2/14/2020

Update from Bella’s foster mom:

Bella has been with us for almost a year now. In that time, she has shown herself to be a very sweet, cuddly dog. She greets me every morning as soon as I wake up with a wagging tail (if she’s quite energetic, she’ll give that tail a good chase, too) and prefers to spend her day at my side: either under my desk chair or on the couch watching movies.

In her time with us, she has come a long way. She comes when I call her name and she regularly goes for walks in the field with my other dogs. She shares the house with our cat and tolerates her teasing. She is still not the best at sharing, but has learned “drop it” and responds quickly when I ask her to behave better. In fact, she’s pretty smart. When she’s on the couch with me, she also watches the TV. We have a rule that she’s not allowed to bark when an animal comes on and the resulting conversation has gotten pretty funny. When she sees an animal, she’ll jump off the couch and start winding up to bark. I’ll say, “Bella, why don’t you come sit with me instead?” and she’ll turn around, look at me, turn back, look at the TV and scoot back up to the couch at my side.

Bella is an affectionate dog, deserving of good home. She can share that home with cats or dogs, but I still think it would be best that she lives child free. If you would like to come meet her, she’s quick to warm up to strangers, but I think she would need a month or so to adjust to a new home. She was a one-human dog before coming to my house and her loyalty takes a little while to gain.

PS. She has puppy dog eyes. I don’t know how to explain it, it’s probably something to do with her ears, but she knows how to make my heart melt.

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Hi! My name is Bella and I would love to play fetch with you.

I am incredibly treat and toy oriented. Sometimes I get stuck in my foster mom’s toy basket trying to unpack all the toys in an afternoon and end up crying for help. I really enjoy walks, fetching, and showing off my new tricks. My foster mom is working with me to learn new commands and thinks that I am very smart.

I am a bit protective. Sometimes this trait is great—I alert people in the house when someone’s coming, but sometimes it means that I don’t share my bed, toys, or foster mom very well. I came to live with my foster mom, because I couldn’t get along with the toddler in my house and I have some behavioral problems that I’m working to fix. I’ve made a lot of progress in a short time with my foster mom, who would be happy to talk to you about me.

I am currently staying at a house with two dogs (one young and one old) and a cat. In the time I’ve been here, I’ve adjusted to sharing the toys (most of the time) and the dog beds (sometimes) and the cat and I can hang around each other. Like I said before, I’m smart and know that not sharing means I don’t get to have that thing, so I give up and walk away without complaint. It’s my first time in a house with a cat, so sometimes I forget that I’m not supposed to chase her. I’ve only been practicing this for a month and have gotten really good at remembering, unless I’m tired, then I turn into a pumpkin.

I would be really happy in a home without children, lots of toys, and a warm bed—preferably your bed. I’m not very big, so I won’t take up much space.

PS. My bedtime is 9:30, I hope yours is, too.