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ANNIE'S SONG
Page 1
By Billie Humphrey
A refrain vibrated - then repeated in the warm
spring air. Joyous celebration was being sung in the
wind, if you were sensitive and paid attention you
could feel it. It was Annie's song.
The travel from New Mexico to Virginia had left
Annie tired and shocked. She looked around and saw
nothing familiar. Suddenly she was being moved about;
rather the large shipping crate that she was in was
being taken someplace.
The crate door opened. With a gentle tug a lady
urged Annie out and flung her arms around her in a
giant hug. Instantly, Annie responded! She wiggled and
wagged her tail, threw back her head and out of her
throat issued this amazing sound. Pam laughed. Billie
had told her about AnnieUs song. She snapped the new
purple leash on the matching harness Annie wore and
took her home to meet her new family.
Annie's short life had been filled with changes.
Her earliest memories were being with her canine
family, her mother, brothers, and sisters. Then for a
brief time she was with Jim. Next it was Betty's
family. The best time was with Cliff, Billie and
Dexter. Now she was with someone new.
*** *** ***
Jim picked Annie from a litter of "Free" part
cattle dog pups in front of Wal-Mart when she was only
7 weeks old. Jim and his buddy Sam stopped to look at
the box of wiggling puppies. Instantly Jim noticed the
white one with apricot markings. She had one brown eye
and one blue. One ear stood up straight and one bent
over. He liked her; she was different from the
others. However he didn't realize how.
On a whim Jim took her home. Alone without her
brothers and sisters to give her clues about what to
do, Annie felt scared. She had to learn how to eat out
of a dish, to sleep by herself and begin to figure out
what was expected of her in her new home. There was no
one to watch for clues - no one to help her. Her new
owner didn't know that Annie could not hear and that
her vision was impaired.
Jim, a young college student had never had a dog
before. When he took the puppy home he thought she
would be like a new toy. One he could play with then
put aside when he was busy, bored, or disinterested.
But for Annie, much of her learning to cope in the
world depended on Jim.
The arrangement was doomed from the start. Jim
didn't realize that puppies are babies that have to be
cared for, protected, and trained. He had many interests
and little time or patience for a puppy
that didn't come when called or didn't even flinch
when he yelled at her. Maybe she was just stupid or
stubborn. It never occurred to him that she could not
hear. Inevitably Jim lost interest and Annie was left
to fend for herself. Oh, he fed her but that was aboutall.
The next few months of Annie's life were lonely.
But Annie didn't feel sorry for herself long; soon she
began to investigate what her world had to offer. She
learned about being outside on her own in a small pen
and how the warm sunshine felt on her coat in the
morning after a cold night. Everything attracted her
attention.
She watched every movement, a blowing leaf, or a
bug crawling across a rock. Light and shadows
especially fascinated her, so she invented games with
them. When Annie noticed her shadow she would chase it
back and forth, running and leaping with it - then try
to bite it on each turn. It was great fun! On the rare
occasion of any human attention she wiggled and jumped
with glee, but those events didn't happen often.
When Jim's buddies wanted to play with
her, Annie did't respond to their instructions and
calls. Jim would be angry, hit her and disciplined her
with threats and kicks. Yet, even with this unkind
treatment, Annie wanted to please and to do what they
wanted. She just couldn't always figure out what it was.
Jim's roommate, Sam, had a visit from his mom,
Betty. She loved dogs and within a few minutes was
playing with Annie. When Betty threw her the ball,
Annie would often miss it. If she were looking the
other way when the ball bounced near her, she would
not notice it. When Betty clapped her hands and
called, Annie would not come unless she was looking at
her. Only the times that Annie was watching Betty very
closely could she understand what was expected of her.
Betty was puzzled.
After playing, Annie fell asleep exhausted under
the table. Betty was running the vacuum cleaner and
without realizing it had practically ran over the
sleeping pup. Although she came within an inch of her
with the noisy machine, Annie never moved a whisker or
blinked an eye. Betty knew then that Annie was deaf.
Not only deaf but it appeared her vision was limited.
Betty relayed this information to Jim and Sam.
Everyone realized Jim simply could not give Annie the
care and help she needed. Betty felt sorry for Annie
and offered to take her home.
