Annabelle’s story is way overdue! It began a week after we lost our beloved coonhound Dakota on January 10, 2011. Our family was in such pain after learning of her disease and the second opinion we received to put her down. My husband and I made the decision that we needed to have another coonhound in our home, as soon as we found one that we all agreed upon. It was days after that I saw Annabelle on the website. She was a gorgeous, long-legged girl who looked incredibly thin, and had amazingly loving eyes. The photo showed her lying in the back of an SUV with her front paws crossed, so feminine and ladylike.

I contacted Jayne immediately about her condition and whereabouts. She suggested a couple of other hounds that I might consider, but it was Annabelle who “spoke” to us. Her foster mom Rachel and I exchanged e-mails and phone calls. The more I heard, the more interested and excited I became to get her to us. She was in Texas, and we are in California. What I had hoped would be a quick hop on an airplane, turned into a long process of heartworm treatment and recovery. We waited nearly three months for her, but through constant photo and video updates from Rachel, we trailed alongside her and her progress. When we saw she had been moved to the “Adopted” column of the website, it was so exciting that we knew she would be ours!

My three kids and I drove 90 minutes to the airport cargo area to meet her, while my husband was at work. I tracked her flight on-line and everything was going smoothly. When we arrived at the cargo hangar with not another soul around, we were asked to wait a bit. We were finally called and saw the crate sitting there, outside the roll-up metal doors. She was sitting near the back of the crate, reluctant and frightened. When we opened the door and put on her leash, her tail wagged and she came out and went potty right away. Her tail was high in the air, and she seemed relieved to be free of her confined space. She slept on her new bed in our van all the way home.

She is the sweetest, most gentle soul I have ever seen. We couldn’t be happier with our choice and again thank Jayne and Rachel and all of the volunteers who helped to make this adoption happen for us.

In September, we adopted a “friend” for Annabelle. Her name is Molly, and she has a story all her own!

MOLLY	MOLLY

MOLLY	MOLLY

I never imagined we had room for a second coonhound in our home, as we already have a large B&T, plus a cat, two adults and three children. BUT, in late September, when perusing the coonhound website, I saw this adorable puppy. I joked to my coworkers that I had found a playmate for our B&T Annabelle. Then I showed her picture to my husband. That was it. He wanted her in a big way! We knew Molly was in California, which is where we live. Jayne put us in touch with her foster mom, Tine. After speaking with her, we knew Molly was the dog for us! We were too anxious to wait to find volunteer transportation, so my husband made the 9-hour drive to Northern California to pick her up. She is now 9 months old and full of spirit! She is spunky, sassy and very smart. I don’t know that our intention of Molly being Annabelle’s playmate has come to be, although she has brought Annabelle out of her reserved shell somewhat. Daily trips to the dog park are Molly’s favorite adventure. She immediately runs through the gate, making lots of noise, as if to say, “I’m here, let’s get this party started!”