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Pet tales
Sissy's 'spoiled rotten'
Alan Rogers
Molly, left, and Sissy, right, were winners in the Record's pet contest.
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Published: September 5, 2008
HICKORY - An animal group rescued Sissy, a Cairn terrier who now sports a pink, rhinestone-studded collar, from a puppy mill. She paid the favor forward when she rescued her Hickory family from grief.
Sissy was born the same day Ann and Doug Anderson's 16-year-old Cairn terrier, Vincent, died. But she was hundreds of miles away then and Ann Anderson wasn't thinking straight enough to consider a new puppy.
She had Vincent cremated and put his ashes on a lighted shelf in her great room after she and her husband had to have the dog put to sleep. Then she settled in for the months of tears, the weeks of coming in the back door to a house without Vincent. Ann Anderson gave away his dog bowl, his collar and his leash.
She was doing an Internet search for something to help her with the grief when she came across the Colonel Potter Care and Rescue Network. There was Sissy's picture, along with her birthday. Ann Anderson signed up to adopt her without even telling her husband.
What came next was an exhaustive background check by the rescue group. The Andersons had to provide references, who all got a call about the couple's puppy-parenting skills. The Colonel Potter people found out the Andersons let Vincent sleep in their air-conditioned garage for a night and they didn't like it. Their choice of dog food was questionable, said the animal rescuers.
But after an in-person inspection of their home, the Andersons got the OK. As it turned out, their son, Josh Anderson, adopted Sissy. But when he got married and moved out in May, there was no way his mom and dad were letting the dog go with him, Ann Anderson says.
Sissy will stay their baby. She rides in a stroller when they go to Lowe's. Ann Anderson puts a bib on her and feeds Sissy breakfasts of eggs, yogurt and dog food with a baby spoon. The pup is on her own for lunch, when she gets pears and cheese, and supper, which is usually green beans and dog food.
For snacks, Sissy gets Cheerios, pumpkin or mini vanilla wafers. She loves cucumbers, Ann Anderson says, and carrots, mandarin oranges, pineapple or bananas.
Josh Anderson rolls his eyes over what he calls the dog's ensemble — a closet and several boxes of clothes and shoes, including bunny slippers, a raincoat, a bikini, a houndstooth jacket with matching boots, sweaters and dresses. Sissy also has three beds, even though she sleeps with mom and dad.
The Andersons never learned anything about the puppy mill where Sissy was born. Ann Anderson said she'd rather not. All she needs to know is there's nothing wrong with Sissy.
Josh Anderson disagrees.
"She's spoiled rotten," he says, and sneaks a kiss on her cheek.
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