(Annabelle, Bellers, A-Bell, Mammas)
In the recent weeks, I have been missing my dog that had to be put to sleep lately. Her name, Annabelle. My husband and I found her through a friend named Wendy Lewis. Wendy, at the time had an animal rescue adoption center out of her home, when she used to live in New Milford, Connecticut. My husband and I were looking for a dog back in 2013, three years after we got married. We didn’t have a child right away after we got married, we at the time weren’t thinking about having kids, we were just enjoying life and doing our thing. Getting a puppy was important to us and we also knew that we wanted a pit-bull.
Jason used to work with Wendy at Danbury Hospital. Jason knew that Wendy had a dog rescue at her home so he reached out to her and I think it was fate, because she happened to have blue nose puppy pit bulls that all needed homes.
We were so excited and couldn’t wait to go and see them. When we got to Wendy’s House and we saw all the puppies, we knew which one we wanted right away. She had a distinct snout with a half grey half white on it. She kept coming over to us as we looked the puppies over and it was then that we knew that she was the one. I knew in that moment that I would name her Annabelle. She was the one. She was more than perfect for us.
Annabelle was born on December 6 of 2013 to a Momma Blue Nose Pitt named Storm. Storm came from Waterbury, Connecticut. Wendy received a phone call in December of 2013 about a pregnant dog that had been tied to a porch in Waterbury. He must have been traveling through Waterbury and happened to find her because he lived in Torrington. A guy took her and she had her babies that night. He had no idea what he was doing and Storm was so incredibly emaciated that he didn’t know what to do. So he contacted Wendy to see about having her rescue Storm. The man traveled all the way from Torrington, where he lived to New Milford to drop Storm off in just a few short hours along with her eight babies.
Wendy said that Storm was a wacky mom, she had no idea what to do for her babies, but she tried really hard and was patient and sweet with her pups. She even ended up lying on one of them. She didn’t mean it, but she didn’t know what she was doing. Wendy said the puppies were so good and as time went on and Storm got better that she became an amazing mom and dog. She loved her puppies and everyone, she didn’t have a mean bone in her body and she appreciated everyone. Wendy kept Storm until all her puppies were adopted out. Storm then went to live with the guy who originally found her from Torrington along with Diesel, one of her boy puppies, her son.
Wendy said that at one point the man was trying to rehome Storm and Diesel for what reason she does not know, he contacted her and said that he couldn’t keep them anymore. Wendy reported that at that time she was no longer doing the recue out of her home and unfortunately could not take them. He got upset with her about this, but her hands were tied there was nothing she could do at that point in time. Wendy also reported that she was really upset by this, she thought that he would take care of them forever. After that, she says she didn’t know what happened to them, unfortunately and it bothered her for quite a while.
Wendy reported that she did not know what happened after that.
If you look at some of the pictures posted, you will recognize Storm right away because she is emaciated and you can see her bones. How anybody could do that to an animal is beside me. We quickly learned that Storm’s story is just amongst one of many dogs that this unfortunately happens to, especially pit bulls in particular.
We prepared for her and had the apartment all set up for her. We had a crate, toys, bedding, blankets, water dishes, food dish, leash, collar and anything else you could think of that a puppy would need to feel at home. I even made her, her own binder for all of her medical reports, vet visits and doggy daycare visits. I documented everything.
I remember when we first had her for just a few days I brought her with me over to my cousin’s Sue’s friend Cathy’s house that she was moving out of in Waterbury. We were helping her to move and I brought her in the garage and she got into rat poisoning pellets and I freaked out and rushed her to the Veterinary Hospital in Newtown, where they had to give her charcoal to make her throw up, it was awful. I was crying and so upset. I called my mom because it cost me almost a thousand dollars for that visit. That was a smack to the face reality check of how expensive I soon realized that she would be to take care of. I wasn’t thinking of the money when we got her. My mom said, this is how it is when you have an animal. And I had literally just gotten paid and almost my whole paycheck was gone on that visit.
