I want to dedicate this post to my ever faithful furry child. [Please don't let her know that she is part of the c-a-n-i-n-e species. We've never told her and she just plain and simply doesn't realize this and I know that it would devastate her, assuming that she remembered you told her later on.]
Baby Belle has been my ever faithful friend. (Well, technically she hasn't been MY faithful friend since my hubby got out of school. She likes him much, much better. I'm sure it's because he is nicer. It can't be because I am the one who feeds her and makes certain she has fresh water when she needs it.) For months after I brought her home and before my hubby graduated from college and moved back home Baby Belle would follow me around. I took her everywhere I went. She especially loved to go for rides in the car. It was one of her favorite activities.
Baby Belle is the dog that I have had for almost 14 years. Her birthday is coming up -- on March 10th.
Baby Belle has an old person's body. I noticed it the other day when I finally got around to grooming her. I have been putting off baths and clips because I know how miserable they make her. I want her to enjoy life as much as possible.
She is creeping around -- proof that she is an old woman. Every now and then I will see a little spark and she forgets that she is nearly 100 and she will run to the house from taking her potty break, but by the time she gets to the door she remembers how old she is. Life has a way of biting us all in the backside that way...
She is going bald -- she also has big, brown aging spots and (what appear to be) "warts" or moles all over her body.
She can't see very well -- cataracts.
She can't hear very well -- or she has selective hearing. I haven't been able to decide which.
She can't hold her bladder -- I am getting extremely tired of the urine on the floor, but I just keep reminding myself that her time on earth is very, very limited so I am trying to enjoy the least irritating moments and overlook the rest. Too bad it is teaching "my" dog bad manners.
She doesn't know when to stop drinking -- so she proceeds to throw it all up and start over again.
She (probably) has dementia -- she honestly can't remember when we fed her last. She thinks that there is a conspiracy going on within the pack (I mean, family). One where we are trying to starve her and make her die of thirst, so she needs to let us know how MISERABLE and ANGRY she is 99.9% of the time, every hour of the day. Which of course gets her overly excited, so that leads back to the bladder issue time and time again...
I fell in love with Baby Belle the first time I saw her. She was the daughter of my hubby's uncle's miniature poodle and his friend's Pekingese/poodle mix. Compared to her parents, she is a tiny, dainty little thing. I don't remember how many pups were in the litter -- I just know that I couldn't keep my eyes off her.
I love the way she smells when she is sleeping. I love how dainty her tiny little paws are after they have been freshly shaved. I also (used to) love her sweet temperament (before she got too old and cranky).
When she was a pup, she had a favorite toy -- a little black gorilla with a blue face. She took that gorilla everywhere. She always had to chase it around then gnaw on it before dinner. She even placed it in her bowl each, and every meal. I'm sure it was so she could pretend that she was having fresh gorilla meat after an exciting and eventful kill out in the wild. Some days, she would accidentally leave that gorilla on the floor in another room and when I had to lock her up in the kennel for my work day (back in the day) she would sit and think about that gorilla all day long and dream about the next "kill" because as soon as I let her out of the kennel she would RUN to the gorilla and kill it all over again..... It was a very sad day when the gorilla finally got too old. (Frankly, I think one of the younger dogs took one bite and it was blown to smithereens. Don't tell Baby Belle, though, she would be angry.)
Baby Belle's favorite treats are carrots. It was so cute when she could hear us because all we would say was, "Oh Boy! Do you wanna treat?!?" and she would lift her ears and cock her head from side to side -- she KNEW what "WANNA" meant! These days, she doesn't have enough teeth to chew hard carrots so we give her canned/cooked or baby pureed carrots. Yum!
My brother-in-law used to joke that she was like a prostitute at meal times. She really knows how to "work it" -- she will sit on the floor with her entire attention on you (ears and eyes forward). If you aren't paying attention she will back up a few steps, then back up again, then walk forward to you and start the process all over again. It really is humorous (when she isn't barking mad).
She has been my most expensive dog (I mean, kid). When she was just a baby, she jumped out of my arms and landed wrong on her front, left leg. By the way she instantly acted after landing, I knew it was broken... The local vet had to refer me to a bone specialist in "the big city" to the tune of about $600 or $800. That poor little leg has been weak ever since and the older she gets the more it bothers her.
