Another day with Bella

Bella and I are Friends again!

2016-09-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

SO IT HAS BEEN AWHILE FOLKS!!!

I am happy to report Bella and I both survived the turmoil of having a little one in the house again and though it has been rough going for us, she and I are now friends again. She was treating Paul as her adversary, nemesis, enemy incarnate - whatever you would describe it as. We have come to an understanding and it has been working well.

Bella is now five years old, fixed, less hormonal and bitchy and more open to accepting a toddler than an actual baby. They are starting to play together and working together to terrorize the household instead of just each other. I have seen a slow moving transition in Bella. She is finally coming around and accepting Paul as part of our family. At first she viewed him as a threat and something to be wary of. I was majorly concerned with her attitude towards me when I was pregnant but she is getting better day by day which in turn transferred to Paul as he started moving around and getting active. It has gotten much better and Bella has learned her place is a little below the tot and not equal to him.

We did go ahead and try about a year ago convincing Bella she is still important and part of the clan when we got her a subscription to Barkbox! She absolutely loves it. It is time to renew soon. She is to the point now, she hears the mail truck and gets as excited as she does when daddy comes home from work. She waits for the packages to be opened and sits there expectantly "OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY - IT IS HERE!" She is very disappointed when the box is from Zulily or Poshmark and is for mommy or the kiddos.

I swear she can tell the difference! Must be able to smell the goodies inside the Barkbox. When it is not for her, she walks away with her head down like she is depressed or something. Very sad to see. Brie always sets her up too. I guess that is the way of a 9 year old pre/pre-teen. "Let's get the dog all excited knowing she is going to be disappointed." 9 year old little girls have a very strange sense of humor! Going to have to keep my eye on that!!!

But back to Bella! She is as playful now as she was when she was a pup but the "No running in the house rule" really ticks her off. I figure I'd rather have a walking dog and a running toddler than a running dog and an endangered toddler. That is just my thoughts and they are not popular with the dog or the hubby. Why don't men understand the difference between an unhappy dog and an injured child!!! Very frustrating. Bella has a few more rules than she used to. It is part of adapting to life with little ones all over again.

I think sometimes, she has a better grasp on it than the big guy in the house. Bella knows that she has to walk in the house, she can run in her yard but if she didn't take off out of the yard every chance she gets and try to kill other four-legged creatures of all shapes and sizes; she would have more room to run. She is supposed to walk in the house and take her treats and go lay down with them. She still goes on all of the furniture but no longer sleeps in our bed! Thanks be to the LORD!!! I finally convinced Matthew that she is too big and I swear that dog kicks me in the back just so I will go sleep on the couch. When she was a pup, she would try kicking Matthew out of bed, but since I had Paul, I am the one with giant feet in my back pummeling me out of a sound sleep to get herself comfortable. Enough is enough! I used the excuse of the baby hanging out in bed with me watching TV and being afraid Bella would be snappy or step on him. It worked - she now sleeps downstairs on the couch. Trust me, I sleep on the couch often enough and it is one damn cozy couch!!! She should not be complaining!

Lately she's been spending more time with the baby - I did it again. He is 27 months old and I still call him "the baby". He is a big boy now and working on new things everyday. God forbid I try getting him to let go of the bottle though! He drinks perfectly fine out of a cup with no cover but if I try putting milk even in a sippy cup, it is the end of Paul's happy world! I am battling that one daily. Any ideas would be helpful - of course except the one to throw his bottles out the window driving down the road so he knows they are gone! I don't agree with that "all or nothing/all in/go big or go home" idea with toddlers and IT IS LITTERING! "Come on people - give me something I can work with." We are also working on getting Mr. Paul to sleep in his own bed without either me or daddy. That is a challenge. Reason being, I cannot open the damn baby gate to get out of the room whereas Matthew works it just fine! Go figure. Paul falls asleep and daddy gets to go in our cozy bed 10 minutes later. I try getting out of the room and after 3 or 4 tries, I give up and sleep in the tot bed all night. My back is so adjusted to the little kid bed that when I finally get to sleep in my own bed once every couple of weeks, I can barely walk because my poor back is not used to my own damn mattress anymore! I think there is something in the way of KARMA here regarding the dog! She got sentenced to the couch and this is somehow the Cosmos punishing me for doing that to Queen B.

Odie well! So there you have it. Bella is getting back to normal, my back will never be the same again and the kiddos are getting along well with the Big Blue Dane.
Check back soon for another installment.
Have a wonderful day all!!!!

Gentle Giant

2015-02-19T07:29:00.003-08:00

Welcoming a little one into the home is a blessing and a challenge. I am now learning to baby-proof areas of the home I did not even think of. This little one does not have interest in putting his fingers into the sockets as some children try to do; thankfully. Instead Paul Matthew tries to pull the actual socket cover off of the wall. I have the protective coverings in place but his mission is beyond that. The other day I caught him trying to get his little fingers behind the cover itself and pull it from the wall! Oh my Goodness!!! My husband told me I have to tighten those up a little better so he cannot do so. Who would have expected an eight month old to be so inquisitive? Not this mom! I tightened up all of the socket covers around the play area and blocked the one he seems to have the most interest in. We will see how that goes. Paul is now climbing up on things, furniture surfing, crawling and practicing standing on his own holding onto something with only one hand. This all came in the same week mind you. We went from sitting up to trucking around the entire room in a matter of a few days. Mommy is trying to keep up. Things are a lot different when you are 44 years old versus 26! I do not believe I could be any happier though.

Best Buddies

     Bella has a new set of challenges, unfortunately. Now that Paul is getting around so well, we have had to separate the two. It is no longer safe for Bella to be running around the house at her whim. She likes to run from the back door into the living room and circle to warm up. This is at a very high rate of speed. There is now a gate blocking her path. It is nice to see she has adapted to making a hairpin turn at the doorway to the front of the house. She makes that corner like a race car! She looks like a greyhound on a track. Her circles continue but they are behind the couch near the computer now so that Paul is safe from being trampled. I was just starting to relax a bit and let Bella come into the living room with the little man but the other day she was not so careful and almost stepped on him so she is barricaded to the other side of the gate again when he is playing on the floor. Poor Bella! I know everyone feels bad for the dog but I cannot allow her to trample the baby! It is funny how smart this dog is. When Daddy is not home, the better part of the time with his job, she does not complain whatsoever about being barred from the living room. When he is home, she carries on like a spoiled brat whining and fussing to get Daddy to let her come in. He does give in sometimes but I kick her right back out. At those times, a fight ensues between me and the dog. She seems to think she can pit me and my husband against each other. She expects him to fully take her side. She will bark at me, growl at me and expect a new outcome besides being barricaded from the living room.

    She especially likes to pull her Diva act when the baby is falling asleep. If he is in my lap having a bottle half asleep, Bella will come up to the back of the couch and rest her head next to mine and woof quietly in my ear. That is her way of saying "Okay Mom, the little one is falling asleep so let me come in when you put him in the playpen. Don't forget about me Mom." The only problem with this conversation is that it wakes up Paul. Once he sees her, he decides to try and get to her. He loves to play with Bella. I allow them to hang out when he is having meals because he is in his highchair and she is next to him. No trampling possible. If he is in his saucer or playpen, she is allowed to come in too. When he is napping she is allowed in the living room also. When he is on the floor it is a "No Bella Zone".

   Bella has decided it is her job to check on him when he is sleeping in his crib. She used to check on Brie in her room at night too. She will go into our room and try to lick Paul through the crib rails. When that does not work, she whines and tries to wake him up! I had to take her collar off when she is in the house because she will go shake in front of the crib knowing the jingle of her tags wakes him up every time. I do not need her deciding when the baby's nap is over or when it is time to wake up the entire house. I understand she loves Paul, as do the rest of us, but with her big clodhopper feet she could do some real damage. She is not aware of her size so she wants to play like a little dog would. I feel sorry for her sometimes but then something happens; I call them near misses and it makes me a vigilant parent again; overzealous some would say. She was on the couch the other night; I allowed her entry and Paul and I were on the floor playing. Bella decided to join in the fun. She put both big feet on the floor and I had to scoop the baby up as she went to smack me in the head as she does when she is playing. I moved him to shield him from her big feet as she dove right over us and spun around planting herself at my feet. She would have plowed right over him had I not thought quickly anticipating her next move.

     She would never hurt the little one on purpose. I understand this but a tragedy could occur accidentally as much as intentionally. I love my dog, but again, have to protect the baby. I wish Bella understood her size is dangerous but I know that will never happen. The only thing I can do to keep everyone safe is to keep her separated from Paul while he is little. Once he is bigger, she can spend more time with him. I trust my dog immensely. I had reservations, but I see how much she loves him. She is a gentle giant but the giant part is what could get us in trouble. Bella will have to adjust to a baby as have the rest of us. I am still learning that things interest him that I would never have imagined; like the socket covers and my cellphone. Bella used to have a problem with me ignoring her when I was on my phone; even hid it from me outside one time but Paul wants to push all the buttons and look at the pictures. Between Brie, Bella and Paul I have to keep a really close watch on my phone...and the remote.

For now, Bella will have to admire from afar. She can be a protector, love bug and guide from a distance. There will come a time when I am sure Bella, Paul and Brie will sit on the floor together reading a book, having a snack and watching TV. The scenario now is for Bella to watch from the other side of the gate and give Paul a lick now and then to show him she loves him. He loves her too. It is hard when he stands at the gate and cries for her and she is on the other side whining at him. It is picture perfect and heartbreaking at the same time. They will have plenty of time to be buddies in the future. This mom feels bad but is sure I am doing the right thing. Bella and Paul would not agree.

That's My Girl

2014-10-16T20:03:00.001-07:00

     I cannot get over how quickly time flies when you are a new mom! Paul Matthew is going to be six months old on November 27th. I am amazed at how blessed our lives are. Of course, there have been some challenges. When Paul was four days old we had to go into the hospital for jaundice. He was put in his own little tanning bed for 12 hours until all of the toxins were washed from his system. That was very scary but now he is doing great. He is a little tank and full of smiles and giggles for everyone. He lights up when daddy comes home, he has a special laugh for my mother-in-law; he truly cannot contain himself when he sees her. He just busts up into this adorable little belly laugh which brings tears to our eyes. Such joy emanates from this child. It would be wonderful if a bit of that joy were in every person in the World. Our home is a very happy place. It always has been but since this little guy arrived, the laughs, smiles and giggles just keep coming.

     Bella was very put out at first and actually got herself into a bit of a bind. When Paul was about 3 weeks old, Bella was annoyed by his little noises infants make and decided to investigate a bit closer than I was happy with. The baby emitted a high pitched cry which set Bella off and she actually barked and growled about 4 inches from the little ones face. Needless to say, she ended up on her chain outside for a better part of the day. Over a month or so, she came around to love him as much as the rest of the family. I think the initial sound hurt her ears and she was not sure if Paul was something to bite, chase or protect. She settled on protect which is a good thing for her sake.

     She was cautious getting too close to him because I won't allow it. I do not like when she tries to lick his face; but he giggles. The first time she did it, he let out a little cry and those big eyes were full of surprise. He was not sure what to make of this giant four legged creature but he has decided she is pretty cool. He enjoys touching her fur now. He sits on my lap and leans over to reach her if she is on the couch with us. He also tries to grab her tail if he is in his saucer when she is playing on the floor. It is very cute.

Bella's rules changed quite a bit since Paul got home and it took her some time to adapt but she is doing well. She is more calm in the house, does not run around in big circles in the living room unless he is sleeping in his crib for a nap upstairs and she does not get up on the couch near me anymore if he is with me. She sits on her blanket at the designated end of the couch. She seems okay with it. She has adopted the little one as another of her wards. She is as protective and caring with him as she is with Brie.

     Speaking of Brie, her and Paul are going to be quite the twosome! I can already see the wheels turning for Brianna. She is so excited to have someone she can teach all sorts of things to. She reads to Paul and Bella pretty often. She tries to pick books that the baby will like. She goes for lots of color and big pictures with very few words. Bella enjoys it very much when Brianna reads to her. It is the most adorable thing to see a giant dog flopped out on the floor with her little girl sitting next to her rubbing her belly and reading her a story.

     What a life we have!!! I cannot wait until Paul is toddling around after Bella and the rest of us. Now Suzie is another story. She was trying to figure out what the baby was far longer than it took Bella to figure out. She chattered at him repeatedly in his first couple of months; like she was ready to pounce. She spent some time in her crate, needless to say. I think her thought process is changing since he has gotten much bigger and he can swat at her pretty accurately. She no longer sees him as prey but as a threat to avoid. Once he starts booking around she will be hiding again, just like when Brianna was little. That cat came out to eat, drink and do her business. Other than that, she was hardly ever seen. Sometimes I think people thought I was lying about even having a cat. That is how elusive she was when Brie was small. I think she is starting to see Paul in the same light.

     As for my other four legged child - she is doing great with the newest addition to our clan. Baby George and Lady Bella are going to be just fine regardless of how worried this old mama was at first. All is well and I think it will stay that way.

