To be exact, we now own a German Shepherd mix (with what, we don't know!). Her name is Bella and she is 11 months old. She and her brother were picked up by a police officer (not sure of the other circumstances). The story is that the two dogs were so scared that they promptly puked all over the officers' patrol car. By the time the Humane Society worker got to the scene, the officer had puked all over the road. Apparently he doesn't handle bad smells well. (This causes me to wonder if he has ever picked up a drunk, seen a dead body or has kids...)
So now she is ours. We claimed her last night and it took until around 11:15 today for her to bark at all. She's basically a cuddler. Oh, and she likes to chew. A LOT! I woke up this morning to Bella staring at me from about 5 inches away, paws on the edge of the bed. That's gonna take some getting used to!
So far, Emily likes Bella. She told everyone we saw on our walk and in Meijer, that she had a new dog named Bella. The cats are surviving. But that leads me to another part of the story...
Monday, as part of the humane society's requirements, I had to get our cats up-to-date on their shots. So I took Emily and two cats to the vet. I'd say that you can imagine how that went on your own, but really, you can't. Bob, the smaller gentler cat did okay. She didn't like it, but she survived. Puma, on the other hand, was a different story. Puma is MY cat, and only mine. She tolerates everyone else. Monday, she tolerated no one. To sum it all up, Emily was in tears, terrified, Puma was screeching like an angry panther, Bob was cowering in the corner and it took 4 veterinary personel. a huge pair of thick rubber gloves up to the elbow and a muzzle to do even a cursory exam. They didn't finish. They also told us she didn't need to come back in a year...she could wait three...or forever.
Oh and did I mention that Bob, the other cat, gets carsick....and did.
So far, Bella seems to be very gentle and pretty well behaved, but not trained and not perfect. But we'll work on that. My life should be pretty interesting...any tips appreciated!
And now for the pictures...
9 comments:
Congrats on family member number 4! Sounds like work but she sounds like a winner!
Bella is a very pretty dog!
Good luck with her!
Beth,
She's definitely work! This is my first dog (that I've wanted and cared for). There's a steep learning curve.
So far so good though. We're still getting acquainted, but I think we'll all be fine together.
Janice,
Thanks. Bella is prettier in person. I can't get a really good picture of her, though she is easier to catch than Emily!
Thanks for the good luck wish. We may need it!
What a beautiful puppy. She's so big! Of course, I'm used to Abby and Scooter, neither of whom exceeded 12 lbs. Scooter's about 9 or 10.
A tip: Get the book "My Smart Puppy," by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson. It comes with a DVD, in case you learn better with visuals than written words (or better with both). It was helping us with little puppy Zeus--he did "sit" and "down," and he sat patiently for us to set his food dish down on the floor. No lunging for the dish before we could give it to him. That's as far as we got before we found a better home for him.
I wish you all the best fun with Bella!
Beautiful dog!
I think her face (and manner) indicates retriever mixed in with the shepherd... Golden or lab probably.
I love the first picture... The look on Andrew's and Miss Em's faces.
To quote Clarence... Sort of... You really have a wonderful life.
Thanks, Skyepuppy.
She is pretty and she is big. She's over 50 lbs. I can't just pick her up, that's for sure.
I will have to look into that book. We are planning to enroll Bella in obedience classes. She's pretty good, but we still want to do it just for our peace of mind. She does know how to play fetch, though.
Any tips on housebreaking? She does pretty well, but not perfect.
Chris,
I think you're right on all counts.
Bella is pretty gentle and Emily and Andrew (and I) love her already.
You'll have to come back and meet her sometime soon.
Christina,
No idea on housebreaking. We didn't get that far with Zeus. And Abby already came that way (she was 6-1/2 when I got her), until her heart meds made her leak on my carpet. :o(
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