Another post by Michael S. - crazy dogs!!

Yeah, I’ve thought about taping Annabelle; a.k.a. Bellie; when she’s in, what we call, “a retard run”. It really is  pretty amusing. That’s not politically correct but it does give one a mental picture. To be sure, she is a character with a very funny personality. For example, whenever someone visits the house, whether she knows them or not she goes a little crazy. Running, jumping yapping, “singing” etc. We give her a rawhide “chewy” to keep her occupied. After a short while, she’s back to normal; or as close to it as she can be. Last evening, a lady from the charity D is involved with came over so D could sign some papers. As usual the craziness began the moment the lady walked in and a chewy was presented to Bellie. She ran to the patio door wanting outside where she stayed for about 2 hours working over the rawhide. When it was time to come back inside she left the chewy on the lawn. Then the thunderstorm arrived. Bellie was pacing back in forth in front of the patio door wanting out. This was unusual because she’s afraid of thunder and lightning.  I kept telling her no since, by this time it was pouring, but she wouldn’t let up. I thought if I opened the door so she could see and feel the rain  her begging wouldn’t stop. As soon as the door was opened far enough she bolted out into the rain. She was frantically searching, for something. Then it dawned on me what the object of her attention was.. the chewy! Finally, she ran back to the door - sans her beloved rawhide. I opened the door and she made a beeline, first to  the couch in family room for a quick retard run, and then to the loveseat for a 2^nd run. Keep in mind she was dripping wet and muddy. D ran for a towel while I cornered Bellie as she tried to make a break for the living room and it’s white sofas. There’s nothing like the stink of wet dog on one’s furniture. This morning I let Bellie out and she resumed her chewy search. It was laying on the grass next to the pool. As soon as she spotted it Bellie took it in her mouth and ran to the back of the yard where she settled down for a good chew session. She wouldn’t come in until the chewy was consumed.

One of the side effects of rawhides is they make Annabelle very gaseous. Believe me she needs no assistance in the emission area. As a rule when she “cuts one” it will clear a room … fast. In fact they’re so bad, she even leaves the room, so that has to tell you something.