Bella has proven again that she is just a big loveable child herself and why I love her so much.

So Misunderstood

2014-08-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

OMGoodness! It was not a good start to the morning. Matthew was feeding the baby and planning to make Apples Washington for breakfast. I was going to head out to the Stop & Shop to pick up a few things. When I was getting out of the shower, a very nervous husband carrying our infant came into the bathroom to tell me that there had been an accident with Bella and Brianna. The child was going to have quite a shiner. How do you think this mama bear reacted? "That $%^&* dog! How did that happen? I told you I don't want her running around this house like a maniac and she only does it when you're home because you allow it. Now look what happened!" Now mind you, I did not have all of the facts but assumed the dog was in the wrong instantly.

A little background if you are new to this page: Bella is a 100 pound three year old Great Dane "puppy". This dog is as hyper as anything you have ever seen when she gets excited and she only curbs it when Matthew is not home. Unfortunately, he does not buy into my idea that a 100 pound puppy needs to be in control around children at all times. He lets her be her natural dog self and I am always fearful something like this will happen. It is a major point of contention for us.

I finished getting ready and called Brie in to inspect her injury. Her eye is definitely going to be black and blue and her cheekbone looked pretty bad too. I called the emergency kids center in Rhode Island that we use. I was bound and determined to get her Xrays and prove to my husband, once and for all, the dog could not be "a dog" in the house! Once I calmed down and got the whole story from the child and the teen who laughed when he witnessed this incident, I discovered the dog had not done anything wrong. I owed my husband an apology; well not a total apology because he did allow the dog to have her ball in the living room which I do not allow because of potential accidents. It was a simple issue of the dog and child playing on the floor when the dog dropped the ball and the child lunged for it. The dog lifted her head to get out of the way of the child and the child got hit in the face by the dog's retracting head. Simple accident with a resulting shiner and bruised cheek.

It is difficult to blame the dog in this instance. Bella and Brie were being themselves. They were doing what a child and her dog do -- PLAY!!! Bella was not being rough or aggressive, she was simply enjoying her time with her kid. The tragedy is that I am too nervous to allow Bella to be her natural puppy self in the house because of her size. It is not her fault she was not born a beagle. During the week when Matthew is not home she is great, or I should say she knows she will be in trouble if she does not follow the rules set by me. Of course, she begs for food, she comes in the kitchen to inspect for scraps after meals and she is sometimes too pushy when people come to the door but overall she has adapted very well to an infant in the house and has taken to her new rules quite well. I feel bad for Bella sometimes because she was always my "baby" but I have to protect the human children before the happiness and carefree longings of the pooch are taken into consideration.

Today was a perfect example of how quickly things can go wrong with two parents having different guidance parameters. This proves Matthew and I must get on the same page with Bella. She is one of our kids. We have to treat her like a dog but I also have to take into account she does have feelings and her size is not her fault. I also have to learn that even though the child should not have been on the floor grabbing the ball from the dog, it is natural for her to want to play with her dog. Why did we get a dog if she is not allowed to be a dog? I have to learn to be cautious but not overbearing and once in a while there will be instances where a bump or bruise in the course of play is going to happen whether it is between the kids or involves the dog. I am so afraid of one of my children being injured that I tend to suffocate them sometimes and overprotect them. This is not doing them or Bella any good. I have to find a happy medium somehow.

My mom and I had a similar conversation on another topic involving children and how innocent they are. You cannot shield them from the World and you cannot always be there. You teach and guide. Then you hope for the best. A parent is there to ease the pain of the shiner, clean the cuts and scrapes, apply pressure to a bleeding wound, and comfort to a broken heart. We are not supposed to stifle them from or punish them for being who they are. Just as you cannot make a dog not be a dog. Within reason I have to accept that my dog is a big, dopey, playful, and loveable pooch (with her family that is) who is longing for love and affection. Her kids make her happy and she wants to make them happy. She accomplishes this through play.

Eventually the on-call physician called me back and assured me Brie is fine. He told me as long as she can move her eye, is not falling asleep or is listless and her facial muscles move without pain, she will be fine. No need for an X-ray. When he asked me what happened with the dog, he kind of chuckled and commented on how big dogs can be a curse and a blessing. I felt much better after getting off of the phone.

Fast forward a few hours. Brie is playing outside with her cousin Joshua and the worries of this morning are long forgotten. Again, we have a happy, innocent child with not a care in the World...as it should be. We also have a crazy-normal dog napping on the couch who will most likely do something in the future that will result in a bump, bruise or scratch on one of her kids while showing them how much she loves them. You also have a very thankful and blessed mama bear who needs to learn to relax a bit and not consider a monster or tragedy around every corner.

Since I became pregnant and now have a beautiful 10 week old little boy as a result, my dog has become a bit of a caution sign for me. I have to look at Bella the same way I looked at her before we had Paul and before Brie became her best friend; whom she longs to be a real dog for. All Bella is trying to do is show the kids how special they are to her. I have to keep in mind that she is also very special to them. Lately, I have been treating her more like a nuisance than a part of the family. She deserves to be cherished and respected too. Just like the rest of us.

Baby Here We Come!!!

2014-05-23T09:04:00.001-07:00

It has been far too long since I posted anything about poor Miss Bella. I am sorry to all of her readers. We are a few days out from Baby George coming into this world. It has been quite an interesting ride with Lady Bella. In my first Trimester she was super bitchy! She started to become more aggressive, more belligerent and less apt to listen to me. I was getting concerned due to not only her size, but her attitude. She already does not like other animals and strangers so how would she react to a new baby in her house?? My husband, brother-in-law and mother-in-law assured me it was just a phase; so to speak. The explanation I received is that she could sense a change in my hormone levels and she was confused so that is how she reacted.

It has been a very difficult pregnancy so having the stress of the angry dog on top of it was not going to be a good thing. Fortunately, as time has past, she has relaxed and gotten back to her mischievous, loving self! Unfortunately for her and everyone else around me - I HAVE NOT! Being pregnant at 26 versus 43 is a whole different ball game. For one thing, I only gained 13 pounds with my Sean and a whopping 40 Plus with this little guy. "Total Gym and daily walking here I come as soon as I am cleared for take off!" I feel sorry for people who have chronic back pain because this is just horrendous! I don't know how people function.

I was going to a chiropractor for a few weeks but then it was too uncomfortable on the table and the baby doesn't like it. He starts kicking up a storm and it is too painful so I have been icing at home. Problem is Bella likes the ice packs and steals them from me. If I leave them on the counter for a second, I turn around and "POOF" where did it go?? I cannot exactly chase the dog so I wait until she is done tossing it around and licking it - luckily she hasn't popped one yet. I have the Gel kind so they are still useable when I get them away from her. Usually by the time I do, it has to go back into the refrigerator to get nice and cold again. It is my own fault because she loves ice cubes as a treat. Since these are as cold as an ice cube she thinks they are hers to take.

I have to give this dog a lot of credit because I have been as bitchy in my second and third trimesters as she was in my first trimester. Lord help everyone! I had morning sickness almost from the pregnancy confirmation with the little white stick and right up until about 34 weeks. Thank goodness for Ondansetron! This helps to get rid of the nausea and morning sickness whether it is severe or mild. Mine was very severe and lasting all day. This was not available 17 years ago but that is how far medical science has come. Bella would lay outside the bathroom and whine for me to come out. She knew something was wrong but not sure how to react. What a good girl. But do you think I praised her at those times. NO! My reaction was "I cannot deal with a clingy damn dog right now!" LEAVE ME ALONE!!! Poor baby. She has been by my side since she was a pup and now she has started to pull away a bit because I have not wanted her on top of me all day long. She has her own spot on the couch now and only comes to lay with me if I let her. I guess it is a good thing, but sometimes I feel like I have not been fair to her.

One thing I realized with this baby coming is my relationship with Bella is changing. She was my baby and now she is going to be a different priority level for a bit of time until we get acclimated to a newborn in the house. I also think about the other children. Sean is 17 so he understands that newborns and babies take up all of your time, but Brianna is only 7 and I want to make sure she does not feel left out or neglected; as Bella does sometimes. My husband started telling Bella "Mommy doesn't love you anymore." This breaks my heart because I do love her but I need her to be better behaved with a baby around. In the first trimester, I was worried she could hurt the baby and be aggressive but that is not my fear anymore. I am afraid now, if she is too excited and trying to get to me, she could knock him over, step on him, nudge him too hard, etc. That is why I need to stay on her for following instructions. My husband just feels I'm being too hard on her.

I am torn: Do I let Bella be "Crazy Bella" or do I listen to my gut instinct as a mom and make sure she tows the line and understands her place? It is just like reteaching a belligerent or out of control child that there are consequences to their actions. I don't know what else to do. I guess the best way to deal with it is to be consistent in my reactions to her behavior and consistent in her consequences to set a precedent of what is expected of my big girl.

I suppose I need some advice from moms of dogs and babies. How do I keep the balance of showing my dog she is number one still but she is not more important than the little one. How do I make sure our relationship is not changed forever and she feels like I don't love her anymore? This is very important to me because I don't want her to resent the baby and do hope for him to have as special a relationship with his Big Blue Dane as the other kids do. She is a very integral special part of the family but does not always agree with following rules.

The Cat - now that is a whole other problem. I have told my husband she is not allowed in the Nursery whatsoever. We have put the Bassinet in our bedroom, and of course, the little guy will be in there for quite some time before being switched to his crib. Suzie, the Cat has decided sleeping in the Bassinet is her new spot. I THINK NOT!! My plan is to ban the cat from the bedroom altogether when the baby is in his Bassinet. 1 -2 hour feedings will be the routine for the first couple weeks, I am sure and I don't want the cat anywhere near the baby. Again, my husband thinks I am being cruel to the animal. How do I explain that this is an incredibly important aspect of keeping the little one safe. I am not saying my cat is mean. I am not saying my cat would intentionally smother the baby; but it has happened often enough where it is of major concern and my thoughts are: "Why not just be proactive and avoid the potential for disaster?" So again, to moms of kids and cats: How do I convince my husband I do not hate my cat but want to protect the baby??

I love my animals as anyone who reads this blog knows. Maybe I worry too much but how can I not? Advice and feedback would be so welcome right now. Monday morning, we are going to be induced so I would say by Wednesday we will be home starting life with a new little guy named Paul Matthew George! I want everyone to get along, I want as little stress as possible and I want my animals to adjust to the changes coming as much as the rest of the family. Stay tuned...

All I Want For Christmas...

2013-12-11T19:58:00.001-08:00

As some of you may know, Matthew and I are expecting a baby in June of next year. Everyone is very excited about this but the little ones are really taking advantage of my bouts of pregnancy related woes. By little ones I do not mean the children. I mean our four-legged children. This would be Bella and Suzie. I am not sure what has gotten into either of them lately, but they are absolute terrors; both of them. My animals realize there is something not quite the same with Mommy and they are using every lacking ounce of energy I have to get into trouble and wreak havoc in this house. My wonderful husband is lucky enough, lately anyway, to be on the road during the week so he misses most of the drama. He comes home and both of these little shits act like they are innocent little angels. It annoys me to no end!!! I started taking pictures and texting them over to him so he can see the spoiled creatures in action and he wouldn't think I belong in a looney bin.

I understand children act out when there is a major change in their lives and a new baby can bring on some stress and uncertainty but our two-legged kids are thrilled. They are quite helpful, compassionate and understanding when I am having a hard day. Sean and Brie are both very happy and excited to meet their new little brother or sister next summer, but these animals think they can run me over like a Mack truck when I am having a bad day. My new-found exhaustion and morning sickness is giving our four-legged children the notion that they can run hog wild and do whatever they please.

Suzie has taken to actually knocking the garbage over and inspecting it for herself on a pretty regular basis. This cat is around seven years old and has never done this before. She manages to get her plump little rump on top of the dryer and dives head first into the garbage. I was not sure who the true culprit was; she or Bella, but the other morning I came downstairs for a drink around 4 AM and there she was, my fat little butterball of a cat walking out of the laundry room batting around an empty yogurt container. She proceeded to put one paw inside while holding it steady with the other one and started licking the yogurt from her paw. I could not believe my eyes. I stood there stunned because I had been blaming Bella for weeks. I kept reminding the kids to shut the laundry room door so the dog would not get into the garbage while we were sleeping. It did not occur to me that it really could not have been the dog. Bella sleeps upstairs in our bedroom and I would hear her get up and go downstairs. My Prego brain just did not register that fact.

The dog is not innocent though, by any definition or term. She has decided that it is her right to lick the kitchen island as she pleases, steal food if it is something that she wants and again, started sticking her whole big head in the freezer to get her ice cubes. She is supposed to wait for us to throw the ice cube to her like a regular treat but has decided she will get her own. This is so gross! I do not want dog drool on my ice cubes. We have to be careful that we block her way when we open the freezer. Twice in the past week I have had my hand slammed in the freezer by Brie who is aware of this problem and is "helping" me get the ice really fast to keep Bella's head out of the icebox. All I can say is "Damn Dog"!!! Now I really need ice for my hand not my water!!!