Jason and I had literally no clue as to how similar it was in taking care of an infant for the first time. We quickly realized how awesome of a responsibility that this would be on us. We both had to work and she was a puppy, 3 months old and we could not leave her alone all day long in a crate. I was teaching and I wouldn’t have my summer off not for four more months. We had to do something. We contacted Wendy and asked her if she knew of anybody who could help us with her while we were at work. She gave us the name of woman named Donna McNerney. Donna was a dog walker at the time and so we contacted her and we met her and we hired her to walk Annabelle during the work day. Annabelle was crated right from being a pup, so she was used to a crate. At night for bedtime we had a doggy bed and we put it on my side of the bed and she would sleep in that at night. Annabelle right from the beginning was a sweet, gentle and loving puppy. Donna was awesome, very trustworthy, responsible, compassionate and dependable. And when Donna wasn’t available to take Annabelle out, we would drop her off at daycare.
One day in October of 2014, Annabelle was reported by Donna to have gotten out of her crate. She was very smart and so the crate was locked shut and Donna texted to me while at work that when she took a closer look at the crate that there was a door on the top of the crate and it was not locked. She must have climbed out through there. Donna said that she went to town chewing the iPad case and our paint swatches. She said the gate was to the other room was knocked over to the cat room and she got into the kitty litter and Donna sent us a picture of the scene of the crime.
Donna had a dog named Kasey, and the two would play together so nicely. Annabelle loved her.
Growing up, I had a family dog I can remember and his name was Freckles. Freckles was a mutt. He was a good dog, but he bit. And so in the back of my mind all the time with Annabelle, I was secretly worried that she would bite. I knew it was the trauma that came from our childhood dog biting people. I kept thinking, is she going to bite someone? I knew it was transference. I had to push that out of my head because she was such a sweet dog, she would never do that and she never did. Annabelle was sweet like her Momma. And, I had to reflect in my energy to her that I was calm and not thinking that, because she would pick up on my senses. Dogs can perceive and respond to human emotions such as happiness, sadness, fear, and anger. They interpret these emotions through various cues such as:
· Facial Expressions: Dogs can distinguish between different human facial expressions. Studies have shown that dogs can differentiate between happy and angry faces, suggesting they perceive angry faces as aversive.
· Vocal Tones: Dogs are sensitive to the tone of human voices. They can discern between positive and negative sounds, reacting accordingly.
· Body Language: Dogs observe human body postures and gestures to gauge emotional states. They respond to cues like pointing or nodding, which helps them understand human intentions.
Little did Annabelle know that she would have a wonderful life. We were going to say thank you to Storm who had a very traumatic life by honoring her by taking such good care of her daughter, Annabelle and give her the life that she never had as our way of saying thank you Storm.
Annabelle was so incredibly loved. We would take her everywhere with us. And everywhere we went with her people would stop us and want to ask us questions about her or they were in aww of her beauty and just wanted to love on her.
Donna, our Dog Walker, would take care of her during the days we were at work and when Donna couldn’t come to the house and take her out, my father would or we would put her in Doggie daycare. The name of the two doggy day cares that we would go to were WAGS Doggie Day Camp or Furry Friends. When she would go to the daycares, they both had apps that would connect your phone to their doggy cameras and I could check in on her during the day while at work, go on my phone open up the app and see what she was doing.
Annabelle right from being a pup was good with other dogs. We exposed her as much as we could to other dogs and she had fun with them all.
We would also take her to play with our friend’s dogs and my cousins, Sue, her dog Gemma, who is still living by the way. Where we lived at the time, we would let Annabelle out on the deck and she would go into our neighbor’s house, Diana back and forth she would go between our condo and hers. I would buy cute head bands for her to wear and she would let me put them on her and she would wear them. She never once tried taking them off.
If Jason and I had to go somewhere for any length of time, we would ask Wendy to watch her and she would. Wendy would send us videos of Annabelle playing in the kiddy pool that she had and updates with pictures of how she was doing. When we would bring her in the car for rides she would sit really well and look out the window, but you couldn’t leave her in the car because if you did, she would bark. She didn’t like being left alone in the car and so we wouldn’t and didn’t. She was smart.
We literally brought her everywhere with us and she loved it! She loved being with us. I use to run and so she would be my running partner when I would go running. We would bring her down to the lakefront in Danbury where she loved to swim and put her whole face in the water.
When Annabelle was a puppy, Wendy, she exposed Annabelle to a lot of things to help train her. This was great because she was a pup that was not afraid of things. For instance, during thunder and lightning storms, I would bring her out on the back deck and we would sit there and listen to all of it and Annabelle wouldn’t flinch. At feeding times, she was asked to sit and wait to eat. Her bowl would be placed down on the ground and she would receive a command to sit and stay for thirty seconds then she would be given a command to eat and then she would. She was such a good girl. Everybody loved her. She made a big impact on people.
