Maybe She's Crazy

"Maybe she's crazy."

That's what my Dad told us when, after adopting our dog Bella, we were lamenting that she raced around the house in figure eights, barked uncontrollably at us, and tore things up while we were at work. Turns out, she was crazy! She was very smart and had loads of energy. A deadly combination for many rescue dogs. People don't have the time and energy to deal with them, so they get rejected and returned to the shelter, or abandoned in the streets.

Luckily for all of us, we found a young dog trainer who was just starting her business. Maggie Barker taught Bella a few simple commands (sit, lie down, stay, come). But more importantly, she taught us to be better dog parents. She taught us to take her for super long walks every morning before we went to work so she would sleep most of the day. She told us about Peanut Butter Kongs, which kept her busy and gave her a job to do while we were gone. Most importantly, she taught us to read Bella's moods and know that when she acted "crazy", she was just needing to burn off all of that energy she had racing through her body. Once we learned to supervise her play times and help her channel that crazy energy, we all learned how to live together.

As she got older, however, her priority was napping.

Bella knew how to relax:

No dogs on the couch! Oh, never mind...

Bella never really enjoyed riding in the car. She got car sick a lot when she was younger, and was just plain nervous about it when she got older. She much preferred staying home and protecting the house and cats. That is, when she wasn't busy relaxing.

"Where are we going? When will we go home?
Do you know how to drive this thing?"

She felt the same way about the boat. We only took her out a few times and then realized she would be much happier staying home while Cody played King of the World.

"Hold me, Daddy. I'm scared.
Can we go home now? Please?"

Yes, Bella preferred hanging out with the cats. She thought they had the right idea...



She worked all of her life on developing her opposable thumbs. In fact, we called her front paws "hands". We half expected her to go into the kitchen one day and start making us all supper.

She loved playing in the snow...

soaking up the sun...



modeling for mom...

"This is my winsome look"

and loving her Daddy!

One of Bruce's favorite Bella stories is from her younger days. Over the course of a few weeks, she chewed and ripped our sofa cushion, the carpet, a bunch of books and DVDs, and a silk plant while we were at work. With the help of Maggie, we crate trained her so we could have some peace of mind during the day. She learned quickly and became accustomed to getting into her crate with her peanut butter Kong before we headed off to work each day.

But about a year later, Bruce came home for lunch one day to walk Bella, and before returning to work, he put her back in the crate. He left the house and, as he walked to his truck, he heard a loud BANG and then something skidding across the floor. He went back into the house to find Bella on the couch and the crate door halfway across the living room floor.

Bella had rammed her hard dog head against the crate door and blasted through to freedom. It was Bella's way of telling him that she didn't need to be in the crate anymore. She would be a good girl. And she was! She never had to get into that crate again.

Bella passed away on August 15, 2015, from kidney and liver failure. She was about fifteen years old. She lived a long, full, exciting, loved life. She pretty much had us wrapped around her little toe pad. Spoiled rotten but totally deserving. She was a great dog. We miss her to this day, and often find ourselves tearing up thinking about her. But we also know she had a wonderful life with us, and she sure made our lives wonderful  in return.

Maybe she was crazy, but we were crazy in love with her!