Sadly, we said goodbye to our Bella Blue back in May & have been dog-less for the first time in nearly 14 years. While it has been a much simpler way to live here at the Nest, we have reminisced a about our years with both Bella & Bennett. Warning, this is quite the long post...but she was around quite a long time! This is our absolute favorite picture of her when she was young, healthy & the highlight of her day was playing fetch with a tennis ball. She could run like the wind.
Let's start at the beginning. In 2005, a mere few months into marriage, we were ready to add a puppy to the mix. A Blue American Pitbull Terrier to be exact. We had Bob & Jeannine send us a copy of the Dallas Newspaper classified ads that had some listings we were interested in. Classified ads? That makes it sound like it was quite some time ago, haha!
Robby drove from Lubbock to Rowlett, a good 6 hours to pick out a dog for us. He picked up Bennett, went to his parents house & sent me a picture of our sweet little puppy...it seemed to be all said & done. Within an hour, the breeder called Robby back and asked if we would be interested in the female puppy. Robby said probably not but that he would call me. I BEGGED for her...I said that I couldn't imagine just having one, it would be so fun with two, they could be pals, I would take care of them....sounds like a small child doesn't it? Robby's response: Really? You do know that they will run from you and pee in separate corners of the room right? We can't afford it. We DO NOT NEED TWO dogs! So, he gave me an ultimatum....he said for me to call her back and if we could get her only if we could get her for a small fraction of the listed amount....a price which he believed to be unattainable. Within minutes, I was calling him back to let him know he could pick her up first thing in the morning & that we were getting her for even less than what our limit was! He was dumbfounded : ) So, he arrived home to Lubbock the next afternoon with our two little bundles of joy ; ) 8 pounds each...just like baby Charlotte would be 4 years later.
She was SO adorable. She spent time each day howling with her brother, falling asleep in her dog bowl & being forced to pose for photos. It is embarrassing how many dog pictures I came across as I searched for just the right ones to capture the essence of this beloved dog.
We were young, 21 & 23, with our own little pair of pups. At some point my mom said "maybe God is preparing you for twins!" HA! I don't know which pair was more difficult ; ) Robby & I still laugh about how I would cry having to take care of them. He worked evening shift as a waiter at Texas Land & Cattle. I worked at the hospital from 7pm-3am. On occasion, I would be picking up dinner before work & get a call saying I was cancelled. I remember sitting in my car in tears knowing I would have to tend to those needy little pups all by my lonesome self. I'm pretty sure I cried taking care of the real life twins too. Dogs & kids are both a challenge! We do look like proud doggie-parents here.
Only months after we got them, Robby started a job in Dallas while I finished up nursing school. He took the dogs & moved into his parents house where I would visit on the weekends. After those "newborn" days, I was sleeping through the night again. Jeannine took care of them when Robby was at work. They were spoiled rotten by their new, loving caretaker who unknowingly let them chew on her furniture without getting in trouble....still need to mail her a check for that. She even postponed vacuuming until "naptime" was over. Bella Blue liked to sun herself on their deck.
At the end of the summer, we moved into our own home in Richardson. We had a yard full of bushes that the dogs quickly hollowed out a path to chase each other relentlessly. They were both talented enough to jump up & open the door. She loved Robby & believed herself to be a lap dog.
She was gentle with all creatures great & small including Chocolate, the miniature pincher that spent time withe when my aunt & uncle were out of town.
We have referred to her as the discount dog since she was much cheaper than her brother but over time, she gave us a run for our money!
- multiple cuts on her legs requiring stitches from tearing around the yard like a maniac
- a large gash on her head from the time she escaped from our tent in the middle of the night while we were camping. She proceeded to run through the woods in pitch black chasing after a raccoon
- awful mites & skin irritations which required extra special (and expensive) shampoo & baths at the vet plus a food change to hypoallergenic- they ate duck & potato...better than we did!
- a growth on her lip (if dogs have lips) that had to be removed
- a tear in her cruciate ligament, the equivalent of an ACL, more on that later.
One of my favorite Bella recovery stories followed the stitched on her head from the camping trip. I was at work & called Robby on the way home. He said that he put the collar on her and she had been standing completely still for 2 hours. Once I was home, she got a little braver and started walking down the hallway as we cheered her on. Unfortunately she misjudged how wide she was and hit the door frame making a loud noise. From then on, she walked backwards throughout the house to prevent that awful situation from ever occurring again : )
While she didn't eat a steady diet of socks, hairbows & an occasional pair of undies (like her brother), she did get herself into a little bit of trouble. There was no question as to who made that hole!
These two, we miss them.
Soon after we arrived in Florida, big changes were coming her way. Babies, LOTS of babies...and fast! Life changed for the better. I think she liked them more than Bennett sometimes!
Baby Charlotte
Baby Eloise
Baby Owen on left (I think) and Baby Anson
and eventually, once we returned to Texas, Baby Arlo
In the picture above, she has her left ear perked up. We always referred to it as her blinker.
Here are a smattering of things we want to remember about good ol' Beller:
- responded to the names: Bella boo, Bella goose, Boo, Blue Belle, Tinkle-belle, Bella Bella bad dog, Bella from Hella and Bella girl
- her tail wagged so crazily that it looked as though it might be connected to another dogs brain
- when she was hungry, she would put her paws on our legs & act like she was chewing gum
- she lived for chasing bubbles & being sprayed with a hose
- one day, she was quietly walking in the backyard & a squirrel fell out of a tree, bounced off the roof, landed in front of her paws, bit her on the nose and then ran off. How unlucky can one dog be?
- sometimes she was so stinky we would ask her "what did you eat for dinner Belle? Skunk Stew?"