I have resorted to Time-Out for the animals, as we used to mediate to the kids. Sean actually had a little time-out chair when he was small and Brianna used her little recliner. The rule is one minute for each year of the child. Suzie gets seven minutes and Bella gets five. I know the dog is not five but it is just not fair that the little hellion gets less time than the cat when she gets into more trouble than the cat. Both of them ended up in time-out recently because, again, I think they were working as a team to throw off me and the kids so they could hijack dinner leftovers. I had made baked chicken, potatoes and corn. It was a very simple, tasty meal that the kids enjoy. We were finishing up dinner when the two predators starting circling. First we heard the baking dish scraping across the island in the kitchen so I immediately got up and peeked around the corner to see Bella licking the side of the dish and using one paw to try and push it towards the end of the counter. I guess she figured I would not hear Pyrex hit the floor. My dog is not very quiet when she is confiscating food. I screamed "Bella get the hell away from that counter right now!" She was so busy trying to accomplish her task that she had not noticed me coming. Startled, she took off for the living room and jumped up on the couch, "sitting ladylike" as if she did not know why I yelled at her. In the meantime, her partner in crime had gone into the dining room and was busy swiping chicken off of Sean's plate while he was cleaning up the counters in the kitchen. Brie was beside herself giggling up a storm watching the cat across the table from her steal the chicken right off of Sean's plate.

To say I am fed up with these two little monsters is an understatement. Thank goodness for winter coats for dogs because Bella is just too large to put into a cage or crate. Her punishment is to go outside on her chain for five minutes. Now you say, "Hmmm, outside on her chain for five minutes is a punishment?" It is because this Prima Donna of a Pooch hates the winter weather in New England. I have never seen a dog pee so fast in my life. In the cold weather she goes no further than the side of the front porch. She squats, pees and dives right back to the door barking to come in. Five minutes to her is like two hours for another dog. By the time her five minutes are up, she is literally howling like a coyote and scratching at the door as if the Hounds of Hell were after her. Anyone driving by would think someone is trying to kill her. It is so embarrassing. She is such a big baby!!! Mind you, I do not put her out with no protection from the elements. She wears her fleece coat for these time-outs. I am strict but I am not cruel.

The other problem child is not so lucky. She avoids the cold but her time-out is more confining and a wee bit longer. The trick is to catch the feline to get her into her time-out. We still have Bella's crate that she was sent to us in from her first Mom. It is where the cat gets to spend seven minutes whenever she acts up. She is not as loud as Bella but if you get close to her while she is in there, you would think she is a rabid squirrel. She tries to bite you through the cage! It is funny because she cannot get her head out to do so but tries her darndest to get your finger. I make sure Brie is not bothering her when she is in there because it is not nice for the two-legged child to tease the four-legged child when she has done something wrong. I also know this cat will get revenge on Brie if she irritates her too much. Once Suzie gets off of her punishment she bolts upstairs and we do not see her for the remainder of the day. It is her way of protesting, I suppose.

Even though I have put the hammer down on these two little troublemakers, I do not see an end in sight. No matter how many times I try to correct their behavior, they continue it. Bella has gotten to the point over the last few weeks that if we do not give her table food she refuses to eat her dog food. She gets hamburg mixed with honey and garlic salt in her dog food every day. To turn her nose up at cooked hamburg is really making a statement. I swear she is protesting via hunger strike. This is her new thing. I do not like having my hand forced so she better start getting the picture that I am the boss or she is going to be one of those anorexic looking dogs you see on TV. Trust me, she is not starving but she refuses to eat so the kids and my husband feel bad for her and keep giving her table food. I cannot break her bad habits if I have no support from the rest of the family. Do they not understand they are reinforcing her poor behavior?

She is the most stubborn spoiled dog I have ever known. I have to get back to my child right now though, because she is laying here barking at me from over on the couch and I cannot think straight, let alone try typing with no errors! The kids just went upstairs after having their snacks for bed. She is letting me know that she wants a snack too. I was thinking tonight I may have a Granny Smith apple sliced up and dipped in peanut butter. Looks like Bella is having the same thing....well I cannot let her simply starve. I guess if you can't beat'em then you give in. That seems to be the popular vote around here anyway where the Big Blue Dane is concerned. All I want for Christmas is two well behaved animals! I have a better chance of getting a new SUV at this point. Goodnight all. Baby George is getting restless, Mommy is getting hungry and sleepy, and Bella is getting angry as usual.

Check back soon to see how the troublemakers are doing. If I cannot manage another post between now and Christmas, everyone have a wonderful holiday!!!

Merry Christmas from the George Family and the Big Blue Dane!!!

She Is Very Put Out Tonight

2013-08-20T20:36:00.002-07:00

It amazes me sometimes just how spoiled my big blue baby is. Last night Brianna had a sleep over with her two little sisters. Their parents had a trip to go on so I offered to take the girls.The girls are five and two. I babysat for them last year for a short period and Bella got very used to having three little ones to play with instead of just Brie. Needless to say, Bella was in her glory.

This dog believes she is one of the girls! She insists on coming outside to run around the yard with them, she tries to steal whatever object they are playing with because Keep Away is by far her favorite past time and of course lying in the grass cloud-surfing just like a kid, imagining what the clouds look like. Yesterday we found a T-rex, a frisbee, a volcano and a boat. I wonder what Bella was imaging them to be; maybe a big chew toy or pig ear?

Dinner went well except for the fact Rori, the youngest child is too small to fit in the dining room chairs so we dragged Brianna's kid-size recliner into the kitchen and made do with that. The older two sat at the island in the swivel bar stools and we used the two empty ones to cage off Miss Bella so she could not steal any of their goodies. Try as we might we could not have a conversation or discuss our movie options for the evening because Bella was irate being stuck behind the chairs and a baby gate for food safety. She carried on the entire time telling us why she should be part of the gathering in the kitchen. I am sure if she could actually speak English, she had some valid arguments. The girls were giggling so hard due to Bella's awful behavior, that they were actually dropping bits of food before it reached their mouth. This caused quite a kick for the youngest and she laughed so hard she spilled her drink right on the floor.

Bella was all set for cleanup duty at that point. It does not help that Suzie will come and sit at the far end of the island while we are eating so she can gauge the quickest scoop-and-run retreat. It makes me feel bad for Bella but not bad enough to let her into the kitchen. Once the cat got up on the island, out of my swatting reach mind you, the dog lost it. The kids were hysterical and started making Bella noises. While I was wiping the floor and the girls were content being mini-Bella superfans, Suzie swooped in stealth-like and went right for the easiest prey at the table; Gabi lost two pieces of ham right off her plate. "Damn that CAT To Hell!!!" The cat did a quick grab with one paw, scooped and ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. By the time we were getting ready to clean up there were tears streaming down my face because I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe and it really hurt. Chest pains at 42 years old are no laughing matter. Often they lead to my paranoid worrying and a mini-panic attack. For the record -- that really sucks!

Once the dinner festivities came to a close, each child took a bath and then it was movie time. We settled on Toy Story 3. I happened to be the only one that had not seen it so each of them took turns letting me know what would be coming up next. I gave up 20 minutes into it and just resigned myself to the fact that I was going to be well-versed on the next scene, and the next, and the next... Bella was getting upset the entire time. At night she curls up on the couch with me and goes to sleep or if I am working on the computer, she lays at my feet at the desk. Tonight I was scrunched in the corner of the couch, Brie, Rori and Gabi next to me consecutively - then Bella was stuck on the other side of the sectional and kept trying throughout the movie to fit between each of us systematically until she made it to me and Brie. After being told to stay on the floor repeatedly and sent out of the living room to go lay on a blanket in the hallway; truly shunned, she came up with a new strategy. She began to whine like the poorest lost soul you could ever imagine. Brie said, "Mommy Bella is crying. Can she come back and lay in here on the floor?" So I said "Sure" and went to get the pathetic faker. I swear that dog was smirking when I brought her back into the living room.

The content demeanor of the dog only lasted until she figured out she still was not sitting with Mama. Barking ensued; loud, loud, nail biting, ear splitting barking ensued. Brianna is used to this and just cranks the volume on the TV. Gabi and Rori were not sure what to make of this stubborn pooch. Rori's solution was to scream at this 100 lb monster of a pissed off dog "SHUT UP BELLA! I WATCHING WOODY AND BUZZ!" This coming from a two year old was probably the funniest thing I have heard in a very long time. It actually shocked the dog into being quiet for about two minutes.

By the time the movie was over Bella was staring at me with a look of pure anger in her eyes. If she ever considered biting me seriously instead of a love nip as I usually get here and there, I would have been dog-meat for sure. Her anger was directed right at me. She knew the girls were not to blame for her banishment to the floor but it was me. The girls decided to sleep downstairs, pretty much where they were during the movie. We got pillows and blankets and they settled in for a bedtime story before going to sleep. Bella finally dozed off while I was reading to the girls. I tucked them all in and went to work on my computer. Bella decided to get up on the couch but wanted the spot Rori was fast asleep in because it is the center of the sectional and she always sleeps there. I guess she was too mad at me to lay at my feet while I worked.

She was slowly belly crawling her way to the sleeping child to figure a way to recoup her favorite spot on the couch. I banished her to the floor again with a bribe, I mean treat. She was pretty tired by then and after a few pulls on the collar to remove her from the couch, I got her to stay on the floor after I went and got her bed upstairs. When I finally was ready to catch some sleep, I curled up on the far end of the couch and Bella refused to give in this time. I let her up on the couch and something funny occurred to me. This dog thinks she is really and truly one of the kids. Whatever Brie is doing she wants to be doing too, whatever we are eating she wants some too, whatever family time we are sharing, she parks herself right on the couch with us or out in the yard with us depending what we are doing for the day and whenever we have company, she wants to be part of the fun too. I think tonight I hurt my dog's feelings. I made her feel like she was not part of the family. Shame on me.

She really is one of my kids. Just because she has four legs instead of two, a long tail that will leave a mark like you just got snapped with a wet towel, has terrible table manners, and she cannot speak human, she is as much a family member as any of the rest of us are. I guess I may need to reconsider her rights next time we have a sleepover. Maybe we can arrange ourselves around the big blue dog instead of the dog rearranging her habits around us.

Something to ponder...

THE LOVE OF A CHILD AND HER DOG!

2013-07-01T21:53:00.001-07:00

This is one of those times when I really appreciate life and the gifts I have been given. My husband and I just made a trip to Chapel Hill, North Carolina for a very special appointment. 16 years ago I gave birth to the most amazing wonderful young man on the planet; our son Sean. Then about two years ago we were blessed with the gift of Guardianship of our niece Brianna who is now our daughter in every way that matters to the heart. She is a gift from above and that spunky little free spirit makes it apparent why being a Mom is the greatest job you could have. This little girl owns a place in my heart where no one could ever reach before; except for Sean. Even though I did not conceive, carry and give birth to Brie she is mine in every sense, and I could not be a more proud happy blessed woman to be raising this wonderful child who teaches me new things about life everyday.

Which brings me to my latest post: As I mentioned, Matthew and I went to North Carolina to have an operation which will make it possible for us to grow our wonderful family even more; I had a tubal reversal! Right now I am in full recovery mode. I had my surgery on Wednesday, June 26th at 9:30 am and from that moment forward we have a new view of our future. As excited as my husband I, and Sean are, Brianna is even more so. She is so excited to be a big sister some time in the future...sooner than later we are hoping - I am no spring chicken. All went well and we can start working on our new addition in the next few weeks. Brianna is working on containing her excitement but today I witnessed just how excited she is about having a new baby someday. She was sitting on the couch with her Bella. Notice I said, "her Bella"...Somehow since Brie has found comfort and security in her new life with us, Bella has become her dog and I am Bella's keeper. Bella watches over this little girl without fail. She makes sure she is always in the same room with her. When Brie is watching TV, Bella is in her lap on the couch instead of mine, when she is playing on the floor; maybe a board game or playing cards with me; Bella is curled up behind her or laying next to her all sprawled out but is careful not to interfere in our play. She is a gentle soul with Brianna but only with Brie. I think she understands because Brie is so small, she has to tread with care. When Bella and I go to bed at night I check on Brie sleeping and Bella always has to come with me. If I put her in her pen before I go check on Brie, Bella will whine and carry on until I let her come along. It is her duty to make sure Brie is safe and sound in dreamland.

   This afternoon Brie was telling Bella without realizing that I could hear her, how happy she was that she would be a big sister again. She has two younger siblings with her Dad and his wife; they are all beautiful little dolls. I think it is so adorable how there is one of each - the smallest is a cute little red head, the middle child is a little peanut with Snow White-worthy black silky hair and Brie is an adorable little Goldilocks curly blonde! The compliments Sean and Miranda must get when they go out as a family must be numerous. Three smiling little cherubs. Bella loves to hang out with the girls when they come over to visit. But Brie is her kid! This dog is in love with this child as much as I am. It is the fire and spirit she gives off just walking in a room! Bella thrives on playing with Brianna because you never know what sort of mischief they are going to find. I have come into the living room where I only left five minutes prior to find big forts with blankets and pillows where all I can see is little feet and a tail peaking out from under the camp and I can hear Brianna telling Bella "Pay attention, I am trying to read you a story that Mom read to me" It is so heartwarming to see a little girl so in love with her dog! What a beautiful relationship and bond they have. They also wear capes and necklaces around the house at times. Bella is a great dress-up partner. She will even let Brie put socks on her paws - it is so cute!

