How it started/How it's going
For some dumb reason, in 2009, to kill time on weekends, we started going to the Humane Society. It was free and fun and of course, after a few weekends of this, we found Bella. We put a hold on her and then went back then next day.
Back then, we were not in the position, financially or otherwise, to bring home a dog. Not only that, we had no clue how to be dog parents, other than asking my brother about it.
We also had Haley and Riley, who were 7 and 4, respectively, and also had no clue how to own a dog. But we learned as we went and discovered that with Bella, we really lucked out.
From day 1, she was house trained and gentle with the kids. She was rambunctious and really loved playing Chuck-it in the backyard with us. I would take the ball and do long toss, from one side of the yard to the other. She would go and go and go until she was practically hyperventilating, and then go frog legs on the lawn to recover.
She could be pretty annoying, especially when people came to the door and rang the doorbell. But I guess that's the case with most dogs. We learned to read her barks, from fun, to excitement, to someone's here.
If we left a bedroom door open, we would often find that room's garbage strewn about the floor. Her favorite pastime was to eat and/or destroy used tissues. We'd find that stuff everywhere.
Over the years, we got into a nice routine. As long as our doors were shut, we could leave the house for work and school and trust her to behave herself. She never had any accidents and if she got stuff off the kitchen counter, it was because we forgot to put it away.
She developed a bad leg due to jumping for balls in the back yard. She would go three-legged for a bit, but before long, she healed up and would still be able to do everything, but longer stints of play would result in limping afterwards.
About 4 years ago, as I started to exercise and run, I started taking her on runs with me. She was a great little partner, going for 2-3 miles with me for a time. It was a great way to get her out as she was never a great walker on leash. But running got her out, then we'd go to the local dog park, and then come home. However, with the bad leg and limping, I had to stop bringing her on runs. Also, as she got older, she just couldn't keep up anymore.
In 2019, Bella started slowing down and, like dummies, we started going to the Humane Society again. And again, we came back with another dog. We knew Bella's time was limited and we wanted to give her some companionship, as well as have a dog to continue in our family when B's time came.
Though Bella and Kody exist together, I wouldn't call them soulmates or best buds or anything. They do get along, but there's no snuggling or playing, despite Kody's efforts. Bella was in her senior years while Kody was ready to hit the nightclubs.
Last Sunday, Marci and I came home from the store. The usual routine is Kody inside the garage door to the house and Bella barking from the top of the stairs. We brought in the groceries and B had her nose in everything, sniffing and snooping. Business as usual.
Come Tuesday morning, I did the routine with the dogs and things seemed normal, except Bella wasn't eating. And then Tuesday night I took her out to do her business and then she came inside and promptly threw up. I also saw her standing in the living room and almost fall backwards as her back legs seemed weak.
Early Wednesday morning, she threw up and then proceeded to vomit every couple hours. She still wasn't eating and was not interested in drinking either. She was mobile, but it was quite clear she was weak. We made a vet appointment for that afternoon to see what was up. I was thinking that she may not make it back if I took her in.
The vet thought B had pneumonia, and other issues would be determined by the blood work the next morning. So Wednesday night, I brought her back home and we tried to make her as comfy as possible. Luckily she's pretty low-maintenance and we just had her lay on her pillow and she slept through the night.
Bathroom breaks are now me carrying her outside and down the steps, holding a hand on her so she doesn't trip or fall over, and then some cleanup as her system is not functioning optimally.
Thursday it became pretty clear what we had to do. Her weakness has increased, she will not eat, despite me giving her some appetite stimulants from the vet, and she is very lethargic and slow. After talking to Marci, Haley and Riley, we knew what had to be done.
I made arrangements for this afternoon for a vet to come to our house to ease Bella's suffering. Haley is on a plane as I type to come home to see her baby one last time. Bella's old friend Nancy stopped by to say goodbye this morning. We always said Nancy was Bella's best friend; it was proved as Bella actually wagged her tail and barked when Nancy walked in! We were so happy to see that!
If you came over now, you'd think Bella was just sleeping. But looking over at her now, I can tell that she's tired, but more than just that, she's ready to move on.
Bella has taught me a lot over the past 13 years, not all of it good. I need more patience, especially with her bro Kody. But she also taught me that no matter how mad I might have gotten with her, her love for me was unconditional. All she ever wanted was a belly rub or an ear scratch. And she was always hungry for treats.
We're going to be finding her orange hairs all over this house for years to come. We're not going to hear her back paw's nail dragging on the floor when she's walking around. We won't smell her awful breath due to dental negligence (PSA: don't let your dogs chew sticks for years on end). We won't feel the bed shake when she plops down right next to the frame. And we won't hear her announcing our arrival when we come home anymore. And as much as I hated that sound on the daily, I think that might be what I miss the most when she's gone.
Dogs are weird. I see all of you out there with your relationships with them and part of me is envious. Don't get me wrong; I love my dogs. But I think I love them differently than others might love their dogs. Am I the guy that kisses dogs on the mouth? No. Brings them everywhere I go? No. Sleeps and snuggles with them? Not if I can help it.
But do I love my dogs? Absolutely. And am I gonna miss Bella? 10000% I am. It's been a long week working from home and seeing B in the state she's in. I've been sending picture updates to Marci and the kids regularly to keep them posted. Now, we have all accepted what will be happening today at 5:30, when Bella goes to sleep one last time.
Thank you, Bella, for being a rock solid dog, companion and goofball for almost 13 years. We will keep you in our hearts forever. Rest easy.
