When my kids were growing up we always had a dog. I have two daughters and they both love dogs. I remember when the oldest was little we pulled up to her school one morning, there was a huge dog on the sidewalk and she said, “Mommy, look at the puppy!” She wanted to pet and play with every dog she saw, she was never afraid of even the biggest dogs. My youngest always loved dogs but I didn’t realize until she got married just how much. She has had as many as 10 dogs at a time in the past few years. When her dogs had puppies last year before she would sell one the potential owner had to complete a questionnaire. The result of that was they sold 4 and kept 2 because there weren’t enough worthy people to take them all.
Last year I visited my youngest daughter and her husband and met all of her dogs. At the time she had a terrier, a Chihuahua, a German Shepherd, a husky, and 6 German shepherd/husky puppies. The puppies were adorable, the husky won my heart, but the rest just barked at me and made me a little uncomfortable. The husky is a male named Rolo, he is so beautiful and sweet. He is a protector, tender hearted, and a very loving dog. His eyes are a beautiful blue and when he looks at me my heart melts. The only thing about Rolo that I don’t like is that he sheds! I do not like hair floating around or getting into my food, I don’t like cleaning it up or wearing it on my clothes. But after meeting Rolo I wanted a dog like him, a sweet, gentle, and loving companion. I was 60 years old, my kids and step kids were all on their own, I had been “retired” for 6 years, and I thought now was the time for a dog.
My husband and I had discussed having a dog for a while but I don’t think we were either one really serious until I met Rolo. So one day after thinking and praying about it I mentioned it to my husband. I told him that I wanted a small dog that didn’t shed, that I had done my research and if we could find what I wanted and if he didn’t mind then I wanted to start looking. I am married to the sweetest guy in the world and he told me if I wanted a dog then to get a dog.
I had watched my oldest daughter and her family get their dog and I didn’t want to go through the same thing. They lived in a small house with a small yard in a big town. They first got a small dog that would bark at everyone and could not control his bladder. They eventually gave him to a good friend and he is living a good life getting fat and wearing a diaper. Then they got a German short haired pointer. She is a beautiful dog and sweet but she doesn’t really have enough room to be the dog she was born to be. She is well taken care of and she goes to the dog park all the time but I think she would love to romp in a large yard all day! She also sheds really badly and I knew I didn’t want that. We live in Wisconsin so we had to get a dog that I didn’t mind having in the house all the time. I knew for sure what I didn’t want!
So anyway once my husband and I decided to get a dog we talked a price we were willing to pay, we made a list of some of the things we would need, and then we hit the Internet. We checked all the classifieds in our area and we started checking the local animal shelters. We knew what we wanted and figured it would take a couple of months to find the perfect dog. After a few days we found a couple of dogs that looked like they might work for us. It was a Sunday and most shelters were closed so we decided the next day we would drive 40 miles to one, be there at 11 am. when they first opened and fill out an application, then we would drive 40 miles in the opposite direction and be there when they opened.
The next morning we went to the first shelter and met a shy and nervous Yorkie and Maltese mix. She would go up to my husband but she didn’t really want anything to do with me. Her favorite spot was behind the woman that was showing her to us. She was perfect for us since she was small and didn’t shed much but she didn’t seem to like me. My husband told the woman, who was the director of the place, that I didn’t work and was home most of the time and that this little dog was perfect for us because she wouldn’t be alone very much and that she would keep me company since I was alone a lot. Well I had always heard that it takes about a week to get a dog from a shelter but not for us, the director told us to give her a few hours and if our background checked out then Bella was ours. I was surprised and happy until we left the shelter to go get dog stuff at the local pet store. As we were shopping I was thinking we were making a mistake, that it had happened so quickly and I wasn’t prepared. I loved my alone time to do my crafts and bake and go where I wanted when I wanted. We went for it anyway, when we got back to the shelter Bella was ready to go, she was very nervous and left the staff at the shelter a little gift on the floor before we walked out the door.
We got in the car, put Bella in her new crate and started our 40 mile drive home. We barely got out of town and realized Bella didn’t want to be in the crate, she was so nervous. We pulled over, my husband got her out of the crate and put her on my lap. She stayed with me for the whole trip home but she was a very fidgety passenger. The car rides haven’t changed, she loves going in the car but she fidgets the whole time she is in the car. But getting little Bella was one of our best decisions, she has turned out to be the best little companion I could have dreamed of!
So begins my adventures with Bella!