   As terrible as Bella can be to Suzie our cat, is as wonderful as she is to Brie. It is a tradeoff I accept. Bella is learning to leave the cat alone and I know there has been progress because as I type this Bella and Suzie are curled up together on the couch sleeping like angels. I am sure when Bella wakes up and realizes how close the cat is she will nudge her or smack her with a paw but it comforts me to see the cat is not at all afraid of our giant baby Bella. She loves her as we do and just humors her by going along for the chase.

   This afternoon Brianna was telling Bella about the future baby; God Willing of course. I am not taking for granted that it is not 100% guaranteed but if positive prayer and thought have anything to do with it we are heading in the right direction. Brie was telling Bella that she is helping me pick out names for the babies and that she hopes we have one of each; a boy and a girl at the same time. She told Bella that is what Dad wants; two at a time but he wants "four of them". Then she was telling her that is why we went and looked at new cars. She talks to Bella as if she is talking to one of her little friends and it is really sweet how Bella appears to be listening. She looks at Brie while she is talking, she puts her head on her lap, looks up, puts her paw in her hand, etc. It is as if they are really communicating! Brie also told Bella that they should tell me they want to go in the hot tub again. A couple of weeks ago we had a heat wave and I let the girls go in the hot tub with cold water and no jets to cool off. Bella did not actually get in but she cooled herself off and helped herself to a few licks off the faucet. Brianna had an absolute blast with her dog and we captured it all on video. Today Brie asked me if she and Bella could watch their video from the hot tub. I said sure. So me and my girls sat on the couch and looked at how much fun we have when it is too hot to play outside. A child's giggle is the most amazing sound in the world and I can still remember that tinkling magical sound from Sean when he was small and used to love watching Blues Clues. Brie has that very same giggle but it is usually brought on by her beloved companion!

Sometimes I just close my eyes and wonder how my life turned out so perfect. I sure as hell am not perfect but I have given up on asking myself why and "How do I deserve all of this?" and I now say "Thank you". Then I look over and gaze on my beautiful baby Bella and baby Brianna and know all is right in this crazy world. Throw in my husband, our son, our family and friends and how could it get any better?? Only the pitter patter of one, two, three or four little sets of feet chasing after a Big Blue Dane and Fat Little Cat named Suzie with a big sister chasing behind saying "Be careful and slow down. There is no running in this house"...My little mini-me or I could say mini-mommy to be:)

CAN SHE DO IT!!!!!!!!

2013-06-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

     It has been quite some time since Bella and I have sat down to write a post. She says "Hello" by the way to everyone interested in hearing about her daily adventures. I had resigned myself to the fate of having a 100+ pound dog sleeping with us until we are old and grey. Bella is incapable of accepting that she is a dog. This is based on irrefutable evidence. She thinks she is one of our kids!

     If she doesn't like a rule; she breaks it with ne're a care of consequences. She gets irritable if she doesn't get her snack - like Brie if she loses track of time before bed and does not have her favorite ice cream or some other delectable dessert. Bella becomes irate if I don't take her for a walk or I leave her home when it rains. This is like Brie if it is raining outside and she can't go to the park. If Bella is mad about something and doesn't get her way, she tortures our cat to get my attention. Poor Suzie has been lying on the floor and Bella has gone over and put the cat's whole head in her mouth or just squished her to the floor with one big foot while the cat flails around helplessly. This is just to piss me off! Brianna will go punch Sean or throw something at him when she's angry. They are two peas in a pod. Scary Mary and Scary Mary Mini. Bella pouts if I change Animal Planet while she's watching one of her favorite programs - "Cat From Hell" or "Dog Whisperer". This is equivalent to changing "Phineas and Ferb" or "Looney Tunes" on Brianna. Bella will sit on the couch, throw her head back and howl at me until I either shut off what I am watching or put the channel back where she wanted it. I kid you not, this dog watches television! Brianna simply hides the remote after putting her channel back on so I cannot change it. If I were more Tech savvy I may be able to fix this issue, but unfortunately, I am not. This results in no one watching TV at all. I do know where the power button is without the remote. When Bella figures out how to hide the remote, I'm really going to be in trouble. She's already buried my phone in the yard.

     We have decided that once we become pregnant, the dog can no longer sleep with us. We are not there yet, but working diligently to increase our happy nest. We have to make sure the dog is settled into her new digs before a baby bundle arrives; God Willing...

     My husband and I are very good to our animals. However, I treat them like our children. If I get kicked in the stomach while carrying a baby, it is not only going to be quite painful but dangerous for our new little one-to-be so I cannot take the risk at the expense of my dog's feelings. There are some boundaries when it comes to safety. I am not totally delusional about the risks with a 100+ pound pup. I had seen a really cute futon bed at Walmart that I thought would be great for Bella. I decided we could put it at the foot of our bed inside her pen and she would be comfy cozy but not right on the bed. I guess I hadn't considered the dimensions of the dog pen or that of the futon.

     We went to look this weekend and my husband says "Really!! Not gonna work". I asked what the problem was and he asked me if I knew what math was. I said, I thought it would fit and he said "That's the problem, you thought.   Dammit!!! I want my bed back and I hate it when my husband is right. He is so rude!! I'm so tired of waking up with unexplained bumps and bruises from a dog, but as usual Matthew's common sense supersedes my unrealistic visions. We went to the pet section and he says "Ah, there you go". Of course his unnecessary sarcasm is always at hand when he is right but as usual he was onto something. He found a therapeutic dog bed which is big enough for Bella but not too big for our bedroom. Of course, from a practical standpoint this bed makes perfect sense but for my baby's comfort, it didn't look very cozy. Bella is accustomed to being pampered and loves our bed. It is a California King that is just melt-worthy comfortable; cloud-like. I looked at this dog bed and was very unimpressed. If I were her, I'd go chew up Matthew's boots!!

     Well, "What the hell do I know?" We determined we would try it out and give Bella the opportunity to decide if she liked it or not. If it was up to me, it would have remained on the shelf. We brought it home and she started checking it out immediately. It wasn't even out of the packaging and she was trying to lay on it. We took it out of the box and let her get used to it in the kitchen. When we brought it upstairs at bedtime. she jumped on the bed and was looking at me with this sideways head tilt that said "Mom, why are you sleeping there". I think the dog was letting me know it was for me not her. Matthew had already brought her pen upstairs so it was pretty clear she thought one of us was in trouble. This dog shocked the bejeezus out of me. Once she realized it was for her, she went right in and sniffed around then laid down. Bella LOVES HER NEW PAD!!

     The first night was a bit sketchy. She whined but there was no growling, jumping around or knocking things over, chewing or howling. She was somewhat perturbed but within about 30 minutes she settled into her new spot.

     Since then each night, she comes upstairs, tucks Brianna in with me and then she goes into our room, inspects her bed to make sure there is no cat laying on it, then heads downstairs with me until it is time to sign off for the evening. She goes right to her pen and waits for me to open it, circles her bed a few times and then plops down 'til morning.

   I am so impressed by this turn of events and the ease at which she got past sleeping with us, that I have to give credit where credit is due: My husband is a genius. I complain about the dog not knowing she is a dog and now I understand it is my fault. I wasn't treating her much like a dog. I file and polish her toe nails (clear only - daddy would not approve if he came home and she had red toe nails), brush her teeth, Brie and I make necklaces for her that coordinate with her collar, she gets Dunkin Donuts munchkins every morning, and a home-cooked breakfast she eats with me and the kids. She has hamburg with honey and garlic salt mixed into her food each day; I'm not so sure about the benefits of honey for a dog but she just loves it on her toast so I thought she'd like it in her breakfast as a treat. Matthew tells me all of the time he is convinced I am a crazy person masquerading as normal. I don't agree. Why should our children be treated like royalty and our animals not so much. They are our kids too!

     My husband treats Bella like a dog and it makes her happy and content. I treat her like one of the kids and she is petulant and stubborn; acting out constantly. She is downright fresh!!! Go figure... One more reason I married him. It is so nice to have someone tell you that you are crazy in such a loving caring compassionate way. Crazy wife - happy life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did find one problem with her new-found puppy sanctuary. During the day Bella comes and lays at my feet while I write or sits with me while I do housework. She is always by my side. Since she is in her own bed now, I cannot get this dog off of me. She is like crazy glue! It is one thing to have her beside me but if I leave the room she is right on my heels. I actually sat on her today which was not pleasant for either of us. She ended up nipping my butt because she was not pleased and I actually fell off the couch because it hurt. I was trying to sit down on the couch and she beat me to the spot. I pretty much fell over her and as I went to stand up that is when I got the shark bite. OUCH!! She growled her discontent with the situation and I yelled at her for biting me. Brie thought this was friggin' hilarious and proceeded to high-five the dog. Yes, I suppose I am accepting she is a dog...if those teeth are any indication. Good thing Brie doesn't have chompers like that or we'd all be screwed!!! Maybe since Bella is in her own bed now I can start working on getting her off the damn couch. BUT: If today was any indication;

I don't think I'm going to win that battle any time soon.

Bella May Never Find True Love :(

2013-01-30T06:08:00.000-08:00

     I was so excited at the beginning of the school year for Bella. Each morning Bella and I drive Brianna to her Kindergarten and every so often we'd see in another truck, a big beautiful black Great Dane. He is just the most gorgeous male Dane I've seen! He is as handsome as my Baby Bella is beautiful. So of course, as a future Grandma to Bella's pups, I had great hopes that this handsome gent would be the Pop of her pups. Well, I guess Grandma Patti needs to accept the fact that Bella hates all other animals and is never going to find TRUE LOVE! Yesterday, the Black danes daddy stopped and asked me what kind of dog Bella was and I told him, "Yes, she is a Blue Dane and you have the black male!" I was so thrilled when he then asked how old she was and told me how beautiful she is. It was going through my head how many adorable little black pups and blue pups we would have. Some looking like their mom and some looking noble like their dad. I told him she was almost two years old and he says, "Oh mine too". I am getting more excited by the minute and asked if he was going to "breed him", then I felt stupid cause the real terminology would be "stud him out" but nonetheless the dad knew what I meant and dashed part of my hopes and dreams and says. "No he's fixed!" UGGHH!!!!! I said, "Oh dammit, that sucks"! That wasn't exactly eloquent for having just met this man but Mama's frustration was utmost at that moment. The handsome black Dane was not with him so as I said, "Well, that's too bad, we'll have to keep looking. Have a nice day." I was still hoping that maybe Bella could have a playmate. My plan was next time I see this man (forgot to get his name) I'd mention how maybe Bella and his boy could get together for a play date. Bella doesn't get along with any other animals, especially those smaller than her but I was thinking since he is larger than her and he's a Dane maybe she'd make an exception and have someone to pal around with on a walk here and there, or we could meet them at the dog park and I could meet the black Dane's mom. I was thinking life long Dane loving pet owner friends. COOL!!!
     Well the rest of my hopes and dreams were shattered this morning. Bella, Bella Bella!!! Here we are in line again dropping Brianna off at school and here comes the handsome black Dane and his dad to drop off their kid. The dad stops along the side of our truck so they can meet; Bella and this handsome giant. What does my daffy dog do! She turns into CUJO and tries jumping out of the truck while her future friend stares at her quizzically from his window wondering if this girl needs medication! She is an absolute lunatic and he's calm as a cucumber looking at me and then his owner like; "What the hell did I do?" Poor guy. He just met an unstable crazy female!

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     All I can picture is Petco all over again. I'm wondering if when I go to pick up Brianna today, the school officials ask me if I can leave the rabid dog home from now on so she cannot scare the children and staff. What am I going to do with this looney tune of a dog! She failed puppy school, tries to attack every animal she sees; including larger Danes than herself I now know, and refuses to even make an introduction such as a normal dog butt sniff, like most other non crazy animals do. She goes for the jugular before even determining whether it is friend or foe.
     I hate to say it, but the likelihood of my beautiful girl ever having pups is pretty darn slim. I am starting to think she may just end up an old lonely spinster with run of the house, access to all furniture and anything she deems a chew toy. I believe until her old age, she will still be sleeping in our bed between me and Matthew, chasing poor Suzie every chance she gets, scaring every delivery person who comes in our yard, being barred from PetCo forever unless Daddy is with us, and chasing Vets when they try giving her shots.
     What is a Mama to do? I don't think they will actually do artificial insemination for a dog but I'm tempted to look into it because I really want to breed her and keep a pup. We would love to have another Bella running around but one with a less temperamental disposition. My other option is to find out if I can get her into Doggie Therapy and figure out what her issue is with all other living creatures. Where does this anger come from!!! Good thing she loves all of us or we'd be in real trouble on one of her bad days...then again, maybe she is just happy with her life the way it is and doesn't want any other animal stepping on her turf. Who knows. All I can say is I love my Baby Bella and puppies or no puppies, she is the best darn dog in the entire world!!!   It took her Mama almost 40 years to find a soul mate and love of her life, so maybe; just maybe, there is some hope for Bella to find True Love. I won't be holding my breath though...

