anna." Ok. Anna she was! It even made her registered name easy to come up with. Her mommy was Candy's Classy Casey (or something like that) and her daddy was Sundance Jesse James. So "Casey's AnnaDance" she became.

For the first few months, she probably thought her home was my Mustang. She went with me everywhere - up to see Phil in Lansing, over to Grandma's, even to work. And she had it good. Every day we would share a Schwan's Ice Cream Cone. Everyone loved her at work. She was a princess!

Then we moved up to Lansing. Her new home was a teensy-tiny apartment. She was a perfect little girl, of course. Never barked, never made messes (besides the messes of things she would chew up, like CD cases. Not the CDs. Just the cases. ??? What's up with that?). She remained a secret there for 6 months! All the "locals" next to us loved her. She was so funny. She would "talk" to you whenever you saw her. She would sleep with us on the bed. She would get as close to you as she possibly could whenever she could. Yep - she was a Golden to the core!

She was a beautiful dog. Beautiful feathering. A very petite girl who was 27-inches at the withers. She seemed to get her slight frame from her momma and her height must have come from her 120-pound dad. In her prime, she was 90 pounds. Not a little one by any means. I did try to keep her very slim, though, since she had incredibly bad hips. The vet didn't know how she could even walk. It didn't slow her down, though. I think that's why she loved swimming so much. From 4 months old she was swimming. Her first adventure was right into the waves crashing on Glenlord Beach. She never looked back, even "diving" to pull any and all rocks off the bottom of the lake/river/pond she would be in. She was a nut.

She sure had a good life. "Living" in a car, practically - a convertible to boot; riding to Manitoulin across Mum's, Steve's and Bonnie's laps; swimming, swimming, and more swimming; splashing while she swam and then biting at the splashes - and then barking at the splashes, too; chasing squirrels; going down slides; chasing frisbees and tennis balls; bossing Shadow, Sammy and Wanda around (yes, she even tried to boss Wander around!); talking to Aunt Sherie on the phone; begging for Cheetos; walking down the aisle with my mom at our wedding on Mackinac Island. She was amazing.

She was Phil's buddy and Shadow's owner. She would not listen to Phil for anything. Shadow really thought he was her dog. He wouldn't make a move without consulting her first. Grandma Marge even taught her to beg for Cheetos. A dog that never begged!

Her last day was hard - for both of us. She had been going downhill fast by that point. The cancer seemed to have traveled up her leg. So with only one good leg, she had had more than enough. She made it four more months than I had expected. She had had a hard few days, so I called and set up the appointment a few days before hand. I knew I had to do it that way, or I would never have had the courage to take her in "right then" when I needed to do it.

I made her all pretty that morning. Nice and soft and brushed. She was all silky and gorgeous. Then I took her to the river...where she swam and attacked sticks and rolled in the mud to her heart's delight!

And then we had one last ice cream cone. And she had chocolate. Chocolate and peanut butter. Two scoops. She was just so awesome. It was so hard. But then the time came. I took her to the vet. They came out. I held her as she slipped away. It was very quick. I almost thought she was gone even before they gave her anything! She was ready. And, at last, I guess I was ready, too. So I let her go...