- for 13 years, she had the same distinct sequence of three howls when she wanted out of her kennel...we don't miss that!
- in our current house we have really long curtains in the front room. Every morning she would somehow slide underneath then walk toward us with the entire curtain hanging from her head. One day Charlotte said, "Bella, I like your veil, are you getting married today?"
- I mentioned earlier that she tore a ligament in her back leg. I took her to the vet & they let me know that it would cost a mere $2,500 for a knee replacement & if one tears, it is likely that the other will also. I called Robby to give him the news & was awkwardly in the room with the vet who wanted all my money. I was praying that he did not overhear my husband jokingly ask how much it would cost to amputate it & that he could widdle her a new one. Oh my goodness, can you imagine how many legs he could widdle for the $10,000 it would cost to perform that surgery on two dogs (x 2 legs each). By the end of her life, it was difficult for her to put any weight on that leg at all & when she decided to run, she just ran on three legs. No widdling would have been needed! She earned the nickname Tri-pod.
- there is so much activity here that sometimes she would follow a kid out to the driveway, we would come in & then close the garage door. Minutes later, Robby would look out the office window to see her staring longingly back at him. She always knew how good she had it!
- she hated when we would play out front would climb onto the couch & howl from the window. One afternoon she practically ate the lower third of the wooden blinds. Bella Bella Bad dog.
- she loved to walk through our flower beds & lay on top of anything we were trying to grow.
- she chased down a baby bunny & gave it a little love bite in front of the kids. It was a horrific moment. I tackled her to the ground & laid across her back while Robby checked on the bunny. Prey drive at its finest.
- she was neurotic & barked at anything out of place such as a purse on the counter, a vase that had been moved, etc.
- when my parents were taking care of the kids + Belle, they had a hard time getting her into her kennel. The kids would make a trail of food while my dad played ukulele from the office & she would follow.
- in her last years we called her Nana, like the dog in Peter Pan. She did NOT like when the kids were playing rough & would nip at them, every now & then pinching someone's skin. When I asked the kids to help me make a list about Bella someone said, "Remember when Bella used to bite us all the time?" HAHA, what an awful misunderstanding!
- she hated Arlo swinging & when she spotted him from the back of the yard, she moved slowly at first then ran full speed (on three legs) until she reached the swing. She would then jump into the air to take a nibble of those little toes. We called her the great white shark & "sang" the Jaws music every time.
Life with five children included homemade cages & tea parties.
getting muddy with the crew
getting saddle blankets in place & drinking water from the bath tub
eating bubbles
being a rail ray support
being crawled under
afternoon reading with a bow on her ear
being surrounded by toys constantly although, she loved being right in the
middle of things as long as someone would love on her- this was on her 13th birthday
snuggles with her favorite human
being the inspiration & model for Char's Bow Wow Meow Meow Bandana business
she even helped decorate the Christmas tree!
camping at Tyler State Park...she was done posing for pictures!
It was really special to take her back to where we camped shortly after we were married. We were actually in the same camping spot from when she busted out of the tent in the middle of the night to chase a raccoon. We brought her orthopedic bed along & after recovering from the hyperventilating she did in the car the entire way, she looked relaxed in the great outdoors.
We have laughed about the 4 years worth of saying "this is probably her last birthday" or "let's take a picture of her since she might not be around next Christmas." We started to think she might outlive us all! Over the past two years she started declining health wise and began having seizures....who knew I could pass along my seizure disorder to a dog ; ) With the first few episodes we calmly sent the kids to the other room & sat near her, scratched her back, told her she was a sweet girl & it was okay that the end had come. We called the girls in one time to say goodbye but within minutes she was busting through the chairs at the kitchen table to scarf a dropped piece of bacon! She was back from the dead! The same scenario repeated itself over the following two years. One time the girls were screaming from the backyard & said Bella did a back flip down the hill. I found her against the fence recovering from yet another seizure. She couldn't get up so I had to bust out the moves that bring about Robby calling me "Muscles Ellis." Seriously though, God gave me the strength to dead lift a 75 pound dog & carry her inside.
In the end, she had a stroke & was unable to get up. We were sad but grateful that she was not fatally injured by a toddler climbing onto her back! My sweet friend came over the next morning so we could take her to the vet. The kids said goodbye not knowing what would likely happen. We both did so well checking in & getting her to a room. Robby had to carry her through a waiting room of at least 15 people & all sorts of dogs. The vet was so kind, direct & not emotional which was exactly what we needed. We said our goodbyes & the tears started flowing. Robby encouraged me to head straight for the car & he would get us checked out. I walked out of that room & felt that every single person was staring at me, the person that walked in with a dog & left without. My face was tear-streaked & my cheeks felt hot as a made a mad dash for the car. Robby arrived shortly after & made me burst into laughter when he said "that dog finally got me a discount!" It was such a minuscule amount of money compared to last time & after the countless vet bills over 13 years, it was like we finally caught a break! Our conversation was special on the way home. Seasons in our life had changed drastically from newly married to nearly 14 years of marriage with five little ones. Bella had been there every step of the way.
We arrived home, Charlotte & Eloise knew immediately that we were without ol' Bella girl & dissolved into tears along with us. That was certainly the most difficult part. There was a lot of snuggling that day followed by a night out for pizza & conversation centered around tall we loved about that girl.
We miss her & look forward to getting a dog again. The kids were ready the following day, ha! There is a part of us that wants to do the same BUT then we actually think about what our days are like & the answer is easy. Waiting is better. I let them know that when Arlo is five, we will consider adding another four legged member of the family. Now he is three & it seems too soon!
We never knew how much we could care about a dog but we learned over 13 years that they hold a unique place in our family.
