Saying farewell to Bella

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!

Her injuries/illnesses included:

• 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. 

Oh Rosie....sigh

It all began on August 8th when Robby & the girls headed to get the Expedition washed & swing by Petsmart for some dog food. They had not been gone for long when I received a picture of the cutest little American Pitbull Terrier just staring back at them. Our texting went something like this...

Me- Where are you? For sale?

Rob- Petsmart, she is for adoption & will be put down if no one adopts her

Me- Please don't tell me things like that! Do you know anything else about her? 

Rob- Let me check- She is 3 years old & fully grown at 38 pounds.

Me- She looks exactly like Bennett!

Rob- I know! I thought the same thing.

Me- 3 years old, that sounds amazing to avoid house training (mind you I had just thrown in the towel after 2 months of "attempting" to potty train the boys) & to have a smaller dog! Should we get her?

Rob- Are you seriously considering this?

Me- Maybe, get her if you want her followed by the "wink" emoji"

Rob- We are going to pet her for a minute. Next text had a video of the girls petting her asking if they could bring her home....heart melted!

They showed up about an hour later (dogless) so Daddy could make sure I had taken my brain medication that day ; ) After a few minutes I said I wanted to go see her. Robby replied "You should be aware that if you go see her, we are coming home with a dog. You won't be able to say no." I said, let's hop in the car! The girls were in shock when I called Petsmart & asked them to "put her on hold" if you can do that with dogs.  The girls & I got to play with & give plenty of scratches to a precious calm little doggy. We walked out & I said "we'll take her!" In no time at all the paper work was done & we looked like this...

We got her in the car & she was just as nervous as she could be but calmed down when she hopped in this cozy lap. 

We were headed out for the evening so we paid her some attention then crated her before we left. The first day was mostly bliss & then she really opened up & we found that she was more like a puppy than a 3 year old dog. This was confirmed a couple weeks later by the vet who said her teeth had recently come in (within the last 6 months) meaning she could not be more than a year old. Liars...they were just trying to get her adopted! FABULOUS we thought....she's going to be a maniac! Our guess was fairly adequate & she started with the idiot runs around the yard, being jumpy & taking nips at everyone. She was (and is) clumsy on the slippery tile & could not be still for more than 3 seconds. We laughed thinking we were definitely in for it. We also laughed about how only weeks before I was yelling about how obnoxious it was to have a dog in the first place & after Bella died we would be a NO DOG FAMILY (exclaimed loudly) for years. Thinking back, maybe I did forget a dose of my medicine or two leading up to that fateful day in August ; ) 

We are total nickname people at this house & so far Rosie has been called: Rosie Posie, Rosie girl, Rose, my little rosebud, crazy Rosie & Rosie Posie Puddin' Pie, 

The last one comes from the old nursery rhyme that goes like this:  "Georgie Porgie Puddin' Pie, kissed the girls & made them cry. When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away." We switch the words around to "Rosie Posie Puddin' Pie, eat my couch & then you'll die" or change the word couch with anything else you hold dear. She has actually done well & has not destroyed anything other than a mini delectable toy such as a tea cup or pretend silverware. We do pull a fair amount of things out of her jaws. Char & Lolo have actually come up with a tag team method where they can remove just about anything in a matter of seconds. 

I don't get too many pictures of this dog that aren't blurry since she runs like a deer all over our yard. Here she is on the left with Bennett on the right.  Benny's ears were often perked up just like Rosie's & we often think they look so similar. She has even chased her tail a bit....our favorite of bad habits back in the day.

Here are some of the kids reactions & comments over the past couple months:

Owen: For awhile this kid would correct us when we called her "Rosie Posie." He would get this grumpy look on his face & say "is not Rosie Posie, it just Rosie" with a little growl. He has warmed up to her but has not asked her for a ride...probably a good call. He is happy to sit near her now as long as Bella Bella guard dog is close & saddled up. 

Charlotte: She was & is most excited to welcome Rosie into the family. She has been diligent to walk her daily with Robby & helping her practice how to sit or lay down. She still angrily says (sometimes)  "I just want to take her back to Petsmart! 

One thing about this whole experience that makes us laugh hard has to do with Char. The day we got Rosie we bought a cute new flowered collar & a pink leash. When we got home Charlotte was adamant that we kept the flimsy little leash from the shelter because Rosie would miss her life there. Robby told her that we were going to throw it away because it was from her old life & now that she was adopted into our family she has been given a new name, a new collar & new leash. Charlotte was frustrated & Robby told her "Honey, a shelter is a scary place." She asked why & Rob looked at me like "should we tell her?" I said we should. We explained it simply. A shelter is a place that takes dogs in that their owners did not care about or could not care for. If they are not adopted they have to be killed. She looked horrified. 

We hopped in the car & I could tell she was processing. She finally asked "do they hit the dogs on the head with a pot or something?" Holding back laughter we explained a bit more about the dogs receiving a medication that makes them really sleepy & then they die.  She processed some more & then said "Do they have shelters for humans?" Oh my goodness, more laughter withheld while we explained the difference between a shelter for people & a shelter for animals. 

