The Travels of Bella the Labradoodle

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On March 28, 2006 three people came to visit me in my foster home where I was known as "Buttercup". There was a Mom and 2 children. The minute I saw them I knew I'd let them adopt me! They loved me, I could already see that in their eyes. During their visit with me in my foster home, we spent some time together getting to know each other and before you know it we were all packed into this very tiny car (a Scion TC) and headed for my new home!

At least, I THOUGHT we were going home . . .
"We're going where?!?" "To pick up who?!?" How are we going to fit yet another child into this vehicle? Well, THIS should be interesting. . .

We stopped at a house and picked up another child! Let me gently remind you that a Toyota Scion TC traditionally seats 4-5 people (and THAT is if the people are of small stature!) I myself am a thin girl, only weighing 40 pounds, however I do stand 23" at the withers (for you non-dog people, I stand 4'4" tall when standing on my 2 back legs.) So now we have a Mom and 3 tween-children and ME... all in this little vehicle. Whew... I was uncomfortable, to say the least, and it was a lonnnnng drive home. These people better be worth it!

Upon arriving at my new home I was really nervous. First, there were all these new people and then I find out I'm not the only royalty in their home. (By "royalty" I mean those of us who wear the fur in the family!) They had 2 others living with them! They were both male. The oldest one was called Dino, a 13 year old Wire Fox Terrier. He was very small and pretty cranky, if I do say so myself. My new Mom didn't seem to think Dino would like me very much. The funny thing was, he couldn't see very well so I somehow was able to avoid any confrontation with him. He was the easy one to win over! He even has to watch the television close-up, SEE:

For the record, he did NOT have the winning Lottery numbers that evening.

The younger guy is named Speedy (I know... I thought the same thing... SPEEDY ~ What a name!) He was the hard one to win over! He didn't like me AT ALL. My new Mom kept me close to her side and made sure he didn't bother me. At first, even though he was much smaller than me (he's a Shiba Inu, about 25 pounds) I was pretty afraid of him. He can get a nasty look on his face sometimes ~ if you don't believe me, see for yourself:

It was starting to get dark and I was still quite nervous. I followed my new Mom everywhere she went. The only thing was, they made me go outside to do my "business"... can you imagine that?!? Anyway, I took this opportunity to sniff every inch of the yard ~ TWICE ~ I didn't care how late it was or how dark it was. I made the ultimate find... I could crawl under the deck in the backyard and look for rabbits. How great was this place?

They called me... and called me... but they had no idea where I went. Then, they heard me crawling around under the deck. Uh oh... am I in trouble now? Well fine, I just won't come out! They weren't too happy about the fact that I remained stubborn even though they offered me gold treats. They tried everything. Finally, one of the teenagers crawled in after me. What a sight that was! She looked like she had been crawling in the trenches in an army war zone ~ these people are such fun!

It wasn't until I crawled out and saw the looks on my new family's faces that I realized I also got pretty dirty. Oh no... the dreaded bath ~ I can see it coming ~ Ugh! Bath time is NOT fun time:

So here I am, the "new" gal in town. My Mom and this other guy, I'll call him "NOT the Mom", seem to really like me and so do the kids but I'm not so sure about the 2 boys in the fur coats. My first couple of weeks here have been a struggle with these guys. We haven't communicated very well and to be quite honest, I'm not sure they speak the same language as me. I guess I can tolerate the little guy but I can't stand how he always has to be around the Mom. I thought that was MY job! He is constantly at her feet or needs to be held by her ~ even when she's at the kitchen table he wants her to hold him ~ how ridiculous is that?!? He has to be around the humans ALL THE TIME ~ he even watches TV with them. He is one spoiled Wire Fox Terrier:


The other guy, the Shiba Inu, well he thinks he's a cat ~ pretty weird looking cat, I might add! He doesn't like me too much but I am slowly winning him over. He wants to play all the time ~ how immature is that for a 5 year old! So, I play with him and even let him win most of the time but the truth is, I can squash his little body with one swipe of my big paws. Don't worry, I haven't done that ~ at least not yet ~ but I certainly CAN do it if I wanted to!

Stay tuned... I heard they want to take me to dog training. HA! I'm a year old folks... don't you know you can't teach an old dog new tricks?!?

Things seem to be going pretty smooth so far. I think mealtime is the most difficult. I haven't figured out the pecking order yet and I want to be the boss because let's face it, I was out on the street for awhile and I had to scrounge up my own food so I feel like I should be at the top of the food pyramid in this house.

