Annie

For those who have not come across this title, groomsmen are friends of the groom, one of whom is chosen to be his best man. It is common before the wedding for the men to get together for a weekend and have a bachelor party during which time they consume considerable quantities of alcohol and indulge in silly pranks. This weekend frolic is now being adopted by some British grooms and is taking over from the more traditional stag night, and it has to be said, it appears to be a little more civilised.  In the past in the UK in extreme cases, with the effect of the vast consumption of alcohol in one night, this has led some rather outrageous behaviour. Prospective grooms having found themselves handcuffed to a lamppost, stark naked, with a pink ribbon tied around their private bits!!

So imagine the scene, the groom and his mates in the USA decide to have a bachelor party prior to the wedding, and they rent a cabin in some woods in Tennessee and expect to spend the time eating and more importantly drinking. In fact, a booze budget was in place. The groom was a gent called Michael Craddoc,k and he was accompanied by seven of his mates. On the first morning, while cooking breakfast, their morning was interrupted by the presence of a stray dog, presumably encouraged by the smell of bacon. She appeared at the door but didn’t intrude by entering and was grateful for any titbits she was offered, whereupon she would disappear back into the woods and return later to the lads hoping for more food. She was clearly underweight and somewhat unkempt. This boozy crew were puzzled as their new canine companion kept coming and going, and without a collar and no means of identification, the dog’s ownership was unknown, and whatever she was doing in the middle of nowhere was definitely not obvious. Even to their untrained eyes, it was obvious that this was a malnourished female dog that had recently given birth.

The discovery

The lads called their newfound friend Annie, as in “Orphan Annie”, and finally decided to follow her back into the trees. Imagine their amazement when they discovered not only Annie but her litter of seven frightened puppies in a hole in the ground. Apparently, Annie had been abandoned and was desperately trying to feed and look after her brood.

Imagine, as if being abandoned was not enough, this devoted mum continued to care for her offspring the best she could.

The lads decided that they couldn’t leave the puppies in the woods, so our intrepid revellers took their newfound family back to their rental cabin.

Despite their unconventional living conditions, the puppies appeared to be in passable condition despite being covered in dirt and fleas. Michael and his mates then went about bathing the rather grubby puppies. Having cleaned them up, they then went to find the nearest veterinarian, who diagnosed that the puppies were reasonably healthy, given their extremely deprived start in life, but needed proper food and care. The bachelor party was abandoned, the lads’ beer money rapidly became a puppy food fund, and the rest of the time was spent caring for their newly acquired charges.

Well, it was one thing to find Annie and her puppies, but the next question was the obvious one. What to do with them?

It is reported that with eight men and eight dogs (Annie and seven pups), it was decided that they would take one each. There is minimal information regarding the reaction from the wives, girlfriends and family members; however, it appears that Annie and her offspring were all formally adopted by the lads and their respective families

As they all live within a five-mile radius, reunions ensure that Annie and her brood, now named Daisy, Knox, Rose, Finn, Gunner, Bear, and Brimmer, all meet up regularly.

This is again another story that highlights the critical need to neuter dogs, particularly the females. Being a stray can tough enough as it is but to raise and feed a litter of puppies as well….enough said.