March 30, 2006

Animal magnetism

Annabelle

Like the little princess that she is, a 3-year-old Pomeranian named Anna-belle loves to greet her fans. Her favorite venue for this is sitting in the bicycle basket while her owner, Rosa Feldman, peddles around their Almaden Valley neighborhood.

“People first thought she was a cat when they saw her sitting in the basket,” said Feldman. “Now everyone knows her. She loves people and children.”

But it’s not just riding in bicycles and greeting her fans that delights Annabelle. Trips to Almaden Lake are highly anticipated as well. There, the silky haired black pooch swims in the water and runs after bocce balls. That’s when she’s not barking at squirrels or chasing geese.

At home, Annabelle is quite independent with the run of the house and the backyard. Recently, she wandered across the street and stole a child’s toy, a plush crimson and yellow block that the inquisitive pooch couldn’t resist. Feldman worried when she couldn’t find her beloved canine at first but when she did, Annabelle proudly showed off the treasure she had found.

“I told the neighbor Annabelle had their toy,” said Feldman laughing. “But she said go ahead and keep it.”

Annabelle’s other favorite toy is a Koala bear hand puppet, which Feldman uses to joyfully interacts with the pint-size pooch. And it’s a good idea to keep Annabelle busy. Though easily trained, the breed is known as being active, extroverted canines that make great watchdogs. And they insist on being pampered. The name Pomeranian is from a region in central Europe and they resemble the much larger sled-pulling spitz-type dogs from which the breed descended. It was deliberately miniaturized during the 19th century, when toy breeds were very popular.

Feldman lost her other Pomeranian two years before Annabelle came on the scene. So the family bought Annabelle from a breeder in Los Banos on New Years Eve three years ago. Despite a bout of carsickness on the way home, Annabelle’s new owner fell in love immediately with the puppy’s powder-puff of dense black hair, fox-like face and a spectacular fluff of a tail.

Annabelle even has her own special playmate. Sassy, a Papillion. The pair have play dates where they run and enjoy secret dog games at Fontana Dog Park. But Sassy is one of Annabelle’s few dog friends—she prefers the company of the two-legged variety.

A recent adventure caused Feldman concern for her bright-eyed companion. Annabelle chased a squirrel and ran across the creek. But Feldman wasn’t worried for long. Calling her name, she ran right back into the arms of her cherished owner. After all, when you are adored this much, why would Annabelle want to leave?

— By Jeanne Carbone Lewis