About eight years after that, she jumped off my lap and landed wrong on the back, left leg so we had to run her down for a surgery to replace the equivalent to the human ACL in the knee. That was extremely expensive, too. She was basically one sided for a few weeks during the healing process -- it was like watching a dog pull a wheelie because it happened on the same side as the "lame" front leg.
Belle had to have some very expensive glands removed by her tail and ever since she has been the loudest "farter" in the house. She "farts" when she barks. She "farts" when she walks around. It is so funny some days because when it happens, she will occasionally stop what she is doing and turn halfway around and look back as if she is looking for the culprit of the noise -- like she wants to blame it on someone else. These days, whenever someone lets something "slip" they turn around and yell, "Belle!"
Baby Belle is TOUGH. Don't let her size fool you! When she was younger (before the knee surgery) she used to bark at people and stand on two legs to make herself taller and more intimidating. (I never had the heart to tell her that she doesn't really look all that tough because of the cute little crooked tooth on the left bottom that sticks out of her lip. When the vet had to remove a lot of the other rotten ones I begged him to see if that cute little tooth could stay. I've regretted it ever since because she had to turn her head in a weird direction to eat.)
Baby Belle knows how to play my emotions. For the past few years the vet has managed to give her a shot and hit a nerve which temporarily disables one of the hind legs so she drags it behind her when she walks. One year, she walked around like that and kept limping for a couple of days afterward. We gave her a lot of attention and concern. I called the vet to ask if he would look at her leg because I was so concerned about how long it was taking to get back to normal... As soon as we got to his office he asked me to put her on the floor to see how she was walking/limping. As soon as she touched the floor she started walking normal. I was so embarrassed! When I took her home again and put her on the floor that little turkey started limping again.
I am trying to mentally prepare myself for "THE DAY". I know it is going to happen. I know that it will happen sooner rather than later. But, I DON'T WANT IT TO! Baby Belle has brought so much joy and kindness to my life (remember, I am choosing to overlook the irritating stuff).
Baby Belle has been my ever faithful friend. (Well, technically she hasn't been MY faithful friend since my hubby got out of school. She likes him much, much better. I'm sure it's because he is nicer. It can't be because I am the one who feeds her and makes certain she has fresh water when she needs it.) For months after I brought her home and before my hubby graduated from college and moved back home Baby Belle would follow me around. I took her everywhere I went. She especially loved to go for rides in the car. It was one of her favorite activities.
Baby Belle is the dog that I have had for almost 14 years. Her birthday is coming up -- on March 10th.
Baby Belle has an old person's body. I noticed it the other day when I finally got around to grooming her. I have been putting off baths and clips because I know how miserable they make her. I want her to enjoy life as much as possible.
She is creeping around -- proof that she is an old woman. Every now and then I will see a little spark and she forgets that she is nearly 100 and she will run to the house from taking her potty break, but by the time she gets to the door she remembers how old she is. Life has a way of biting us all in the backside that way...
She is going bald -- she also has big, brown aging spots and (what appear to be) "warts" or moles all over her body.
She can't see very well -- cataracts.
She can't hear very well -- or she has selective hearing. I haven't been able to decide which.
She can't hold her bladder -- I am getting extremely tired of the urine on the floor, but I just keep reminding myself that her time on earth is very, very limited so I am trying to enjoy the least irritating moments and overlook the rest. Too bad it is teaching "my" dog bad manners.
She doesn't know when to stop drinking -- so she proceeds to throw it all up and start over again.
She (probably) has dementia -- she honestly can't remember when we fed her last. She thinks that there is a conspiracy going on within the pack (I mean, family). One where we are trying to starve her and make her die of thirst, so she needs to let us know how MISERABLE and ANGRY she is 99.9% of the time, every hour of the day. Which of course gets her overly excited, so that leads back to the bladder issue time and time again...
I fell in love with Baby Belle the first time I saw her. She was the daughter of my hubby's uncle's miniature poodle and his friend's Pekingese/poodle mix. Compared to her parents, she is a tiny, dainty little thing. I don't remember how many pups were in the litter -- I just know that I couldn't keep my eyes off her.
