Life with Bella was, well, kinda boring… It was definitely not like “Marley & Me.” She was just such a good girl that we couldn’t believe our good luck. She didnt cry or bark alot. She didnt chew on things that weren’t hers. She slept all night long without needing a potty break and housebreaking had been a breeze. We thought we had the perfect dog. Well, she wasn’t quite perfect, but she was close.
There are only two things I would have changed about Bella if I could have. First, she was a pig. And I dont mean the cute, cuddly kind. I mean the gluttonous, overeating kind. Bella ate whatever you put in front of her immediately. There was never food in her bowl because the minute you put it down, she scarfed it up like she was starving. So, needless to say, free feeding was out of the question. Then, when she was done with her own meal, she had no qualms about begging for yours! And beg she did! Sometimes my shoes would end up soaked from her drooling while she watched me eat… yuck!
The second thing I would probably change was her intense dog aggression. While she was young, she was playful and friendly with everyone and their dogs… male or female. But when she turned 3, all that changed, and now I know why they call them “bitches.” She became territorial and very aggressive to other dogs. She would generally tolerate a male better than a female but she didnt want either of them in her home. Dog parks, which we used to enjoy, were simply out of the question. There was no scolding or training the dog aggression out of her. All we could do was manage it as best we could, which meant always keeping her seperated from other dogs unless they were already tried and true friends, which were few and far between.
Eventually, we got as room mate and the room mate had a Chihuahua named “Pretty.” Bella wasn’t very tolerant at first but over the course of several weeks, we were able to desensitize her to the presence of another dog in “her” house. While they never became true “friends,” we were, eventually, able to trust them to run around freely in the home together.
Bella would have made a great mother, though. She adored puppies and always behaved around them. She liked to play and bounce around the house with them. When she decided she had had enough, she would go lay on the bed where she was out of reach of the little guys.
Bella had a few quirks and flaws so she wasn’t perfect… but she was perfect for us!
Saying Goodbye to Bella 