Bella Knows Best - I Think???!!!

2012-12-03T20:55:00.001-08:00

I recently completed my Associate's Program from home through the University of Phoenix, Axia program. Bella is a major contributor to my success. Not only did Bella help me remember to put my research material away but she also reminded me over and over again, when it is time to study is not during the afternoon when she wishes to play. You see, this is very important going forward in all future endeavors for me because I have determined I will be a better writer than business manager. Mind you, I get plenty of practice at home refereeing a 15 year old and 5 year old day in and day out. I am always multitasking and giving redirection to these two children who are polar opposites in every way possible. I swear if Sean is going to say something nice, Brianna is going to report it as he was being rude to her. I have had to figure out how to be diplomatic in delegating punishment. I was unaware at how well happy little five year old children develop a knack for lying in order to show their power over a teenager who they consider a nuisance.

This brings me to why I feel it is best I have Bella here 24/7 even though she gives me grey hair more rapidly than I think it would develop naturally. I really cannot prove my theory since I get my hair colored without fail every five weeks. I have to or I look like Broom Hilda after more than six weeks, and manage to scare the children and the hubby too. Bella is always sniffing around my work area. More than once I have left papers out that I highlighted important information on only to come home or back in the room in some instances, to find nothing but shredded slips of the words I was working on adding to my memory folder. She has also decided that pens are a tasty treat beside her BBQ flavored dog bones. In the past two weeks, I have found the carcass of many a blue and black gel pen around the house. Luckily, I have not seen any evidence of splattered ink on the living room carpet. I believe she is smart enough to bite down on it once she is in the kitchen where for the most part, it is impossible to see a stain. I love industrial looking concrete flooring. It is so manageable. Okay, back to Bella sorry. I am not worried she is eating the pens; which is a good thing. We are making progress. We have found something she merely chews up and spits out; something she would like to do to poor Suzie.

You are all probably wondering what the correlation is between a five year old who is learning that fibbing is a good way to avoid a timeout or losing video game and TV privileges, and a dog who cannot speak and should be nicknamed DEMON. Well, it is a good thing the dog can be vocal in other ways or the five year old was going to scam one over on me today, and the 15 year old would have been in hot water without doing anything; this time. I keep finding empty pop tart wrappers all over the living room lately. There is no eating allowed in the living room by the kids. I had enough with empty fruit snack and go-gurt sleeves to last a lifetime. We put our feet down when we moved in the new house a couple years back that there was to be no eating in the living room.

I decided to gather the evidence and confront who I thought was the culprit. I was reprimanding Sean for lying about leaving the pop tart papers around and for eating in the living room. He was adamant it was not him. I did not believe a word he said, because like Judge Judy preaches "When a teenager opens their mouth, it is a lie!". Those words resonate in my skull every time I confront Sean about something I know he is guilty of. This time I was dead wrong. While I am getting more aggravated by the moment and determining in my head how long he is going to lose privileges this time, Brianna suddenly says "Mom, I have to go get something upstairs." and races out of the room with Bella on her heels.

About two minutes later I give up berating Sean and tell him to go finish his chores. We will discuss this later if it happens again with his father. All of a sudden, here comes Bella running full throttle down the stairs, into the living room and drops a mouthful of empty fruit snack wrappers, candy wrappers, a half eaten pop tart and an empty D'animal's container at my feet. This dog has a big mouth and really proved the carrying capacity with this haul.

Sean is just walking out of the room and sees this and yells "I told you it wasn't me!" I was totally dumbstruck. Brianna is now on her little knees trying to push the evidence under her hands so I won't see the inventory. Bella lays down and starts licking her hands and trying to nudge Brie's hands away with her head in protest of trying to hide the contraband. Sean starts laughing and says "FINALLY!" I did not know what to say. Had Brianna not been so frazzled trying to hide the content of that mouthful, I would have naively believed Bella had gone into Sean's room and brought me more evidence to build an even tighter case of misconduct by the teenager.

The dog was trying to do the right thing. She was making Brianna face the music by bringing her fibbing into the light. Not only had she been hiding wrappers in the living room; so apparently sneaking snacks, but also bringing food upstairs! That is a major NO NO in this house. Bella was doing a good deed by keeping a watchful eye on events as they must have occurred and when the little culprit tried to get rid of the evidence while the big one got blamed, Bella stopped her in this felonious act. When confronted, Brianna tried blaming Sean and Bella. She stated that Sean took the treats at bed time for a few nights but she was trying to be a good sister and not be a tattle-tale. She didn't want him to get in trouble. Her story is Bella was actually stealing the treats from Sean's room and putting them in her room so she'd get caught instead of Sean. The dog was trying to make her get in trouble. She said "It's not fair you believe the dog instead of me!" LOL

The moral of this debacle is trifold: I have learned five year old children do actually lie, teenagers do tell the truth sometimes, and crazy dogs are really really good to have around. She may chew up my school work, and now freelance writing research once in a while (3 -4 times per week if I'm not careful) but she makes a really good mediator and fact-finder in this house. I think her asset quality ratio far outweighs her liability status one hundred times over. Not only does she make sure I keep my paperwork in good order but the children as well.

I am going to be looking at installing child proof locks on the cabinets in the kitchen. The only problem is I think the five year old will be able to remove them and I won't.

WE WANT OUR BED BACK!

2012-11-29T11:28:00.000-08:00

     It is bad enough trying to figure out what to get the kids for Christmas ensuring that their most important items end up under the tree. It is even more difficult determining what to buy for a dog who chews up every bed she has had, destroys plush critters in a matter of minutes and excretes far too much saliva to have a good game of fetch with rubber balls unless you wear gloves to keep a good grip. The only thing that seems to work for this dog is a tennis ball. This may last a few weeks before she tears the fuzz off and tries to eat the rubber underneath. I've given up on most tug toys because Bella works at the knot until she is able to shred the twine or cotton and then proceeds to eat it.
     I am a total sucker when it comes to this dog and it is pretty certain I'm going to try her with a new bed for Christmas. We bought her the Kong bed which we were told was virtually indestructible by PetSmart...not so much. I was still working at M&M when we got that one, and from my two minute morning commute to coming home for lunch about 4 1/2 hours later, there was only a bit of stuffing left that was not strewn about the house and the rubber bottom half looked like a school of piranha had fed on it. We determined then, letting Bella sleep on the couch or in bed with us would be the best way to save money. Her Kong bed ran us about $85.00 and lasted less than 24 hours. I'd have been better off to take that money and buy Sean and Brie video games they do not need. It would have actually been more practical.
     Being such a push-over Mom that I am, I started researching better options for Bella in the bed category. Short of purchasing her a twin size bed like Brianna's or a Tempur-Pedic of her own that may be comfy like ours so she won't decide to chew it all to hell, I found this really cool dog-house; tent-like contraption that I think may actually please the Queen of Danes. I haven't been to a Sam's Club in quite a few years but I'm pretty sure ordering it online this time of year would probably be smarter anyway; what with all of the holiday shoppers. The Cool Cot Dog House has gotten great reviews and I really think Bella may like it. If I can talk the hubby into us putting out another C-note on this dog for inconsequential items it may keep her out of our bed. That would actually be my selling point. Poor Matthew...Bella does not sleep downstairs unless Mommy sleeps on the couch. I do sleep on the couch a lot when Matthew is on the road. I stay up pretty late and don't want to wake the kids going upstairs in the middle of the night. Bella is a big clumsy dope when she runs up the stairs so sometimes she'll wake the kids and Brie is crabby enough in the morning without having her restful night interrupted too early by a dog.
     When Matthew is home, Bella refuses to sleep downstairs by herself. She HAS TO sleep upstairs in bed with us or she will bark and whine until we let her come up. Spoiled does not begin to describe my dog. Matthew has worked his way into bed with us without being attacked anymore. Now she doesn't actually try biting him but lays right in the middle of us, on her own pillow to keep us separated. If we move towards each other; whoever the offender is gets a big paw across the kisser. She is very specific in keeping us on opposite sides of the bed. This Cool Cot Dog House may just be what we need to keep her out of our room.
     It is supposed to be for outside use but I'm thinking about being creative. We could set it up in the living room and let her have full run of the downstairs but get her used to nap time in her house instead of on the couch. The trick is getting Matthew onboard with my idea.
     If any of you have had problems with a spoiled rotten dog who refuses to sleep on the floor or not in your bed, send me some feedback. I'm willing to try just about anything to get her out of this habit. I love her to pieces but she's taller than me so she's always kicking me or scratching my feet in her sleep, snores, hits me in my sleep causing me to wake up with bruises I didn't have when I went to bed, kicks me off the bed sometimes and adding insult to injury, drools on MY PILLOW - not her own. This Cool Cot Dog House seems like a great solution. It would actually be for me not the dog!
I love my dog like one of my kids but I don't need her in my bed anymore! It was cute when she was a puppy letting her sleep on the bed but now she's a hundred pounds and thinks she is the size of a poodle. We will have to figure something out before she reaches full size or Matthew and I will have to take turns sleeping on the couch. That is another thing. If we don't go to bed at the same time, she goes to bed with whoever heads upstairs first...to reserve her spot.

She's At It Again

2012-09-28T01:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where Bella learned to box but she is quite the adversary when she wants to be. This dog just doesn't understand the concept of letting me sit on the couch by myself. It is fine in the evening while watching TV or reading a book for this 90 pound baby to sit in my lap. When I am trying to crochet or drink a much needed cup of coffee after a long day with the kids and this four legged monster, I want to chill. I want to be allowed to sit back, take a few leisurely sips and watch Criminal Minds, Days of Our Lives, Sons of Anarchy or maybe even Jeopardy without a tail wapping me in the face, paws digging into my thigh, or a rock hard skull smashing me in the jaw. When I get to a point of making her remove her bulk from my person is when she decides to turn into Mike Tyson. She starts with only one paw but is pretty good at switching it up when you least expect it. I have been hit in the face before I can even get my hands up by a left, right and another left paw rendering me a not so savvy opponent. At this point, the dog usually turns on a little swagger like "In your face bitch" and climbs over me shoving me with her back paws back into my corner of the couch so she can proceed to nap. Within two minutes of these one way battles, she is normally snoozing across my lap and my coffee has turned cold since I am not able to drink it with her big head in the way. My husband wonders why I go through so much coffee!

Bella needs to be touching me at all times, she missed that memo too; The Importance of Personal Space. If I am at the island in our kitchen, her paw needs to be in my lap, her head needs to be resting on my arm, or she is standing with both feet on the island licking my face. That third option is normally self-serving. She is trying to take a bite of whatever I'm eating.

If I ignore these gestures of doggie affection, the gloves are off! Here come those giant paws! "POW!! Right in the face! This morning I got up pretty early and got Brie off to school. I was sitting on the couch folding towels and organizing my days work because Debbie, my mother-in-law was coming over for dinner later this evening. Needless to say, Bella wanted the face cloths to run around with. I let her take one and went back to folding. I had three piles neatly folded and ready to go back in the basket to head upstairs to their pertinent closet destinations. Bella decides she wants to sit in the basket. Picture a 90 pound Great Dane trying to fit in a 2x4 foot basket. Granted it is a pretty good sized basket and holds 2 to 3 batches of folded towels, but she is just not the right fit. As I am putting towels in and shooing her out, she decides to grab the basket in her teeth and take off with it. "OH HERE WE GO!" She only goes about three steps and slams the basket into the wall.

Apparently her depth perception is not that good. The basket was not going through the doorway into the kitchen which really set her off. As I'm trying to grab the basket she is tugging on one side and me on the other. Growling, snarling, and using her paw to assist in battling me she decides to suddenly let go. Here I go sprawling backwards and on my butt again. This dog loves to injure me I swear! She leaps over the basket which I now use as a shield only to get slammed in the chest with the dog on top of the basket. Squished basket and squished me! Lovely!!! Now to add insult to injury she decides to smack me in the head with a giant paw. Ouch!!!

OK. Now I'm beyond aggravated with the Queen of Sheba! I get off the floor, adjust my glasses which are now sideways on my face and proceed to yell at her to get out of the living room. I will skip the explitives because being under two years old, I never should use that language in front of her. "BAD MOMMY" is all I was thinking. I put all the towels back in the basket and lean over to pick it up to lug it upstairs and "SMACK" from out of nowhere I get a big paw right across my right cheek. Bella is next to me up on the couch now talking up a storm. She is indignant and insulted that I took the basket away from her. This dog thinks she has rights like a human.

I picked up the basket and she puts her head right in my face! We are now almost eye level (she is taller) and I'm pissed! I told her to knock it off, I have a lot to do and she needs to leave me be to get things done today. I told her I wasn't kidding and she was going to end up on the chain outside for the day. Normally the word "chain" makes her pretty pliant but not today. She woofs in my face and throws herself back on the couch so both feet are ready for battle. This dog looked so funny at that point that I let my guard down and laughed at her. BIG MISTAKE! Bella sends one big paw smashing into my face knocking me back a bit and the intended affect worked. I wasn't laughing anymore. I slapped her foot and with the other one she sent my glasses flying right off my face.

