I had been looking for a Redbone coonhound for quite a while. I found a few on the website but either they were too far away or the timing was off. One day while looking at the web site I saw a female adult Redbone less than 40 miles from my place in Santa Fe. I already had an adoption form on file so arrangement were made for me to meet Anni may in Albuquerque NM one Sat. morning in November 2013.

I drove down that Saturday morning with mixed emotions; I was excited and nervous at the same time. I had seen a couple of pictures of Anni May and had spoken with her owner that had put her up for adoption / rescue. It seems the owner had gone through a divorce and was now going thru a career change that would not allow him to keep Anni May. As I walked up to the front door my stomach was in knots, would I like Anni May, would she like me? I rang the front door bell and immediately knew a hound lived in the house. That familiar baying and barking was unmistakable. The door opened and I came face to face with the most beautiful Redbone face I had ever seen. It was love at first sight! I spent about 45 minutes with Anni May and learned about her training shortcomings. It was obvious she ran the house, she was food driven and a counter surfer of the highest magnitude, She was housebroken and had a doggie door. I was told she slept on her own bed at night and had some anxiety about riding in the car. I was also told she was good on a leash but had never been off leash and she was 5 years old. None of that mattered, I was in love and it looked like Anni May was OK with my human scents.

I said I wanted her and that was that. I walked her out to the truck and she hopped right in. We weren’t 2 minutes down the road when her car anxiety showed up in the form of whining and barking. In the 45 minutes it took us to get up to Santa Fe she calmed down a little but every time we slowed down she would start whining and shaking. It was obvious she did not equate good things with car rides. No worries I had faith that in time I could work on that issue.

We arrived home and the first thing I did was walk Anni May around her new fenced yard. I live on a acre that is completely fenced and that was a big change from the small yard she had been used to. I then took her inside and walked her around the house and let her get used to her new home. The first night when it was time for her to go to sleep, I put her dog bed on the floor in my bedroom. After I had been in bed about 5 minutes I felt Annie jump up on the bed and it was obvious she was not used to sleeping on the floor on a dog bed. No problem I don’t mind sharing. The next day I took Anni May to my Vet for a checkup and was told she was in perfect health and as a bonus the previous owner had all of her medical records and vet history from when she had been bought at a breeder in Calif. My Anni May is a purebred Redbone Coonhound!

The first week was a little rough on both of us as we grew used to each other. So fast forward to now, it has been a little over 8 weeks since we have been together. Anni May has turned out to be an amazing dog! She is so smart and loves to please. She has learned her boundaries in the house, she stays out of the kitchen cooking area, She will lay down when I am eating and wait until I have finished the dishes until she eats. She has learned not to beg or counter surf. This past weekend after walking her on a leash for a minimum of 2 miles a day we went to a local dog park, Anni May is great off leash. Her recall skills have improved 100% and she will stay within 50 feet of me at all times. She is great with other dogs and people, but at home she is a watchdog extraordinaire. She will bark at anyone she doesn’t know that comes to the front gate. As for her car anxiety she is doing much better, I have her in the truck every day and she no longer shakes and only whines for a few minutes when we first take off. I think she is making sure I am driving safely. She still sleeps on my bed every night and she has become a perfect hound!

Thanks to ABTCR for bringing us together.

Rick