Annabelle also was a dog that wouldn’t jump on people when they first came in to greet them. I believe Wendy trained Annabelle not to do that.
Annabelle was spoiled. We would get her pup ice cream from different ice cream shops. We bought her a whole wardrobe of sweaters for the winter time, fancy collars and head pieces, professional photos done of her. She was literally like our child. Doggy snacks from her doggy daycare centers. She was well kept and loved. I would bathe her once a month in our tub and she was good about bathing, she never tried to get out of the water, she would sit there and let me wash her and she enjoyed getting a bath.
We had so many great adventures with her. I remember one time I took her down to the lake front to go swimming and she rolled in a dead fish. Naturally I had to bring her home and bathe her, the smell of the fish lasted on her for about two weeks. She was always getting into something.
I would bring her to play with my cousin’s dog, Gemma at the prison where my husband works. On the prison grounds was a place that was fenced in and we would let the two dogs play together with each other there. That area now has since been taken down and filled in with cement.
We were living life, enjoying it and we had a steady routine now for Annabelle to follow. Fast forward to May 18, 2014-the day Jason, our son was conceived-life as we knew it was about to change again. Annabelle was great during my pregnancy. She knew that something was different and she wanted to be around me all of the time. Little did I realize how incredibly difficult our life would be once the baby was born and not only having to take care of a baby but also her at 15 months old, still a puppy really and I had really bad postpartum depression on top of it all.
Jason was born on February 18, 2015, a Wednesday. We went home on Friday of that week. My parents brought home a hat from JR wearing it to have Annabelle smell his scent so she wouldn’t be alarmed when we came home with the baby. I am not going to lie, in the back of my mind I was a little worried that she wouldn’t be okay with JR, but that was just my own insecurities from childhood with our childhood dog.
When we brought him home she was super excited and wanted to see what we had with us. She was always forceful with her snout wanting to see and smell what we had in our hands. I took JR out of the car seat carrier, sat down on the couch and let Annabelle smell him and she did. She gave him kisses too on his forehead, she was very gentle and loving and that’s how she remained with him, she was JR’s little buddy. Whenever he was sleeping in his bassinet she would sleep right by him. She always wanted to be where he was. She was gentle, kind a loving towards JR.
Annabelle was the kind of dog that if a small child was over and accidentally pulled her ear or her tail she never reacted aggressively to bit them, she never ever did that. She was always gentle.
In the summer of 2015 I went to Staten Island for two weeks to visit my in-laws and I brought Annabelle with me. She transitioned well, having played with other dogs in daycare she got along with my in-law’s dogs well. She was chill. My postpartum wasn’t getting any better and it got harder and harder to not only care for myself, but my son and Annabelle. We struggled through it up until October of 2015.
On October 21st of 2015, my sister’s dog Madison a boxer, pit-bull mix had to be put down. My father cared for Madison. You see my father is a Vietnam Vet, and so with having served, he needs to have a dog. So, my father took over the care for Madison, once my sister moved out of our childhood house where we grew up.
I remember taking Madison downtown Bethel, most days and hand my car keys to Becky Riley who worked at the CITCO Gas station, she would hold onto them for me and we would go running together. She was a good dog too.
My father was devastated when Madison had to be put down. A little time passed and my father would come over to our condo in the mid mornings and take Annabelle out to go to the bathroom and to get exercise. I will never forget my dad came to me one of those mornings shortly after Madison passed after having walked Annabelle and said,” if you feel like you can’t take care of Annabelle anymore because of everything that is going on, I would be more than happy to take care of her for you”.
The next morning, I took Annabelle outside to go to the bathroom with JR in the carrier in one hand the Annabelle in the other hand with her leash. I remember she pulled me and I slipped on the ice of the sidewalk and I fell. Somehow I managed to keep the carrier from falling and I was flat on my back. I called Jay at work and told him what happened and so we agreed it was time to let my dad take over.
As much as I loved Annabelle so much, I wanted my Dad to be happy again and have a dog, so we gave her to him.