The best part of all of this was when we picked her up from her class on Sunday morning & she excitedly said "At the end of class it was me with five girls. I told them all about our new dog Rosie & how she came from a shelter & how a shelter is a scary place & when the dogs are not adopted they have to give them medicine & then kill them." Rob's head dropped & he said "oh man, I'm going to have to wait outside the door next week & apologize to those parents!" She has asked in front of people many a time "Can I tell them about how the shelter is a scary place?" Oh my, thankfully that has stopped!

She also wrote about Rosie in her journal for school...hahaha! "Fart" should actually be "favorite" but is an accurate word to describe a dog that has let loose on occasion leaving us to ask if she has been fed skunk stew for her last meal. Just for the record "grot din" is a great dane. She usually refers to Rosie as a Pet-bull which I guess is accurate too. 

Anson: He took a liking to Rosie fairly early but hates her when she chases him excitedly through the yard. She lays down to chew a toy or bone & he pays her some affection saying "Rosie you nice!" He also says "Crazy Rosie out" when she comes out of her crate. 

Eloise- She is not too comfortable around Rosie unless she has on a leash that is held by an adult. She likes to bring Rosie a stick or a toy but panics when Rosie gets excited & jumps to get whatever is being held.  She decided to participate in the the true test to show if Bennett had been reincarnated as Rosie. Bennett could eat a slice of watermelon down to the rind in one pass. Eloise decided to hold the watermelon because that was an item between them & also because her Daddy was right there. Rosie got the hang of it after a few slices. 

She's a bit of a wild one but is really just a puppy so what should we expect. Some things are annoying, some are hilarious, some are both. 

• when she drinks water she basically snorkels in the bowl submerging her entire snout in the water & lapping it up sounding like an animal that weighs at least 500 pounds- Hilarious but annoying because she drips water about 12 feet past the bowl all over the tile then puts her snout on our clothes & soaks us too
• when you try to wipe her paws off with a towel she attacks the towel & rips it out of our hands
• she runs circles around Bella while Bella reminds her who is in charge-Hilarious for us but annoying for Bella. That ol' girl makes us laugh with the way she stares at Rosie. It's the same way she stared at Bennett....her eyes say "what a waste of energy you stupid dog!" I stare thinking I wish I had that much energy!
• she grabs one thing after another, stuffed animals, toys, shoes that are left out dropping one for another that looks better - super annoying!
• she hides all her toys in the ivy that is in the back of our yard above the stone wall where she runs full speed & can leap a good four feet in the air & clear the top row. Once she is there & searching we can no longer see her. All the kids start screaming "Everybody run! She's gonna jump!" She literally bursts out of the bushes & you can't see her until she is flying through the air- Hilarious.
• Last one. Not long ago I filled her bone with peanut butter to have 5 free minutes at the kitchen table one afternoon. She cleaned that out & I heard her nibbling on the chair leg & then she moved to the curtain. I squeezed through an extremely narrow area for a pregnant woman between the table & the kitchen counter & leaned down to get the bone she had pushed away. While I was down there she nipped me on my tush which made me yelp & stand up quickly slamming my lower back so stinkin' hard on the counter. I kept my lips sealed but banged my hand on the counter top hard enough that it stung for awhile. ANNOYING- I was ready to return her too ; )
• She is mostly chilled out in the evening once the kids are in bed. She will lay on her back & let you rub her belly & paws forEVER. Sweet girl. -not hilarious or annoying  : ) 

These two pictures make me laugh....crazy Rosie & play dead Rosie....

We have laughed a lot since she joined us saying "why on earth did we complain about Bella?" She is the perfect dog minus having a bladder the size of a pea in her old age. She tolerates SO much attention around here & spends most of her day just relaxing wherever the sunlight pours through the window. 

Family walk fun has been kicked up a notch. Glad Rob has some muscles because he often ends up looking like the picture on the left while I waddle behind all by my lonesome self yet I am not lonely at all ; )

In closing, Rosie has added even more rambunctiousness to our little Nest but in many ways it has been just a blip on the radar with the way life is around here. She is darling & responding well to basic commands. Today I had her out in the kitchen with me while I did dishes & she got the hang of licking them clean just like Bennett used to do. I would tap the counter next to me & she would pop her paws up & peek over to see all the bubbles in the sink. She was giving me some sweet puppy kisses too. Made me feel like we are turning the corner. So much for being 3 & full grown, Rosie Posie gained about 10 pounds in the first month she was with us & has quite the stretchy blue coat to grow into. 

Blue pits have been our favorite & we love that all their markings are different. This girl looks like she ran through fresh white paint. At night when she races through the yard all we can see are those white paws flying above the grass at lightning speed. Everything that's white turns really rosy when she is hot. We say "Rosie, you're turning Rosy Rosie." Any guesses on what movie that is from? Hint "Violet, your turning Violet, Violet!"- Willy Wonka. 

Our favorite marking by far is this on her neck...

An upside down (or right side up depending on where you are standing) little heart. Charlotte says "she was always meant to be a Valentine." We think she is right!