Little Memories of Hannah

Hannah, 2008

Cherries
We have cherry trees in our back yard (but, sadly, only winter photos).  They are horribly overgrown and at least one or two branches hang close to the ground -- and have for years.  We've thought about cutting them back but never have.  Some springs the branches are laden with cherries.  We often went outside to see Hannah picking and eating cherries, pulling them from the branches with her mouth, one after the other.  I think Hannah loved cherry season when cherries were free for the picking.

Sweating
On warm spring and summer days Hannah enjoyed laying in the grass, sometimes in the sun.  When she was first here it was a surprise to us to pet her and find her skin and hair damp.  We decided it was sweat.  She's the only dog I've ever known to sweat.  We mentioned this to her vet and he said dogs don't sweat.  We dropped the conversation at that point because it would have required us to return to the office when she was hot and sweaty.  We tried to keep her cool enough not to sweat.  It's a pretty unusual thing about Hannah.

That Wild Outdoor Smell
In the colder months, and sometimes in the warm months, too, when Hannah came inside after being out for 10 or so minutes, her fur had an awful smell to it.  She hadn't rolled in anything awful, it was just a smell on her fur.  It was wild odor and clung to her almost as if the air and wind carried it and attached it to Hannah's fur.  Thank goodness it didn't last longer than a few minutes when she came inside.

Toeclips and Toepads
Hannah never liked to have her toes clipped, and she needed it more than any other Airedale we've had.  Her toenails and fur grew so fast.  I tried to clip her toes every week or two but I never succeeded in getting them short enough for her to walk on the tips of her toes like some Airedales do.  When she first came to us her paw pads were very soft.  We guessed it was because she had been confined by a chain to a short area around her dog house.  They became more leathery as we took her for walks.

Dear, dear Hannah.  How I wish she were still here.

--Nancy.
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