Apparently the humans don't agree. At feeding time they separate the 3 of us who wear the fur in the family. The 2 boys are allowed to eat in the same room (the kitchen) but I am relegated to the laundry room. I heard the Mom say it was because I was jumping all over and barking when it was mealtime. That's what we did where I come from! The Mom got pretty mad because a couple of times I knocked my food bowl right out of her hand before we even got to the laundry room. That was a disaster because then my food was all over the floor and those boys came running and started to eat the kibbles that were MINE! That did NOT work well for me.

Apparently I'm going to have to rethink this dinnertime ritual of jumping up on the Mom when she is about to feed me. Maybe I can muster up enough composure to control myself but I dunno~ it's sooooo very tempting all the time. One thing I did notice though is that there is another person here, he's ~ uhhh ~ NOT THE MOM ~ but I don't know what to call him, ~ anyway, he likes to feed those of us who wear the fur in the family at the humans' dinner table. This makes the Mom mad but I will tell you this, NOT THE MOM really gets my attention for his behavior! I'll have to make a note of this and be certain to be nearby every time he eats!

They've done the strangest thing to me today. The Mom put this thing around my neck ~ I think it's jewelry ~ and then attached this long rope-thingy to it and the human holds the end of the long rope-thingy and they expect me to walk wearing this contraption. It was kinda awkward at first but I have discovered that with this jewelry and rope-thingy on I can drag the humans anywhere I want them to go ~ what fun this is! They really know how to make a girl feel at home in this house. I think I'm gonna like living here.

You know how I told you about me wearing the jewelry and then how the Mom attached this long rope-thingy to it and I got to drag the humans anywhere I wanted them to go? Well, it turns out that's not how it's supposed to work.

I found out that the jewelry I'm wearing is really called a "collar" and that long rope-thingy is really called a "lead". Apparently, I wear the "collar and lead" for the purpose of the HUMANS dragging ME where they want ME to go! I sure thought it was the other way around ~ it seemed to work well that way!

So, I get to wear this collar and lead and the Mom takes me to "training" classes. I don't really like to be there though so when they want me to run in a circle (what's the point of THAT?) I just lay down. Yes, that's right ~ I lay down and don't move! Hence, they have taken to calling me "Flat Bella". As I've mentioned before, I am a thin girl for my height (40 pounds and 23" at the withers) so apparently when I lay flat I look like the character "Flat Stanley".

Picture this ~ 10 people with 10 different sized dogs on their leads; all running in a circle and suddenly with no warning, I just lay down. Most of the people are able to avoid my bumper affect but those that don't come crashing into us ~ it's the funniest thing you've ever seen. Training class can be fun. I might like coming here after all.

Well, when I last wrote I told you about my adventure in training class! That was great fun but now that class has ended I wonder what is in store for me at my new home. By the way, I DID graduate my class but I think it was because they wanted my Mom to sign up for the next level of training. For some reason she just laughed at that. I guess that means she must have had fun in class too!

I have frequently mentioned "Not The Mom" but now I'd like to expand a little bit on this person. First, I found out he's the DAD! Yep, that's what we who wear the fur coats in the family call him around here (I think the 2-legged children call him that too!). But even better than that... he will give us treats if we bother him enough so for me, he is THE KING!

When he is eating dinner I like to sit under the table right at his feet so he can sneak food to me. Speedy is much more obvious, as you can see by the picture attached! He just gets up there on his back legs and puts his head on the Dad's arm until he gets some food. One thing though, if the Dad gives something to Speedy, he always gives something to me too so I don't mind Speedy putting himself out there like that ~ we both benefit!

Also, if we team it up correctly, we can get the Dad to give us treats just by bothering him when he is watching TV or even sometimes if he is just walking through the kitchen! I look at him with my soulful eyes and he asks me if I've been a good girl today ~ well, DUH ~ OF COURSE I'm a good girl ~ and then I anxiously wiggle around and jump on him and voila` he gives me a treat from the cabinet! I LOVE training my humans!

Dino, the 13 year old Wire Fox Terrier is sure a piece of work around here. He REALLY thinks he's the boss but from what I hear, it's a terrier thing (and I don't understand it because I really thought I was the boss!)

So now, as the months go by, he is slowing down quite a bit more than he was when I first arrived. The Mom says he has health problems but he looks fine to me other than he can't always see me. This can cause a problem because once he realizes I'm standing next to him he gets really mad at me and snarls. I told you he was crabby but everyone else in this family seem to really love him. He is wayyyy different with the humans than he is with those of us who wear the fur in the family.

