Sweet Anabelle

Anabelle was a dog, a pit bull, a fighter.

Yes, she was a fighter, but not in the way you most likely thought when you read the words pit bull and fighter in a single sentence. 

Anabelle was fighter just to survive the abuse she endured at the hands of a human. She fought bravely against the diseases that took her life just a day ago. She suffered from pancreatitis, probably bone cancer and a variety of other life-threatening problems. She remained a fighter to the end.

Anabelle was a bait dog, with her teeth filed down so she couldn't fight back against the dogs who used her as bait in their training. Her body was covered in scars. Her wrists were broken, likely on purpose. A back leg was broken. She was most probably used to breed litters of puppies. And then she was dumped, left to die in a remote area of North Carolina. Obviously she was dumped someplace where no one was likely to find her. She was left to die, alone, frightened and in pain. I broke my wrist in a fall 8 years ago. It was incredibly painful, and human wrists are not weight-bearing as are a dog's wrists.

Anabelle was rescued and adopted by a loving family that eventually added two more special needs dogs to their family. All three dogs receive endless love and patience in their new family. 

Annabelle was so terrified, so shut down, that she spent the first part of her life after adoption hiding, cowering behind furniture or behind the toilet. She wouldn’t even look at people. But gradually, she came to understand that these people, the people who adopted her, would not hurt her. 

Surgery helped Anabelle, but walking was still a challenge for her. When she needed to go a distance, her mom pushed Anabelle around in a stroller. Despite her difficulties, Anabelle remained sweet and loving. She loved to play with Boone and Crew, her disabled brothers. All she wanted was to be loved.

What I will remember most about Anabelle was her playing with her plastic bucket. She used her muzzle to push it along the grass, running after it and pushing it again and again. She also was usually photographed while wearing a pretty bandana, many of them sent by her fans.

Anabelle's early torment left her with injuries both visible and invisible. Changes in her environment frightened her, but she was, as I noted above, a fighter. She gradually overcame many of her fears. Despite her torture and abuse at the hands of humans, if I may use that word loosely, she loved meeting new people. Her human mom took her to schools to help teach children that just because a dog, or a person, is different doesn't make them less deserving of love.

I never got a chance to meet Anabelle in person, but I followed her online adventures each day with great anticipation.

Anabelle is now at peace, free of pain and able to run and chase buckets as much as she wants. She doesn't need to fight anymore.

Be at peace, sweet Anabelle.