Now this wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have extremely poor eyesight. I couldn't even see the damn dog anymore; she was just a big gray blur. Trying to find my glasses without crushing them was a challenge but after about 2 minutes I got them back on my face. My screaming and yelling, threatening her with a drive to the dogpound worked because when I got my glasses back on, she had curled up in my assigned corner of the couch. She knew she was in trouble and I am happy to report that for the rest of the day we had no further incident.

I'm just hoping when Debbie got here Bella wouldn't decide to start Round II. Our visit went off without a hitch. She jumped on Memere a few times but very gently since she stands about a foot taller, this was very very important. She actually behaved herself the whole time. The only problem is, Bella decided to come visit us tonight in the dining room which she has been very careful not to enter since she almost broke my candelabras in the window chasing the cat a few months ago. She got into enough hot water then to be very leery of entering that forbidden zone. Unfortunately for Suzie; "She's Back". Now the poor Cat will have to find a new place to lounge. I think I learned my lesson too - I shouldn't have wasted money on new glasses. The smartest thing to do with this dog is keep my contacts in at all times.

Come back soon to see how Bella is treating her family. Thanks for checking in and sharing.

Bella vs. Veterinarian

2012-09-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

I apologize to Bella's friends for not posting an update sooner. About a month ago Bella had to go to the Vet for being rather laxadazical and not really acting like herself. She refused to eat her food; which turned out to be Primadonna Syndrome. She chose to go on a hunger strike because after sampling some table food she wanted more variety in her diet. She happily started eating a mixture of canned meat chunks and her dry food after some trial and error on our part. Once again all is right in the world because Bella is pleased. Queen Bella I should say. It turned out to be a coincidence but luckily we did bring her to the Vet because she had a tick infection.

When we went to the Vet for her hunger strike, the vet did some bloodwork which Bella was not pleased about. I have been informed not only by Petco, but now by my Veterinarian who deals with mischievous giants on a regular basis, that it is better if my husband accompanies us for her recheck because she doesn't have "much faith, frankly in your ability to hold her back if she wants to pounce on me". Apparently Bella baring her teeth and trying to snap the Vets hand off was not a welcome response while drawing her blood. Tempermental is putting it mildly. Now I've heard of cats that hold a grudge but dogs?? They are supposed to love you no matter what: Forgive and forget; you know "Man's Best Friend". She is not best friends with the Vet. The Vet took the blood samples and proceeded to bring them to their onsite lab to find out if there was anything going on with the big baby. The Queen of Sheba was licking her wounds the entire time the Vet was gone and mumbling under her doggie breathe. To say she was pissed is an understatement. I rubbed her back and tried to comfort her and I got a big ole growl that told me "it is not a good time to be playing mommy of the year". She was not going to be consoled by me or anyone else at that moment in time. She was mad about the needles and someone was going to be dealing with her; like it or not.

I know the look on my dog's face when she is ready to go after something, whether it is a squirrel, dear, or wild turkey in the yard; occasionally a UPS driver. Nonetheless I was not really prepared for her next move even though I saw the look. I guess it didn't register because she doesn't normally look at people that way. The Vet comes back in and before I could even get off my butt out of the chair she was snapping the leash out of my hand and chasing the Vet back out the door. I have to say for a larger woman, she moved pretty damn quick. I gave chase and was freaking out inside thinking, "OMG I'm going to have to put her down if she bites the damn Vet"!! Luckily, the desk is right outside the doors so she made it behind the desk and shut the little swing door as Bella was lunging for her. When Bella let go of the leash I grabbed at it and got her under control. I dragged her back into the exam room and had to literally sit on her to calm her down. She was howling like a wolf because she didn't get ahold of the Vet. It took about 10 minutes to get her to a point of being able to bring her out to the desk and luckily the Vet had left my medication for her on the counter with a $240.00 bill. I personally think she tacked on a fee for her aggravation and near death experience. I was informed that Bella was going to have to be muzzled when she comes in for shots or bloodwork. I said very sheepishly, "I understand". I was embarrassed and felt bad but before I could say anything, the girl at the desk laughed and said, "Don't think she's the only one that tries to bite her. She must not be very gentle with the needle." I didn't feel so bad after that. It was self defense on my girl's part!!!

Here I am talking to the girl at the counter while she runs my credit card and I look down and my dog has her teeth on the handle of the carrier of the woman next to me who is not paying attention and my dog is trying to get inside at the poor Cat in Box!!! I quickly grabbed her collar and dislodged her teeth. As I did so, the woman looks down and this blood curdling screech comes from inside the carrier!! OH DAMN HERE WE GO AGAIN!!! Bella is now aware its a cat. I had to mobilize the dog again by wrestling her to the ground and holding on for dear life. Now the woman could have helped in this situation by moving the carrier to the other side of her legs but NO!!! She leans down, Bella doesn't seem to phase her in the least and tries quieting the kitty who is now putting her big claws out through the hole, hissing and growling like a bobcat! The girl behind the counter cannot even hear to answer the phone between Bella and the crazy kitty in the box. I decided to be the adult in the situation since my dog was the culprit, afterall and I offered to take her home and come back for my credit card in a few minutes. This made the girl behind the counter quite happy. So that is what I did.

When I returned to the Vet after dropping off KUJO, it turns out she had a bacterial infection caused by the saliva from a tic??!!???! Don't ask me...I don't understand how they can determine saliva from a tic, being so small but science is amazing. They even have a name for it...Anaplasmosis. She had to take 3 horsepills twice per day for nearly 4 weeks and let me tell you, it took about one week to figure out how to hide those things in her "treats". We finally settled on string cheese. I took a piece of string cheese and cut it into 3 sections. I hollowed out the center and stuffed the pills in. Pretty ingenious of me; just saying. ...but it worked great.

Bella is now ready to go back for her "recheck".. I have a feeling there is going to be another blog entry after that visit. NOW, I understand they want her muzzled like when she gets her nails done but the million dollar question is...WHO IS MUZZLING THIS DOG??? I can answer that in two words:

NOT ME :(

She got home and laid around for the rest of the night. I checked on her before going to bed and this pic is what I found...Too precious. One minute she wants to tear someone's throat out and the next she's cuddling with her kitten. Maybe my dog is BiPolar. One can never tell.. She's just crazy like her mom. And I wouldn't want to change a thing about her... I LOVE MY BELLA

Sometimes a Lesson Learned is Self Taught

2012-08-09T07:11:00.004-07:00

It has been a little while since we have posted a blog entry for Bella. Reason being up until about a week ago she’s actually been a pretty good dog. Short term miracles are a blessing with her. As expected, short lived is the important phrase here. She is back to her terrible self again. I guess she tired of the concept of leaving Brianna’s toys alone but that is another entry. She has also tired of the concept that Suzie has a right to have her tail dry and fluffy; not wet and yucked up from Bella nipping and chomping on it at will. Suzie does not appreciate being stepped on and squished to the floor simply because Bella decides this is a fun way to surprise the Cat while she is sleeping in front of the slider. Since Brie has gotten comfortable with being able to leave a baby doll or stuffed animal around Bella had learned those things were off limits. The Cat is supposed to be off limits too. She has also learned that even though she wants to roam free she has to be on a leash or chained up when she goes outside. Giving this dog chances is like walking down the street naked and expecting not to get arrested. ..You just don’t do it!

The monster dog decided to go for a little stroll over to my neighbor’s house the other day and wouldn’t come back. When I finally chased her down in his back yard, she kept looking over her shoulder at me and galloping a few more feet away, turning around putting her head to the ground, butt in the air and barking at me like a rabid beast; important to note the tail has been profusely wagging throughout this little neighborhood jaunt. Apparently she thinks it is a game to have mommy chase her around the area in 90+ degrees of horrid heat and humidity, sweating my butt off and not exactly enjoying the trip to the grouchy neighbors. I finally gave up the chase, told her under no uncertain circumstances that if she didn’t find her way back to her own house, the truck would be waiting to bring her spoiled butt to the pound once and for all and I would deal with Daddy’s wrath when he got home. I lived through crashing his truck so dropping the dog off might be a little worse but at this point, figured I could take it.

Now, everyone knows this dog is my ‘kid’ and I would never drop one of my kids off at the “pound” so it was definitely an idol threat but I was at the end of my rope with Bella the Brat!!! I turned my back on her, began the trek back to our driveway and marched up the hill to the homestead. I must have been muttering quite loudly or she knew when mommy turned tail and headed off in a huff the hound dog was in serious doo doo. Like a supersonic boom, all I felt was a blast of hot air as the crazy dog passed me at about Mach10!! Like a shot she headed up the hill and parked her butt on the front porch for me to get up that damn hill!!! As I got to her, she leaped nearly over my head; I had to duck, and around the back of the house. She thought the game was still in progress apparently. I was so aggravated at this point I simply went in the house, took her water dish, filled it with fresh water and ice cubes and stuck it on the front steps. I went back in the nice cool and cozy house and went about my daily routine.

It could have backfired but this dog is not an outdoorsy type; just like her momma. I knew in the heat, racing laps around the house to annoy me, running up to the deck barking and jumping on the door just to take off again, as I open the door would wear her out sooner or later….sure enough not 10 minutes later, I hear whining and woofing at the front door. I walked to the door and opened it up for her to come in. She came in and flopped herself right there in the living room next to the vent for the air conditioning. I think she stayed there for over an hour. I ignored her, Brianna brought her some ice cubes that she gobbled up and baby Bella went to sleep.

Sometimes, letting kids learn their own lesson is the best way to teach them right from wrong. Moral of the story: If you are a lap dog and live comfortably in central air for 99% of your day, it is not too bright to take off on your mom in scalding heat because she may not let you back in the house until she’s ready!!! Then again, this morning I got up and apparently Bella decided to get back at me. Her leash was chewed to shreds sitting next to the front door with one of Brianna’s stuffed animals missing its head with stuffing all over the place! I disposed of the evidence before Brianna saw the crime scene. All I could do was sigh, and say those famous last words “DAMN DOG”… and our day begins J

If you have a crazy dog like mine, drop me a note and tell us about them. Loveable monsters are the best creatures in my book. Thanks for reading. Check back soon, I’m sure Bella will have created more chaos. It is her MO

ENOUGH ALREADY WITH THE HEATWAVE!!!

2012-06-21T21:45:00.002-07:00

     Welcome to SUMMER!! Nothing like slamming you in the kisser right off the bat. The past two days have been absolutely treacherous for kids and geriatric patients...Not so fun for animals either. Bella is irritable and moody again. I thought the first Heat for her was a miserable experience. This mini heatwave is making her a monster! She goes outside and is instantly panting and whining to come in. This dog never stays out for more than 10 minutes anyway and getting her to step off the porch to pee right now is a chore.

     She has taken over the living room. First of all, there is plenty of room on the couch for 10 people if you squeeze in nice and snug. On a normal day, Brianna, Sean, Bella, Matthew and Myself fit just fine; oops forgot the cat perched on the back of the couch atop my head. OK - fast forward to the past two days. Bella has decided she is not going to share the couch with anyone. Reason being obvious to the average observer.   The ceiling fans are centered one above the couch and the other in the middle of the living in front of the couch creating a very nice flow of cool air which Bella has decided belongs to her. Mind you, the dog is always allowed on the furniture; she would have it no other way. She also sleeps with me in my bed...that is until yesterday morning. Our ceiling fan is above our bed as well. The nasty, moody overheated dog has made herself at home in all of the perfect cooling spots in the house.

     When it came time to get up and go outside to do her business yesterday, she let us know in no uncertain terms that she didn't want to wake up. I had my son try and usher her off the bed since I was having no luck. He was ready to leave for Summer Session at school, and is not always happy about having to assist me with the 110 lb dog who thinks he is a lifesize chewtoy at times. I was being patient with the two of them and I finally said, "Grab her collar and make her follow you!" Bella chose to ignore this order and proceeded in growling at the two of us, standing up on the bed, turning herself around, quite deliberately adding insult to injury by whacking me with her tail as she did so and flopped back down on the bed thinking she'd won the battle. "Well guess what honey! You are not the Queen Bitch in this house!! Now it is WAR!" I proceeded to remove the dog forcibly from the bed as my son ran down the stairs thinking CUJO was on his heels.

     Now anyone who follows this blog knows how deeply devoted and in mommy love with this four legged creature I am. However, growling at my firstborn and me because you are too comfortable to get your bony ass up and go pee is not gonna fly in this household. She got the message, headed down the stairs and out the door to do her business. She complied and thought it was going to be business as usual. Step two after going out in the morning is waiting in the kitchen for her breathe saver bone (that is for my sake) and her treat. I then add ice cubes to her fresh water and fill her food bowl. She also has toast with us when I make breakfast for Brie and myself. NOT TODAY DOGGIE DEVILLE!!!

