Adopted December 2010

4/25/11:

My update is long but hopefully will help someone in the future who is in the same situation.

We adopted Bella just before Christmas; we had just lost Rose, our beloved golden retriever of twelve years before Thanksgiving and really were having a hard time dealing with it. My husband and I do not have kids so our dogs and other animals really do mean the world to us so we take it very seriously when we bring a new family member in to our home.

After weeks of looking online we really thought Bella was the one; we did not get a chance to meet her so we went off the video and picture. Then anxiously waited for delivery day buying toys, new collar and leash a new bed everything to make her happy. I was very excited to pick her up but have to admit the ride home I had mixed feelings I am not sure why but for the next several days probably even weeks I really thought I had made a horrible decision. I still missed Rose and now had a puppy. I even thought about returning Bella as it just did not feel right. But I also believe in fate and thought that if I sent her back I could possibly be sending back the one that was meant to be with us.

We had another dog we had adopted a year earlier so we were prepared for the puppy stuff (we thought); well Bella was a little more difficult. To start with she was a screamer when in the kennel and very sneaky - which she still is; there are some things she knows she is not supposed to do but will do them anyway if she thinks she can be quick enough to not get caught. I found myself, like many people do, comparing Bella to the dog that was lost, which I knew was the wrong thing to do, but when it is so soon after a loss it is hard not to do it.

The one thing Bella really loves to do that our other dog just is not into is being a snuggler. She will sit on your lap and squish up against you as hard as she can. It has been about four months now and we are through all the puppy stuff; she now loves her kennel more than any other dog we have had but is also happy to sleep the day away on the bed.

When we picked her out we were going for the border collie breed but obviously with a mixed breed you are taking a gamble... well Bella is NOT a farm dog. She does go out and do stuff but has no natural instinct and is really not interested in the animals. She will copy Izzy our other farm dog when she feels the need but overall it is not her thing; she does not really like water or getting too dirty, but can sleep the day away with the best of them. She finished her puppy class in January and we generally take them everywhere we go to make sure they learn to be well socialized.

The one farm thing Bella has learned how to do is ride on the tractor because if you are on the tractor you don’t have to walk through all the yucky stuff and a bonus you can even sleep if you need to.

So I guess my advice for others that have lost a great family member is to give it a little more time in between before trying to bring someone new into the home. We love Bella to death now but the first couple weeks were really hard with a lot of mixed emotions. If I had it to do over again I would have waited longer. It is very hard to go from the older dog that does everything just the way you want, to a puppy who does not, especially when you are still in the grieving period.

I have included a couple pictures of Bella, one taken the day before Easter which might make her look like a great working farm dog but I can assure you the calf that is only 24 hours old started chasing her around the yard seconds after the shot was taken, plus a few pictures from her first big road trip to Seattle. Thanks for all the great work you do, we are always watching your list of pets for adoption and I am sure eventually you will hear from us again.