Anyway, I'll leave him alone because he is old but it is kinda fun to lay next to him because he doesn't usually know I'm there... heh heh... I love to tease him!

Speedy, the 5 year old Shiba Inu is a unique personality. First, he wants to play all the time. Second, and most important, he does naughty things in the house and then he has to be corrected by the Mom. For example, if no one is paying attention to him he grabs a pillow from the other room, comes into the room where we are all watching TV and runs passed everyone with the pillow in his mouth! If he didn't want the humans to know he had the pillow then why come into the room where all of us are? Obviously he does this to get the attention of the humans! He opens cabinet doors and takes shoes and runs around the house with them! Although he doesn't really destroy things, he certainly knows how to get the attention of the humans!

The best part about my relation with Speedy is that he lets me use him as a pillow!

We have lots of fun here in my new home. I love to swim and play in the sprinkler and I have even gone on the trampoline a few times. I don't really like to bounce on it but from there I can get a good view of the entire yard!

One day I found this mound of dirt in the yard and I stuck my face into it because it looked like it was moving. It was really fun to play in but all that dirt stuck to my face. It kinda itched so I had to come into the house and rub it all over the sofa to get the itching to stop. When the Mom caught me doing that she made me stop and she didn't seem too mad until she realized that the dirt on my face was from an ant hill. So THAT'S why it itched... those little suckers were all over my beard and crawling in my hair... they were sooo annoying! The Mom's reaction was priceless! Well, at least for the moment because once the clean-up began it was not fun. The Mom cleaned the ants on the inside of the house but I was taken outside and one of the children scrubbed my face and rinsed me off with the hose. THAT was not fun... I didn't want to sit for that but I did (for the most part). Then they had to brush my face to make sure all the ants were out of my beard ~ THAT was not fun either. I guess I won't be sticking my face in any more ant hills in the future.

I also love to spend my days trolling the yard for smells. You'd be surprised how many different scents are out there on a daily basis but the best part is at the end of the day when the humans cook outside.

There is this great big black thing out there that they put their food on and close the cover. They leave it in there for awhile and after they are done and go in the house to eat, that's when the fun begins. I wait until that black thing has cooled off and then I get up on the top of it and lick off all the delicious grease. Actually, once the humans caught me I was never able to do this again but it was really delicious.

If you've read with me then you know I've talked a lot about Dino, the Wire Fox Terrier that I share my new home with. He is a feisty little guy and when I first arrived here I didn't like him much but I have learned to respectfully steer clear of him. I do this because I know my humans love him and therefore he must have some redeeming qualities.

The other day he was acting odd (well, odder than normal). He didn't eat breakfast and the Mom kept paying a lot of extra attention to him. He eventually perked up (who wouldn't given all that attention!) and I thought maybe he was just faking it so that the Mom would give him more love than the rest of us.

The Mom was sad all day and even when I climbed onto her lap and licked her face to make her smile, she smiled with a sadness behind it. I tried to make her feel better and even laid right next to her and stared at her but she just gave me that sad smile.

Dino went back to sleep and the Mom brought him in his bed into the computer room and laid him near her as she worked on the computer. She had him covered in blankets and kept checking him and he would pick his head up and look at her but really didn't respond to her. At first, I thought "how ungrateful of him!" but then I realized there was much more going on.

The Mom eventually stopped working on the computer and picked Dino up. He hardly responded to her with a VERY slight wag of his short tail and she was talking so sweet to him. It's obvious she loves him very much. She sat on the sofa and held him all wrapped in his blanket. She was so sad that it made me sad. I could see the tears in her eyes and I guess she was sad because Dino was ignoring her.

At least, that's what I thought. Suddenly things moved quickly! The Mom was talking to the Dad and the kids were nervous and I'm not sure what was happening. The Mom was holding little Dino and she was crying really hard now and so were the kids. The Dad even had a tear in his eye. I got closer but I wasn't sure what had happened.

They all got into the car, the Mom carrying Dino in his blanket, and left us! I was scared but Speedy told me that something like this happened once before in the middle of the night and the humans got in the car with "Toast" (Dino's canine mother) but never came back home with her. I wonder if that's what happens if you ignore humans ~ do they take you away and never bring you home again?!? Maybe that's how I ended up in that shelter ~ I'll have to keep that in mind...

The humans were gone for quite awhile. When they returned without Dino they were obviously upset. The Mom cleaned up the kitchen, took Dino's bed and washed it. Then she packed it away. She even got rid of all of his blankets! Speedy was right ~ he must not be coming back home!