     Since she decided to be disobedient, she is sleeping downstairs for the remainder of the week; grounded until Sunday. I guess she is smarter than I give her credit for because she's making herself quite cozy in her new sleeping quarters and getting back at us in her own devious manner. She has made it impossible to sit with her on the couch. If I sit on the left, she pushes herself against me til I'm squished in the corner, if I sit to the right, same thing. If we dare sit in the middle or get too close to her she lays right across you with her elbows in your belly or thighs and drools all over you!! I swear this drooling thing is to aggravate the recipient of the dog slobber. She is very good about wiping her mouth on the towel near her bowl when she takes a drink (I trained her to do so) and the last two days, she's been neglecting this hygeinic practice. She is flapping those big jowls right in front of you so if you turn your head, you get hair full of slobber, if you don't...well that is worse! YUK YUK YUK If I wanted a St. Bernard I would have got one!!

     I'm not so sure grounding the dog is paying off as I hoped it would; teach her a lesson. She is acting like a petulant child who lost their favorite toy. We have Central Air so there is no need for her to hog the ceiling fans, but she is being really belligerent about it. Even the Cat is feeling her wrath. Poor Suzie lies on the kitchen floor near the floor vent and right underneath the ceiling fan all of the time. That dog went over two or three times today while the poor cat was snoozing and stepped right on her belly!! What a monster she is. The poor cat got smooshed once and I had to make Bella remove her foot. The other two times I yelled at her and she removed the invasive paw. I'm really hoping this terrible heat dies down so I can stick the dog outside and we can have some peace or get to sit on the couch! I can't wait until Matthew gets home this weekend. Then again, she is always behaved around him and I get blamed for spoiling her too much. Me??? NEVER...You just cannot stay mad for long at the beautiful big blue eyed dog...

ITS NOT A TREAT IT IS MEDICINE BELLA!!!

2012-06-02T09:02:00.001-07:00

     Oh Poor Suzie.

     Bella is normally jealous of the cat to begin with but the past two weeks have been quite a difficult time for my kitkat.  Suzie is on Antibiotics and the dog thinks she's getting treats everyday and she wants it herself!!!    Bella has been experiencing many time-outs lately in her pen.

     Let's keep in mind how spoiled this dog is first of all. She sleeps in our bed, she is allowed on every piece of furniture, and basically has run of the entire house. Matthew bought her a brand new Ford F150 Supercab because she outgrew our Altima.  Bella gets Dunkin Donuts munchkins every morning when I get my coffee; even if I don't get coffee she still gets munchkins. She receives new tug and chew toys every few weeks.  I also buy her a lb. or more of dog treats at Petco which she picks out herself each week.  And lets not forget her buttered toast; she won't eat it without butter . The dog lives like a QUEEN.

    The cat on the other hand enjoys a quiet life of solitude. Suzie ventures out to lay on the couch, sits on the back of my chair when I type, sleeps under the bed so Bella leaves her alone, gets treats only occasionally, and doesn't get to go outside and run wild because she is declawed. For the most part, many cat lovers would say I discriminate against her in favor of the dog.  They may be onto something.

    There is just something about being attacked by a cat unexpectedly at random that puts you on edge. I am sometimes leary of whether she's going to purr or growl when I go to pet her. Luckily, the front claws were removed when she was young because she loved tearing flesh.  Yes, mine!!! Whether it be a finger, toe, ankle, swat across the face, or the worst; sneak attack while sleeping on your tummy and you wake up screaming because you have a cat using your back as a scratching post. Forgive me, if I chose to keep my skin where it belongs and that of my family and friends. It was for the "Greater Good" Suzie was altered.

     Maybe subconsciously, I thought Bella could keep her in line. She definitely tries. They get along on occasion, but lately, the dog has taken to chasing Suzie away every time she sees her. On our trip to the vet two weeks ago, I was informed Suzie has infected gums. I felt like a terrible Mommy because, I didn't know. She was eating, was still being a normal crabby cat, and her disdain towards me hadn't changed. The Vet decided to put her on Antibiotics for 10 days or until the gums were cleared. My first thought was "I need to buy gloves". Sure enough, the Vet gives me a dropper and marks the measurement, etc. The next morning here we go....

I catch the Cat who is growling and hissing as expected. I place her on the kitchen island and here comes Bella.  I have an open bottle of pink sticky smelly medicine, a screeching cat, and a growling dog pulling at my jeans because she thinks I'm giving the cat a treat!   Long behold, Bella jumps up as I am trying to get the dropper in the cat's mouth while being bitten repeatedly. The dog grabs the open bottle and is off!!! Needless to say, the cat got squashed to the counter; medicine administered! Now to catch the dog. Well, there she is with the bottle halfway down her throat and pink sticky stuff on her paws and our beige couch!!! She couldn't have stayed in the kitchen because that would have been too easy. After extracting the bottle from the dogs jaws, I threw away what was left.

I called the Vet, explained what happened and asked if I could come pick up another bottle of Antibiotics. After she was done laughing at me, she says "Sure I will have it ready when you get here Mrs. George." So I said, "OK, how much is that going to be?" She checks, gets back on the phone and says "$29.00". I was floored!!! For a friggin cat's gums!! DAMN DOG!!!!!!!!!!!! Then I looked at Bella and decided not to say a thing more. I have always believed that if you say something hurtful, you can't take it back so I bit my tongue; afterall she is one of my children :)

The lesson I learned from this experience, is put the jealous dog in the pen if you are unsure of her reaction to a new situation.  I'm thinking next time I have to administer something to the cat or one of the children who is uncooperative, I may have a bottle of Nyquil at the ready so Bella can grab that and run. Maybe she'll give us a few hours of peace while she sleeps like a baby!!!    Well not seriously... but it has crossed my mind on occasion.

Bella Versus Nature

2012-05-15T22:38:00.001-07:00

     Whew!!! Bella and the family have been busy.  "Hello Sunshine"!!!! Bella has gained about 10 more pounds which means I really need to work out to keep up with her. I am seriousl
y considering rollerblades to accomplish this feat. It was a funny afterthought before but now I think it may be a necessity. This dog can be out the door and in the truck in 4 leaps.

     Bella has decided she likes Nature in our front yard. We have wild turkeys passing through on a regular basis. My dog has decided standing in the Bay window will scare them away. I don't mean in front of it; I mean IN IT... She jumps up on the window ledge and whines like a madwoman. If I happen to be non-decaffeinated and mistakenly open the door she is off like a greyhound at Lincoln Park. I'm waiting for a turkey to have a stroke in my front yard!!! "I wonder if I would have to bring it to the Vet or Animal Control would come pick it up" lol...Sorry sidenote...  The deer; well that's another story. She chases them too but never gets close enough to do any damage. Maybe if she didn't start barking and growling before she hit the front steps, she'd have better luck. This dog's bark can probably be heard a mile away so "stealth" is not her strong suit. She also likes the 82" big screen my Hubby and Son love. If we are watching Animal Planet, all you need is a barking dog and Bella is snapping, growling and drooling all over the Living Room. I swear one of these days, the big paws are going to slam right into that TV instead of the console it sits on. I just hope, Matthew is home when it happens so he knows it was the dog and not one of the kids playing ball in the house!!!

     I recorded Bella watching TV recently; Hogzilla to be exact. Has anyone seen it?? Interesting right; NOT!!! Some of these shows about myth monsters are pretty cool but I must say this one was just stupid. Turns out it was basically a farmpig on steroids, but it looked like a mutant wildebeast or something. It was UGLY!!!  Bella wanted it for lunch. This was the first time she actually launched herself at the TV. I screamed and tripped over my own feet jumping off the couch to grab her.  She tried to bite the TV thinking it was the Pig's throat. She really thought she could attack it. Again, who faceplanted - not the DOG!!!! Fortunately, when I hit the floor and the expletives flew out of my mouth, the dog took notice and stopped short of the screen in mid-snap. After that we decided to see if she would have the same reaction if we put it on again and this time had Bella safely in her pen... Same reaction without me hitting the floor.

   Unfortunately for our cat Suzie, Bella finds prey in the house out of frustration. The cat becomes the hunted when Bella can't get a turkey or deer. Good thing the furball is pretty smart. She has found hiding places in this house that I would have never thought of. This is not always good for me though. This morning was a perfect example. Wild turkeys were driving Bella battie so she goes after the cat and the cat runs like Hell. I figure I'm not going to see the cat now for a few hours. Brie says, "Uh, there goes Suzie again. She better run fast or Bella's gonna eat her." I guess the five year old is convinced the dog will indeed eat the cat. I'm still not sure and they do curl up together at night to sleep so I think the cat may be safe; at least for now.

     I am going about my business getting the house picked up, and am going to go take my shower. I open the door and reach to switch on the faucet.  Suddenly there is something smacking my hand and there are two furry things wrapped around my forearm hissing. OMG!! What the hell is in the shower??? I rip my arm away expecting to see a bloody stump, but my cat flies by me heading for the door. Whew Wee - DECLAWED!!!! Jesus!!! Could you hide somewhere else please. She had been sitting on one of the seats in the shower so the dog couldn't find her. I guess when I reached to turn on the water, she freaked. Welcome to my world kitty kat!!!

     For the most part, Bella is a good dog. She is absolutely wonderful with little kids; Brie in particular but our nephew came over to play today and she proved again why I love her like one of my own kids even though she is obviously crazy!!!  Joshua and Bella curled up on the couch and napped together today.  It was so absolutely adorable. Bella growled at Bear in the Big Blue House on TV for about 10 minutes when she awoke but Joshua assured her Bear wasn't real while he patted her head and calmed her down. At least this time, she didn't lunge at the TV just spoke her mind about the big bear.  Joshua proceeded to give her some dog treats while I covertly changed the channel. All is well once again with the Big Blue DOG in the Big Blue House!!!!

Stay tuned...

That Time of the Month

2012-04-24T03:39:00.000-07:00

     Well it has been awhile since Bella and I have had anything to report to her fans. She made it through her first Heat without tearing anyone's throat out, she didn't ruin the furniture and she has stopped sounding like Chewbacca. My pup is back to normal and actually seems to have mellowed out a bit; just a little bit mind you. She is still very loving and affectionate, fiercely protective of me and Brianna when we go to the park, and still loves to get Glazed Munchkins at Dunkin Donuts every morning. The only problem I've seen so far, is having been locked up for three weeks and not being able to go for her daily walk, has set us back a bit on loose leash walking. I think it would be wise to invest in rollerblades to keep up with her now. She has decided a steady trot while biting the leash and working on ripping it out of my hands is our new routine. If I don't let go or pull on the choker in time, she is up on her hind legs wacking me in the face as a way of telling me she wants me to let go. I'm hoping the scratches from last week don't scar. It is quite comical to witness if you're not the one holding the leash. Unfortunately, I'm always holding the damn leash!!

   After our first walk, we headed to Petco which was nearly disastrous.  I have now discovered after 4 or 5 trips that Bella no longer wishes to have her nails filed. The poor girls at Petco have decided that my poor dog needs to be muzzled from now on because baring her teeth and snapping is rather intimidating for them and apparently does not fall under The Good Dog Code of Ethics. I have a wooden spoon at home that I bring out when she gets out of hand, all I have to do is whack it on the counter and tell her to go in her pen and she goes.   I'm not so sure the girls would think it would be appropriate to use as a training tool. I'm thinking Bella may take it away from them and spank one of them with it anyway. She has tried taking it out of my hand more than once or if its left on the counter, I've caught her trying to commandeer it and get rid of it herself.

   It took two techs to hold her down to file her nails and when she saw me, she dragged one of them across the room with a bunch of people staring in disbelief as the poor girl careened into the door. I felt terrible but it was hilarious. It looked like a cartoon with the poor girl flying through the air at the end of the leash. I actually found a bumper sticker for our truck with this very same silhouette. She was laughing so hard when we got the dog under control that I thought she may pee her pants. Her comment was "I guess I should have let go of the leash". I said, "Yup, that would have been my choice." This is when they decided to tell me she had to be muzzled in the future. I suspect this may have something to do with that incident.

     I guess it is back to the drawing board. Fortunately, we only have to go through one more Heat before Bella will be able to become a mom herself. I think I will be better prepared second time around. I'll have earplugs ready for the kids and myself, I'll have a muzzle at the ready when we go walking, and I'll make sure there are gates setup throughout the whole house so she cannot venture onto furniture at will when I'm not looking. "Thank Goodness for Resolve!!!" I hope Bella doesn't hold a grudge about being confined for three weeks because when she stands on her hind legs now she is a full head taller than me and has decided now that when she wants to sit on the couch where I am, she simply grabs a pantleg and pulls until I move out of her way. I guess being female and having now gone through puberty she'll be more like a moody teenager than a cranky little kid. Lord help us all; the attitude has grown and so has the dog!! Check back soon. Thanks for reading.

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Do Dogs Have PMS Too???