We were upset, but what could we do. We couldn’t give her what she needed anymore and we knew that my father could and he did. I don’t remember if we called him up to tell him or just went over there with Annabelle to transition her. All I know is that, that action made my dad happy. If there was something Jay and I could do to help him, well then we felt good about that.
Annabelle was extremely well taken care of by my father, I would say to the point where he took such good care of her that he made us look bad as dog parents. My father poured all of his love into Annabelle and she loved him right back. I soon didn’t feel bad about giving her to him anymore, because I knew that he would and he did. Annabelle and my Dad became best friends. She always wanted to be near him, it’s like she instinctively knew that he needed her. She was very loyal to him.
Annabelle would sit by my father’s side when he would eat dinner and if my father was having ice cream he would let her lick the bowl. She loved ice cream. She also loved bananas. She loved any kind of food really but she especially loved ice cream. My father was her Grammpy.
Whenever my father was away, she would sit on the bay window and look out waiting for him to return. When he did return and we would say to her, “Annabelle, Grammpy is home!” She would fly off the bay window and run to the door. She loved him.
Annabelle, did cost a lot of money and knowing now what I know from then, I will get pet insurance the next time we get a dog. Annabelle because of her breed had a lot of medical complications and so we frequented the vet’s office a lot. She even need a surgery for a torn ACL. She always had skin issues and was allergic to just about everything, we had to place her on a special diet just for her skin issues and the food she was on was no inexpensive. None the less whenever she had to go to the vet we brought her. She was well taken care of medically too.
Annabelle was our family pet really if you think about it. There wasn’t anybody I know that knew her that didn’t immediately fall in love with her when they met her. She was beautiful and she had a beautiful soul. She touched a lot of people in her lifetime. She made a mark on people. People remembered her and I still run into people and they ask about her. She was her mother’s Daughter-Storm was Love. Annabelle was Love.
I also became friends on Facebook with a woman named Kim Wilson. She is the dog Mom of Harley who is one of Annabelle’s siblings. Harley was a sweet gentle dog just like Annabelle. All of Storms puppies were sweet and gentle and loving. Kim had to put Harley down on August 29, 2024. It was super sad for her.
Annabelle became sick it was a very sad time in our family and it was a very, very sad time for my father. He lost his best friend on December 26, 2022. She went to the animal hospital and there he her nose started bleeding and it wasn’t stopping. She would shake her head and the blood went flying everywhere. Nasal Tumors: Both benign and malignant growths, such as nasal adenocarcinoma, can erode nasal tissues and blood vessels, leading to persistent or severe nosebleeds. She had to be put down to rest.
Its been 2 years, 31 months, 135 weeks and 946 days since her passing. She is buried outside of my parent’s house, buried with all the other animals that we have had over the years. Dogs, Cats and guinea pigs. My Father has been without a dog this whole time and I don’t have to ask him, I know he thinks about her all the time. I know he will eventually get another dog it’s just a matter of time. Annabelle was 9 years old, 108 months old when she passed.
She was my Dad’s best friend. “The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be.” — Konrad Lorenz
Annabelle was a blue nose pit-bull. She was my Dad’s best friend.
Pit bulls get really bad raps. Pit bulls often get an unfair reputation, and many people, like me, see the good in them. Here’s why this bad rap exists and why it’s not the whole story:
🟥 Why Pit Bulls Have a Bad Reputation
- Media Bias & Sensationalism
News reports often highlight pit bull attacks more than other breeds, which creates a skewed public perception. If a Labrador bites someone, it’s rarely news—but if it’s a pit bull, it often makes headlines. - Misidentification
Many dogs labeled as “pit bulls” in incidents aren’t actually pit bulls. Over 20 breeds can resemble pit bulls, and even vets can misidentify them. - History of Misuse
Pit bulls were sadly exploited for dog fighting and aggression due to their strength and loyalty. This criminal use led to stigma, not because of the dogs themselves, but because of what people did to them. - Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL)
Some cities or countries have laws that restrict or ban pit bulls. These laws further reinforce the false idea that the entire breed is inherently dangerous.
🟩 Why Pit Bulls Are Actually Great Dogs
- Loyal and Affectionate
Pit bulls are famously loving and bond deeply with their families. They often think they’re lap dogs—despite their size! - Smart and Eager to Please
They’re intelligent and respond very well to training. Many pit bulls excel in obedience, therapy work, and agility sports. - Great with Kids (“Nanny Dog”)
Historically, pit bulls were known as “nanny dogs” because of how gentle and protective they were with children. - Resilient and Forgiving
Many pit bulls rescued from abuse or neglect go on to become gentle, affectionate pets. Their capacity to forgive is incredible.
