Anni Comes First

I saw Anni first that fateful morning at the gas station in Winston County, AL. Deuce followed behind her like, well, a little puppy. Anni still comes first. It didn't take long for me to realize that she was top dog.

If someone approaches them while they are in their exercise pen, they will excitedly jump up to receive attention (yeah, we are working on this). But don't even think you will be able to reach out to Deuce, because Anni will push him down so that she can get the attention. The other day my neighbor came over to give them some love. Once Deuce had his front paws up against the side of the pen, Anni came from behind, wrapped her front legs around his neck and pulled him back.

Anni is always the first one out of the pen and the first one to fetch any toy that I provide. If Deuce has something that she wants, he might as well go ahead and give it up. I am so glad that I have two puppies that can entertain each other and learn socialization skills from one another. They do a lot of play fighting. Anni is usually the instigator. Walking them at the same time, even around our yard, can be a nightmare. First we are walking along just fine, and then Anni will lunge at Deuce and wrap her teeth around one of his back legs. Here we go. She has let him know that she wants to play. After he breaks away, she bows down on her front legs (a universal and more polite way of saying, "Hey, let's play" in doggy language) and the fun begins...for them, not for me. She starts running and he follows. She can't go far due to the leash, so she begins running circles around me. I become a human carousel until I can reign them both in. A few days ago I was attempting to walk them both down the street before dinner time. Somehow Anni got away from me. We were near the corner of our street and another, where there is usually plenty of traffic around this time of day. She did her "let's play" routine, but this time she was able to run big circles around us (I still had control of Deuce). She would come almost close enough to be caught and then would take off again. She ran up into a neighbor's yard, then she continued her circular bolt out into the street. I just knew she was going to get run over. I was panicking, Deuce was encouraging her, and I'm sure any neighbor witnessing this was having a good laugh.

Sometimes the puppy playing escalates into aggression. I think Deuce gets fed up with Anni's attacks and starts to put the smack down on her. He is several pounds heavier, so he could easily dominate her physically. She, being top dog, does not like this one bit. She growls, shows her teeth, and looks rather vicious. Sometimes she does this when they haven't even been playing. I have eliminated most of this lately by putting Anni first. I read in one of my many puppy books that when you give attention to dog number two first, it upsets the balance. You are reordering their hierarchy. This applies to petting, walking, giving treats or toys, etc... If I pet Anni first, she supposedly gets frustrated and Deuce becomes confused.

Now, I make sure to pet Anni first. When I give them treats, ice, or toys, I present her with them first. When I take them separately for walks or just sit down with them to give them affection, the order doesn't really matter. But if Anni is in her pen and I place Deuce in there with her, I must give her attention (even if she has already been on a walk, etc...) or she will attack him. Yep, that's the adorable Anni that has been chosen to be featured on The Daily Puppy. Poor Deuce.

The Daily Puppy

The team at The Daily Puppy e-mailed me to ask if it would be o.k. to feature Anni on their site. They think she is "adorable". To me, both my puppies are equally adorable. I'll keep everyone posted on what day Anni will be making her debut. I am a proud momma right now.

Not My Fannypack

Check out what I just came across--a dog fannypack. This is not my kind of fannypack.

The Fannypack

Getting the Fannypack

Yes, I own a fannypack. It's an item that is so functional yet so uncool. The name even sounds uncool (who even says "fanny." Maybe it would be cooler if we called it a buttpack, bumpack, or even asspack. Well, those names just make me think of those padded garments that you can slip on under your clothes to give you a bum like J Lo. I think they even make jeans that have these pads built right in). If you want to go in style, buy a backpack, a purse or something, but by all means avoid the fannypack. In the past, I refused to even consider wearing one, even when visiting the places where these hideous items are commonplace and acceptable-- amusement parks.