I was really nervous but Speedy stayed clear of the humans (I guess he thought he might be next!). He went into his kennel and only came out to eat and go outside. I wanted to do the same thing but curious girl that I am, I kept bothering the humans. I really wanted to know what happened but they weren't paying a lot of attention to me. I have never seen them so sad.

Nobody spoke a word ~ I wish someone would explain this all to me ...

About a week ago I wrote about all the confusion with Dino being taken away.

Well, today the Dad came home from work and said (in a sad voice) "Your little boy has come home again, Mom". With that, he gave the Mom this little velvet drawstring bag. Inside of it was a white box. What does THAT mean?!? What did they do to little Dino?!? I know they loved him, the Mom said it many times. In fact, she used to tell the children that she helped "Toast" give birth to Dino.

This is what was written on the outside of the little velvet bag:

"Until we meet again at the Rainbow Bridge"

I get it now. I understand all of the sadness that has recently clouded my otherwise very happy family. Here is the poem that helped me to understand what has happened:

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....



Rest in peace, my little friend.

To start things off on a sad note, this was the family's first Christmas without Dino and it was difficult for them. To cheer them up I acted like a big goof on Christmas morning - especially when they gave me a gift to unwrap!

I had a wonderful time with my new family. I am so glad they adopted me!

I have been enjoying my time with my new family so much that I can't believe a year has gone by! We celebrated in style and since no one knows my actual birth DATE, we are celebrating my anniversary with my new family as my birthday!
Check me out:

I really like the great outdoors! There are so many things to investigate that I simply lose myself in the outer regions of our property. OK, OK, OK - so it's not that big of a yard ~ but there are still lots of things to check out!

We had such a wonderful summer with the kids home all day it's a shame they will be starting school soon. I enjoyed sleeping in and staying up late with them and hanging out with them (when they let me).

They even let me take them out for a walk using that rope contraption thingy attached to the necklace I am wearing. I like when they let me take them because since they are small they seem to follow my instruction better.

For as much as I enjoy the summer fun and swimming in the pool I also enjoy playing in the snow. I like when the yard is covered in snow because I can see the small animals easier. They are beginning to get the hint that they should not enter my territory but there was this one little guy who made that mistake once . . .

There is snow on the ground and everything looks so festive! I am really looking forward to this holiday season as my family seems happier than they did last year at this time! We have lots to be thankful for and I will be eternally grateful that they have adopted me from Petfinder! If you are looking for a new best friend please copy and paste this link into a new browser window: http://www.petfinder.com. There are still lots of my furry friends that remain in foster care - they could really use a good home!

What better way to ring in the New Year than to wear a hat and make lots of noise!

My humans are SOOOO good to me! Guess what they do every summer? They plant all these vegetables outside and they water them and take care of them just for me!!

The funny thing about this - when they saw me eating from the doggie buffet that they planted for me they seemed to be a little upset. Actually, the Mom laughed but I get the impression the Dad didn't find it quite so funny because shortly after they saw me eating my vegetables the Dad put this little fence around them so I couldn't get to them. So, what would be the purpose of going through the trouble of creating this beautiful buffet for me and then not letting me self-feed? I guess I'll resort to eating the flowers instead! Sometimes I don't understand the humans. . .

Another year gone by. We have had LOTS of snow this winter season and I have had a GREAT time romping about and getting all messy. It's really fun until it's time to get groomed - then. . . NOT SO FUN!

Because I have long hair it gets knotted quickly - especially in the snow. What a mess this made of me this winter. At one point - ummmmm . . . dare I tell you . . . the Mom nearly shaved me down! It was pretty embarrassing to have such short hair! My whole belly and chest were NAKED. They shaved my feet (they call it "poodle feet") and left some of the hair on my body but it was quite short. I did not like the way it looked and neither did my humans. I did not want my picture taken so to be sure that wasn't done I had possession of the camera.

Well, I made it to my 3 year anniversary in my not-so-new home! I can't believe I've been here that long already. It seems like just yesterday that I arrived here.

Because I was adopted, no one knows exactly when my REAL birthday is so my family is kind enough to celebrate my birthday on the day they brought me home (or should I say, the day I ALLOWED them to adopt me!). So, technically, not only is this my 3 year ANNIVERSARY - it is also my 4th birthday!!!

By the way, if you have recently adopted a new best friend here is a great way to get the word out to your family and friends:

There has been so much action going on in my family - it's so exciting! We've had lots of people visiting and that means lots of treats for Speedy and me!

Just the other day we had a TON of people over for what is called a "GRADUATION PARTY". I dunno what that all means but what I do know is... all of the adults who loved animals simply LOVED me (translation: FED me).