I love the way she smells when she is sleeping. I love how dainty her tiny little paws are after they have been freshly shaved. I also (used to) love her sweet temperament (before she got too old and cranky).
When she was a pup, she had a favorite toy -- a little black gorilla with a blue face. She took that gorilla everywhere. She always had to chase it around then gnaw on it before dinner. She even placed it in her bowl each, and every meal. I'm sure it was so she could pretend that she was having fresh gorilla meat after an exciting and eventful kill out in the wild. Some days, she would accidentally leave that gorilla on the floor in another room and when I had to lock her up in the kennel for my work day (back in the day) she would sit and think about that gorilla all day long and dream about the next "kill" because as soon as I let her out of the kennel she would RUN to the gorilla and kill it all over again..... It was a very sad day when the gorilla finally got too old. (Frankly, I think one of the younger dogs took one bite and it was blown to smithereens. Don't tell Baby Belle, though, she would be angry.)
Baby Belle's favorite treats are carrots. It was so cute when she could hear us because all we would say was, "Oh Boy! Do you wanna treat?!?" and she would lift her ears and cock her head from side to side -- she KNEW what "WANNA" meant! These days, she doesn't have enough teeth to chew hard carrots so we give her canned/cooked or baby pureed carrots. Yum!
My brother-in-law used to joke that she was like a prostitute at meal times. She really knows how to "work it" -- she will sit on the floor with her entire attention on you (ears and eyes forward). If you aren't paying attention she will back up a few steps, then back up again, then walk forward to you and start the process all over again. It really is humorous (when she isn't barking mad).
She has been my most expensive dog (I mean, kid). When she was just a baby, she jumped out of my arms and landed wrong on her front, left leg. By the way she instantly acted after landing, I knew it was broken... The local vet had to refer me to a bone specialist in "the big city" to the tune of about $600 or $800. That poor little leg has been weak ever since and the older she gets the more it bothers her.
About eight years after that, she jumped off my lap and landed wrong on the back, left leg so we had to run her down for a surgery to replace the equivalent to the human ACL in the knee. That was extremely expensive, too. She was basically one sided for a few weeks during the healing process -- it was like watching a dog pull a wheelie because it happened on the same side as the "lame" front leg.
Belle had to have some very expensive glands removed by her tail and ever since she has been the loudest "farter" in the house. She "farts" when she barks. She "farts" when she walks around. It is so funny some days because when it happens, she will occasionally stop what she is doing and turn halfway around and look back as if she is looking for the culprit of the noise -- like she wants to blame it on someone else. These days, whenever someone lets something "slip" they turn around and yell, "Belle!"
Baby Belle is TOUGH. Don't let her size fool you! When she was younger (before the knee surgery) she used to bark at people and stand on two legs to make herself taller and more intimidating. (I never had the heart to tell her that she doesn't really look all that tough because of the cute little crooked tooth on the left bottom that sticks out of her lip. When the vet had to remove a lot of the other rotten ones I begged him to see if that cute little tooth could stay. I've regretted it ever since because she had to turn her head in a weird direction to eat.)
Baby Belle knows how to play my emotions. For the past few years the vet has managed to give her a shot and hit a nerve which temporarily disables one of the hind legs so she drags it behind her when she walks. One year, she walked around like that and kept limping for a couple of days afterward. We gave her a lot of attention and concern. I called the vet to ask if he would look at her leg because I was so concerned about how long it was taking to get back to normal... As soon as we got to his office he asked me to put her on the floor to see how she was walking/limping. As soon as she touched the floor she started walking normal. I was so embarrassed! When I took her home again and put her on the floor that little turkey started limping again.
I am trying to mentally prepare myself for "THE DAY". I know it is going to happen. I know that it will happen sooner rather than later. But, I DON'T WANT IT TO! Baby Belle has brought so much joy and kindness to my life (remember, I am choosing to overlook the irritating stuff).
2 comments:
Oh that dog..she makes me laugh.
That's so sweet. She's your quiet dog too. That will be sad when she is gone. She is such a fixture at your house.
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