So why do I now own one that I usually put on at least once daily? Yep, it's because of the pups. After I got the puppies, I quickly realized that I would need to take something with me on walks to hold dog treats and bags for poop. I immediately thought of a fannypack. And where could I find one? A thrift store. I love, love, love thrift stores. Some of my favorite clothes are secondhand. And purses--thrift stores have great selections. I'm not really a purse-to-match- every-outfit kind of girl, but I've made a vow to myself to hit the thrift stores instead of the malls when I do feel the rare need to pick up a cute little handbag.

On my visit to look for other stuff I could use for the dogs, I found my thrift store fannypack. It was originally a Wal-Mart fannypack. Yes, I can usually tell where items come from by looking at the label. My fannypack is by No Boundaries. Lots of stuff from Wal-mart and Target to be found at thrift stores. It's amazing how much better these clothes look on thrift store racks than on Wal-Mart racks. I love casual linen skirts and pants, and most of the ones I find at thrift stores say White Stag on the label--another Wal-Mart brand. Why do I even look at the tag, you ask? I'm not a brand name kind of girl. It's the fit I'm concerned with. Let's face it, a skirt from Wal-Mart is generally not going to be as flattering as a skirt from Talbots or Ann Taylor (other brands I often find at thrift stores). I must admit, though, that I am quite proud of myself when I can find something in my size from the Banana Republic or J. Crew collections at Good Will.

It was in good shape (the fannypack if you've forgotten after my digression), it was black (my choice color for almost anything from shoes and clothes, to backpacks, cd cases, laptop bags, notebooks, etc...), and it was $2.99. Perfect! It has several compartments. I place the treats in the front pocket, poop bags and a tennis ball in the next compartment, and my car keys and a travel water bowl in the next. I'm set to unfashionably walk my puppies.

What it Means

Ok, I own a fannypack. I know it's not a big deal. I know it doesn't define who I am, but it does represent a change in my life. There have been lots of changes, but I don't think I have payed much attention to them. Maybe I have been in denial. The fannypack helped me see that my priorities have changed or have been ignored. Putting the fannypack on brought even more home. It's hard to deny how big around your middle has gotten when you are wrapping something around it.

I am not 20 anymore. I am not 25. I am 29, at least for a few more weeks. Whoa! I am really an adult now. Yes, it is truly a bit shocking for me. I do feel and look older, and I guess I act older, but I'm having a hard time facing it head on. So many things are now adding up. I'm no longer confused about which section of the department store to shop in. In my mid twenties it was hard to find clothes that suited me. Should I shop in the junior's section? Well I was still young, but I was no Brittany Spears. Low-rise jeans paired with short, tight shirts were an impossibility for me. So, I'd head on over to the misses/ladies' dept. Old. Everything in that section just looked "old" to me, and most of it looked as though it was going to hide the great body that I still had at the time. I was walking near the clothes my mom wears for crying out loud! Where were the cute, age-appropriate yet young and flattering clothes? Oh, at the front of the store. Name brands with high price tags. What is a girl to do? Now, the junior's section is not even on my radar. I've become adept at finding the cute stuff in the ladies' department. And I must face the fact that what I find cute now may be something I thought a few years ago was only for "old" people.

If I sit on the floor for even a few minutes, I know that the first few steps I take are not going to be pretty. The same is true if I sit on one of my legs. I was browsing through some photos a couple of days ago that were taken at a wedding reception down in New Orleans in June. All the girls (face it, women) had on cute little dresses and all the guys looked quite handsome with their shirts tucked in. We were dancing, drinking, and just having a good time sitting around chatting. We had an even better time when we took our night-long journey down Bourbon Street. We were young, fun, and sexy. Of course the next morning we didn't feel so great. As I looked at these photos, I said to myself, "We look 'old'!" Here were full-fledged grown-ups. These are like the grown-ups I used to see when I would flip through my parent's photo albums as a kid.

Again, I know it is not a big deal--the fannypack or growing older. Now, I've just got to wrap that fannypack around my fat stomach and head into my new-found adulthood with purpose, positivity, and puppies.