Archie and Annie a few years back

 Archie posing

Annie

 

Archie and Annie 

      Archie and Annie are two black and white 50 pound border collies that reside in Pioneer. I came upon the idea for this story because I used to always meet their owner, Dana Hunt, walking the two to the mailboxes here in Amador Pines. This had been a daily ritual of theirs over a period of years. Now, in 2012, I hadn’t seen them in what seemed like an eternity.  Suddenly last week I came across their owner, Donna Hunt, walking them once more. I couldn’t help but notice that the two were “greying”. That is to say they are growing older.

     Donna and Dana Hunt, their owners, explained to me that a walk to the mailbox that once was daily us now a rare occurrence. Archie and Annie, both 13 years old, are only able to manage the trip rarely. On this particular day the trip that used to take twenty minutes had taken over an hour. Age is overtaking them.

    As the owner of a 13 year old boxer mix I can identify with the aging process in dogs and humans for that matter as I am in my golden years. As I drove away the lyrics to a song came to mind. “Old dogs lie beside the door, they toss and turn scratch and snore. They fight again their puppy wars their playful battles raging.”

    Anyone who has owned a dog from puppyhood through old age or for that matter any length of time know that when our dog friends age its hard on us because as they age, a part of our life also passes into history.

   Archie and Annie came to live in Amador Pines via Pittsburg, California. From the start Archie and Annie loved the country. Here there were animals, deer rabbits, raccoons, that they could herd.  Border Collies are a herding breed. Even though the Deer didn’t feel they needed to be herded, Archie and Annie tried. They were never successful as anyone who know deer, knows they can outrun a dog. But that didn’t stop the deer from returning. After all, even deer and Border collies need to run once in a while.

   One day Dana and Donna heard the dogs barking.  They found Annie and Archie at the base of a tree out in their front yard. They glanced up the tree and there perched on a limb was a full grown mountain lion. Fortunately the lion was not hungry and before the big cat got away Dana and Donna managed to get a picture which too has passed into history. 

   These days Archie and Annie spend most of their time curled up at the Hunts feet by the fire. Annie is starting to have the classic signs of aging with fatty tumors and a skin tag that is growing.  Neither stops her from greeting all visitors. The two are brother and sister and have done everything together since birth. Still they both like to be petted and once the friendly greeting ritual is over, are content to lie on the floor at the guest’s feet. Despite aging they don’t want to miss out on anything.

    These days they have to share their owners’ attention with a white miniature poodle named Buddy. What they lack in energy Buddy more than makes up for. He is bouncing around all over the house making sure that he is noticed. Archie and Annie don’t mind as they lay beside the fire with its crackling warmth their owners never too far away.