I dedicate this blog to Annabelle. Thank you Annabelle for all the wonderful memories and for letting me be your Momma, it was a true honor to watch you grow and play. I know she is in Heaven running around with Maddie and Freckles, playing and having fun. I know she is watching over us. This blog is dedicated to you, Annabelle, Bellers, A-Belle our love. May you rest in sheer peace. We love you Mommas and we will never ever forget you.
If you like my blog please be sure to like, leave me a comment and subscribe its free. And, if anybody out there who is reading this knows where I can find blue nose pits or XL American Bully both puppies in the Waterbury, Connecticut area, please leave me a comment in the comment section as it is much appreciated.
I am not going to get a puppy now, but for the future. I want to know where to go in-person and not get scammed.
I hope you enjoyed reading my blog as much as I enjoyed writing it. This one in particular was emotional.
Annabelle, this is dedicated to you and to my father, Robert Martin for showing our first baby all the unconditional love in the world. Thanks, Dad we love you more than you could ever possibly fathom. I know you will have another dog soon.
Love, Fran xoxo
Storm, Annabelle’s Mom. You can see how emaciated she is right after she was rescued.
Storm, Momma
Storm
Storm’s puppies. Annabelle is the second one in from left.
Annabelle is the pup on the left with white on her snout and she is with her sibling.
Annabelle with some of her siblings, she is the one in the middle.
Madison or Maddie-My sister, Emily’s dog.
Our announcement when we found out we were pregnant. Photo credit goes to-Gabrielle Kristen
Another photo by Gabrielle Kristen-Annabelle’s paws with JR’s shoes to announce our pregnancy.
Pictures of our growing family-photo credit to-Michele Roman @ https://micheleromanphotography.com
Pictures of our growing family-photo credit to-Michele Roman @ https://micheleromanphotography.com
photo credit to-Michele Roman @ https://micheleromanphotography.com
Photo credit goes to-Gabrielle Kristen
Photo credit goes to-Gabrielle Kristen
Photo credit goes to-Gabrielle Kristen
Annabelle with Casey, Donna our Dogwalker’s pup.
Donna and Annabelle.
Donna, Annabelle and one of Donna’s new pups.
Annabelle with her piggy squeaky toy that Cousin Larina gave to her. Annabelle loved any toy that had a squeaker in it.
Annabelle swimming in Amanda’s pool.
Annabelle hanging out with her friend, Sammie at Amanda’s house.
Head bands.
More head bands.
Annabelle meeting Jason Robert for the first time home from the hospital, February 17, 2025-a Friday.
Annabelle watching over Jason Robert.
Annabelle and Jason Robert sitting outside the bathroom door chilling while I take a shower with the door open and the shower curtain pulled back.
Time for a shower again.
Annabelle exhausted from daycare.
Hanging together.
Watching Blippi together!
Another thing you should know about Annabelle is that she loved her crate.
She loves her ice cream!
Just going for a ride together.
Chillin in Staten Island together. We brought her everywhere we went.
Annabelle loved to give everyone kisses, but especially JR.
Halloween.
Sitting on the Bay window waiting for my father to get home.
Annabelle with my father her Grampy. Always by his side.
Harley, Annabelle’s sister. Kim Wilson was gracious enough to share this beautiful picture with me. She had to put her down sadly on August 24th, 2024. She looks identical to her Momma, Storm here.
Annabelle when we first got her. She started to get an allergic reaction-her skin was always irritated which is why we had to give her Apequil.
Auntie Sue meeting Annabelle for the first time.
Trying to get a good shot of the two of them. Annabelle and Auntie Sue’s dog Gemma.
Auntie Sue with her dog Gemma-Gemmers-Gem-Gem and myself and Jay with Annabelle.
Annabelle and Gemma playing together.
Annabelle and Gemma sharing a snack together.
My absolute favorite, favorite picture of Annabelle.
She was such a good girl, she was so loved and beyond well taken care of. We love you Momma, until we meet again, run wild like the wind with all of your friends. xo
Skies of Blue 
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