In her new home with Betty there was a big happy
Chow. Annie was delighted to have Brutus to play
with. He would let Annie bite his fur and hang on to
him. She followed him everywhere, watched him
carefully and did whatever Brutus did. She was
learning new things and it was great fun.
Sometimes Brutus and Annie would get to come inside
the house and Betty and her daughter would pet and
play with them. That was the first time anyone heard
AnnieUs song. She was so happy, so excited that from
somewhere deep inside of her came this vibration. Her
whole chest quivered and out of her throat emerged her
song. Of course Annie didn't hear it, but she felt it
explode out of her. It sounded like a cry, but at the
same time like a little bark, or maybe it was a whine.
But whatever the sound, it was from her joy and
delight of being with humans that loved her. Annie's
life, her world, had taken on new meaning!
One day Annie and Brutus had gone to the back part
of the yard where there were strange and new things to
be discovered. Especially a big fishpond. They
frolicked at the edge of the water, splashing and
chasing each other. As they ran, nipped and bit each
other suddenly they were in the water. Annie could
barely see something moving in the water, it was like
her shadow so she chased it and bit it. Soon four dead
fish floated on the surface of the water.
That evening when Betty's husband went to feed
the fish, he was furious when he discovered the dead
fish. "Those dogs killed some of the fish." He said.
. "It must have been that pup. Iwant you to get her out of here before all my fish are dead."
Betty realized it was time to find another home
for Annie or it would be the animal shelter. But, so
far she couldnUt find anyone who would take a deaf
dog. "How are you going to control or train a deaf
dog?" people asked. Betty, disheartened, didn't know
how to answer them.
The next day after the fish incident Betty stopped
to pick up some parts for her husbands business. She
began to tell the owner, Neil, about the little deaf
dog and her problem of finding her a new home. Neil
said, "Our neighbors have a deaf dog. Maybe you could
ask them to help you."
So, Neil and Betty went to see Cliff and Billie
and their deaf dog Dexter. Betty explained about
Annie. Then asked if they might be interested in
taking her. Quickly, in unison, Cliff and Billie said,
"No, we have four cats and Dexter that's enough."
Betty left discouraged.
Not more than twenty minutes had passed when
Cliff and Billie looked at each other, both knew they
were thinking the same thing. Billie said, "I can't
stand to think about that poor little deaf dog going
to the pound. With all the hearing dogs there, no one
will adopt her. It will mean her death. We should at
least go look at her. Maybe there is something we can
do." Cliff agreed emphatically. They spoke to Neil,
got Betty's phone number and called her. They would
come see Annie the next day.
When Cliff and Billie drove into the driveway
they saw a big brown Chow with a pup following him.
Cliff pointed, "Oh, look that must be her."
"Gosh, isn't she cute! She is the same color as
our cat Alex. I love the way one of her ears flops
over and one stands up straight," said Billie.
That was all it took. Their hearts melted. They
both knew they had to help her. When they left, Annie
went home with them.
Cliff and Billie decided that they would give Annie
a foster home until they could find a permanent home
for her. They would start teaching her hand signals so
they could communicate with her as they did with
Dexter. Billie had learned about a web-site to help
owners of deaf dogs.
Annie adjusted quickly. She loved Dexter, the all
white Jack Russell Terrier, who like Annie, had been
born deaf. Now, she was allowed in the house whenever
she wanted. She watched Dexter go in and out the
doggie door and immediately caught on what to do. She
and Dexter would romp and play and have a great time
together.
Annie was learning to communicate. Cliff and Billie
would get her attention, then show her a hand signal
to indicate what they wanted. When she did it she was
praised and petted, then got a treat. Annie learned
very quickly to come when signaled, to follow me, to
stay where she was, and when she would not see
something they would point to over there and she would
know to look.
Annie's song could be heard many times throughout
the day. Whenever Cliff and Billie would talk to her
(even though she couldn't hear) and pet her she would
sing her song. Now she had a lot of human attention
and she was learning about love.
After about seven weeks, Billie decided, "I'm
going to put Annie's pictures and information on the
Internet on the adoption page of the Deaf Dog
Education Action Fund. We need to find her real home."
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