All I had to do was put my head on their lap and look at them with my big hazel eyes and they were mine - or should I say - their food was mine! The happily gave it all up for me - parties are GREAT fun!

July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. Traditionally, this very "American" holiday will be celebrated with parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the United States.

It will be a fun-filled day with lots of food and friends and fun - even for us furry types. We enjoy the day but once the evening begins we tend to hide under the bed. All that noise and flashes of light can certainly set one's heart a-flutter!

While we celebrate our independence this July 4th let us not forget those furry types who are tucked away with their little paws over their ears just waiting for all the noise to end.

Celebrate responsibly at the grill


Use fireworks with caution


But most of all, let us remember those who fight for our freedom because freedom isn't FREE

Apparently in some human cultures October is the month in which people celebrate this strange thing called Halloween. I don't quite grasp the concept but I will attempt to explain the tradition.

The roots of this strange holiday trace back thousands of years. The ancient civilization known as the Celts celebrated their new year on November 1. This is the end of summer harvest time and the beginning of winter. This time of year was often associated with human death as many people succumbed to the elements during the blustery winter months.

The ancient Celts believed that on the night before the new year (celebrated on November 1st), the boundaries between the dead and the living were blurred. On October 31, they celebrated "Samhain", an evening they believed the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. During this celebration they wore costumes, had parades and made huge sacred bonfires in which animal sacrifices were made in an attempt to keep the evil at bay. (I am soooooo glad I didn't live back then because I would not want to be sacrificed in one of those ceremonies!).

In more modern times and with the influence of Christianity into the Celtic lands, the November 1st celebration became a bit more civil and was renamed as "All Saint's Day" or "All Hallows Day". At this time, October 31st became known as "All Hallow's Eve". Additionally, November 2nd became a celebration known as "All Soul's Day" which is in honor of the souls who have parted our world. Together, these 3 days of celebration became known as Hallowmas.

Eventually, October 31st came to be known as "Halloween" (derived from "Hallow's Eve"). Today, it is believed that the American tradition of "trick-or-treating" on Halloween dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. Poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them bakery called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives. Distribution of these "soul cakes" were encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for earthbound spirits of the dead.

On October 31st (Halloween) it was believed that ghosts come back to the earthly world. People feared an encounter with these ghosts so to avoid being recognized they would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. To keep these earthbound ghosts away from their homes people would place bowls of food outside their doors to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter. From this ancient tradition, trick-or-treating was born.

American children dress in costume and sometimes travel in packs (not unlike my own ancestors!) going from house to house and asking for "treats" (again, not unlike what I do today!). The homeowner reciprocates with candy, gum or money in an effort to avoid being "tricked" by these costumed kiddies. I will also state here that I, for one, have NEVER tricked anyone who would offer a treat to me - just keep that in mind for future reference!

As the season nears it's end please use precaution and sensibility but above all, ALWAYS give those doggie treats out by the hand fulls!

St. Lucia is the patron saint of the city of Syracuse (Sicily), where she was born.

On December 13th we honor this saint with celebrations in Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, Norway, Finland, Malta, Italy, Bosnia, Iceland, Bavaria, Croatia and some parts of the United States. Each country celebrates this day in different ways. Additionally, each individual household may celebrate by honoring varied traditions within their own family. Because there are so many different ways to celebrate this day, I will simply talk about how we (an Italian household) celebrate Santa Lucia.

Tradition dictates that Santa Lucia brings gifts to good children and coal to bad ones which is not unlike the celebration of St. Nicholas (Santa Claus). Children are asked to leave food for Lucia and for the flying donkey that helps her carry gifts. In return, Santa Lucia will leave candy canes for the children if they are good and nothing for those that were bad.

Santa Lucia is popular with the children in this household because she brings them candy! I might also add that she is popular with me as well because I have been able to... ummm, wellllllll let's just say I am quick on my feet when it comes to stealing food and leave it at that!

On the night of December 12th the children leave their shoes at the front door and when Santa Lucia and her donkey visit, she leaves delicious candy canes behind. (cue the Labradoodle - hee hee!)

Then, on the morning of December 13th, when the children awaken, they will find candy canes in their shoes (if I haven't gotten to them first, that is!). The day is also celebrated with a traditional meal including cuccia (or cooked wheat) that is specially prepared and served at dinner time. The tradition of serving wheat on St. Lucy's Day is to recognize her miraculous efforts of averting famine.

All this talk about food is making me hungry. I wonder what has been left on the counter for me to investigate . . .