2012-03-27T22:12:00.001-07:00

Oh my poor Bella. She has not been very social for a couple of days. We have skipped the park and she doesn't even want her Dunkin Donuts Munchkins... Because of her mood, I'm not getting my much needed exercise which is making me not very social either.  She's been lying in her pen ignoring the home populous for two days now. I was starting to think my pup may be depressed. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why until this morning. OMG!!  My baby is in HEAT!!!

According to experts; there are three stages of this doggy menstrual cycle. She is in the "spotting" stage called Proestrus. I knew it would happen but as a mom you don't want to have that talk or deal with the thought of your kid having kids. My Bella is not ready for puppies and neither am I. Even though the thought of 10 or 12 little Bella's running around is sweet, I'd lose my freakin' mind!! So would she. I have limited her access to the entire house; a beige couch is not conducive to this particular situation. She is comfortable but not liking only 2 rooms to hang out in. It's really making her incorrigible. She's been whining at me and speaking her mind since we woke up this morning. Enough already!!!  Bella sounds like Chewbacca when she gets upset. I feel bad, but it's so funny to hear.  My son thought I was watching one of the Star Wars movies today. I said "No, it's just Bella complaining again". I told my husband and he suggested I give her my Pamprin.  Hmmm... men think they're funny when it is just not so.

My poor spoiled Bella...She is very upset and if she was able to, I think she'd call my husband and plead her case. I know she wants to file a complaint against me with PetCo. The girls there love Bella and I'm thinking they may be on her side suggesting a blanket over the couch or something.  However, I'm not having it!! I looked into Doggie Diapers but then I read somewhere that for a dog of her size, Depends are a better route to take. I'm sorry but I cannot picture my Bella in a diaper. It seems like she'd be very against this idea too. She is a very dignified young lady and I cannot see myself trying to put a damn diaper on her. I believe I may get away without actual puncture wounds, but I think there may be some serious lacerations on my person by the time we were done. I'd also be afraid my son would be trying to videotape the whole incident and put us on YouTube. He thinks my pain is comedic material. TEENAGERS!!!

Oh well, according to these experts the next stage is the one I really need to worry about; Estrus. This is when she is going to be trying to sneak out and see all the boys in the neighborhood. I'm not sure if it is a coincidence or not, but there was a brown and white Pitbull at the end of my driveway today. He appeared to be looking all innocent out for a stroll but I'm thinking he may have been looking for my girl. "Sorry man. She's not your type. Go home." That's what I wanted to tell him but he had some seriously big teeth and I decided I would just let him go on his way. I know male dogs can be quite persistent when trying to hook up on these occasions so I'm keeping Bella under lock and key.

I''m hoping this Proestrus only lasts a few days. The estimated time for the "spotting" stage is 4 to 7 days. After that she is super flirty and will need a chastity belt against all her potential suitors.  The last stage is Anestrus which is what I'm looking forward to. That is when the spotting is done, her amourous thoughts will be gone and she'll simply have good ole PMS like the rest of us females!! Then her attitude will be "Leave me the hell alone". For Bella this terrible cycle won't return for another 6 to 7 months. Blessed Be!!!!

Unfortunately for males of our species, this cycle hits us once a month!! "Everyone, please say a prayer for my Bella." She will get through this turmoil and become a woman soon. Maybe in a year or two we will let her actually date one of her admirers which could lead to a loving relationship.  At that point we can enjoy 10 or 12 little Bella's running around.   But for now, I have to wear earplugs to bed because Chewbacca is in the house!!!!!!!

The Dog Walks Me

2012-03-07T16:30:00.001-08:00

     It's been awhile since Bella and I sat down to discuss future posts. Believe it or not, she has some definite input on what I am allowed to share with the world. I'm not allowed to talk about her fear of rugs, her lack of warning until someone is already at the door, her dislike for hats of any kind and her dislike of the Sodastream machine.   It's absolutely hilarious to see a dog try to wrestle with a vacuum also...(Bella is growling so I don't think she wanted me to reveal that)... I'm just saying.
     We have taken on a new endeavor. The dog has started walking me every afternoon while Brie is at school. It is a halfhearted effort on my part to lose the 30 "love pounds" I've gained so far in this blessed union with my husband Matthew. At this rate I better not stay married for more than 10 years or I'm going to be on one of those intervention shows for not being able to fit through the damn door. It cracks me up how so many people say "So what you've gained a few pounds, he loves you for you". Yes, well we'll see how far that goes if I get heavier than him!!! I will avoid that with Bella's help.  Since I plan on staying married to this man until the day I take my last breath I better get the diet train on track!!
     It is impossible to walk this 100 lb monster of a pup without a choke chain. I was thoroughly against them until I got dragged across the yard a few times on my butt trying to hold her back. Now the choke chain is a gift from the big puppy Gods.  I use a double handle leash which serves us well. It is helping her learn not to zig zag in front of me and I can guide her back to my side where she is still learning to walk in a straight line.  We did invest in an Easy walk harness thingymagiggie but if my husband isn't home I cannot figure out how to put it on the dog. As embarrassing as this may be, technologically advanced I am not.  The harness is still rather large for her anyway.   She hasn't grown into her "girth" yet. She is more like a Greyhound than a Great Dane. Hopefully, no supermodels read my blog and get offended but I call her my starving supermodel because she is absolutely gorgeous but too skinny in my opinion. All the experts say she is perfect so I can't argue with the Vets but I'd like to see her put some meat on her bones. I guess after about another year she'll start to fill out.
     I'm discovering how nice it is to walk with Bella as long as no one comes near us. There are some interesting characters in our travels. The trenchcoat man was no way getting near this dog. She turned into KUJO and was actually foaming at the mouth to try and get a better look at him. How embarrassing when you're dog is so obvious about how creepy someone is.  I have to admit I wanted to study his face to see if maybe he was on an episode of America's Most Wanted or Cops. If we see him again, I will be sure to walk her in the grass on the opposite side near the river. That way I can tackle her to the ground in the grass instead of on the pavement.   That really hurts. Another person who caught Bella's attention was a nice older woman who seemed very nice and really wanted to pet Bella.  She would have been able to if not for the flowerpot-looking hat on her head. It seems she was making a fashion statement of some sort, but since I'm not up on trends, I was unaware of what that statement was. Nonetheless, Bella didn't like the hat at all and started growling and trying to jump on the poor woman! I believe she only wanted to tear the hat to shreds, not the woman, but I will have to find a chew toy that looks like that hat. It would keep her busy for a day or two. Again, next time we see her, we'll be walking in the grass near the river. We will have to see what tomorrow's walk brings. It is supposed to be in the mid 60s so there will probably be quite a few potential hazards at the park tomorrow. We'll have to see....

OK NOW WHERE IS MY PHONE!!!

2012-02-22T15:39:00.000-08:00

I was really beginning to think Bella's habit of trying to eat anything inedible was coming to an end. I was proven terribly wrong the other day. I've given up on stopping the ingestion of part of her blanket a couple times a week. I found these really cute $3.00 blankets that she adores. Each one lasts about a month between the shredding, drooling and tearing. Once she starts tearing off little tidbits and chews on them for more than a minute, momma takes the blanket away for a day and she drags the other 3 around the house showing me she'll behave and only lay on them. We are on blanket #8 as of this morning. Brianna's bathrobe happens to be about the right texture and I noticed this morning there were a couple of claw marks through it. I'm guessimating Brianna left the robe on the couch last night and Bella mistook it for her own. We will have to find another purple robe ASAP!

As I sit here and type I see that I'm going to have to take the leapord print blanket away next. Bella is two feet away growling and whining at the blanket while she chews on a piece. This is her telling the blanket it's seen its last sunrise. Which brings me back to my story. I managed to get my phone back before it too was ingested.

I am infamous for losing my phone; my poor husband Matthew, and best friend Lori can attest to this. I can go two days with no phone before I realize I misplaced it. Usually it is in one of the vehicles under the seat, down the couch or underneath the bed, sometimes even in a laundry basket in the laundry room. I am so bad at keeping track of it. Well the other day, I was really conscious of my phone because I was waiting for an important call and I knew I left it on the table in the living room. The table happens to be shorter than Bella so she can grab whatever she wants off of it. Usually there isn't much there so we are safe. She's never taken a phone so far so I thought nothing of leaving it there. It is so wrong to underestimate this dog.

Bella is lying on the floor and I notice she's chewing very quietly but I haven't given her a treat. It looks like she's having some difficulty so I go over and just as I'm about to pry open her drooly jowls, the phone starts to ring and "YOU GUESSED IT". There is my phone in her mouth. It scared the dickens out of the pup and instead of dropping it she makes a mad dash for the hallway and "surprize"... right up the stairs. I am halling butt after this gazelle of a dog and by the time I get to the top step she is down the hall, facing me with her head to the ground and her butt in the air challenging me to come and get her. She's growling and her tail is whacking into the wall on each side in quite an exuberant manner. I can see it in her eyes "Catch me if you can". Silly me, I take the bait every time but I really needed to get that phone. I don't think she can swallow a whole phone, but after the $2000.00 potpouri incident I didn't want to take any chances. Of course, I dive for the dog, the dog runs over my back and bounds down the steps in three leaps. I swear she has deer in her bloodline somewhere. As I head down the steps; cautiously two at a time, I have an epiphany. I pick up the house phone and dial my cell.

If you could have seen how fast this dog stopped, I swear she left skid marks on the rug. She looks at me and her eyes are so wide she looks like a caricature. All of a sudden, she starts shaking her head rapidly and growling while she jumps up on her hind legs. With one big snap of her head the phone comes sailing out and as I duck it slams into the wall behind me. This is reminiscent of when my sister flung scissors at my head when we were unruly teenagers putting away the groceries... but that's another story. MY POOR PHONE. I was positive it was destroyed. Bella and I both walk slowly over to the phone wondering what we are going to find when suddenly it starts beeping. I had a text message!! YEAH! My phone is still working. There is drool dripping down the wall and as I pick up the phone from the carpet, it slips out of my hand because, lets just say slimey is an understatement for anything this dog drops from her jowls. After toweling off the phone, it is good as new.. Well almost. On closer inspection, there are some teeth marks in the rubber backing, there are a few scratches across the front so texting could be a bit challenging, but it's still in one piece.

I better warn my husband when he gets home this weekend. He and the boy have been playing PS3 quite a bit lately; some new game "Twisted Metal". I don't think those controllers are much bigger than my phone... HHHMMM I dont' really care for video games anyway. Maybe we'll just see what happens the next time they leave those controllers on that little living room table.

What Happened to my Whacky DOG!!!

2012-02-12T21:38:00.000-08:00

My poor Bella has not had a very pleasant time of it the past week or so. First the Pats gave away the Superbowl; Can we say "How do Gronkowski, Welker and Branch all drop the ball in the same game?" Oh well, there is always next year right. To make matters worse I never did get my hands on a Giants Jersey for Bella to chew up during the game but she kept herself busy chewing on a pair of slippers in our room away from our guests. And no they weren't my Pink Pig Slippers "Thanks to all who came to our Superbowl Party" I thought it was a smash and boy was I SMASHED!!! Anyway back to the topic of this entry. Our home has been Sick People Central.

First Brianna was not feeling well and as four year olds do, sneezing and coughing all over everyone. Most of the time she uses her manners but after being up night after night the poor kid's arm was probably tired from covering her mouth. Matthew came down with her symptoms next, then Sean, and last of all Me. Bella has been mommy's nurse for four days now. This pup has not left my side. She hasn't gotten much sleep due to my coughing and sneezing, moaning and complaining (I do not take being sick well). She has finally starting whining a bit herself but has been quite a good little trooper up to this point. I noticed every time I cough or clear my throat the dog has begun rolling her eyes. She's thinking "Enough is enough already".

She's really been on her best behavior. The only inanimate and inedible objects she's eaten lately are one of her chew toys; which according to Petco is safe for her to ingest, a small piece of one of her many blankets she drags around to her nap stations periodically, and she did get one of Brianna's socks because I couldnt' get off the couch quick enough to grab it. I swear I saw a smile on that dog's face as I tried miserably to lift my head off the pillow and command she drop the sock. She devoured it not even 4 feet in front of me and I could not do a thing about it. Besides that, chasing and biting the cat has been at a rare minimum. The daring dane has only gotten up to inspect the food on the counter a couple times in the past few days. I'm assuming dry toast is not appealing to her. Barking at every little thing has stopped because she can't figure out why I shriek in agony and bury my head under the couch pillows when she barks lately. She cocks her head sideways and looks at me wondering why there are tears streaming from my bloodshot eyes. It's because my ears are ready to burst and the migraine or sinus pain is unbearable with a whisper; nevermind a deep bark that can wake the dead!!! Over the past couple of days she has resorted to lying next to me and putting a paw on top of my head as if to remind me I cannot simply die. I need to get up and put ice cubes in her dish or fill her food bowl. She is actually prancing in front of the front door to go out and do her business rather than bark in my face. It's definitely a plus from pre-illness. More than once, I mistook her need to urinate as a prelude to tearing my throat out. Needless to say she never would but when nature calls, the Devil Dog is Alive!!!

This being sick thing may be good afterall. Maybe I can trick Bella into continuing her moderately good behavior for a bit longer while I recover from my tuberculosis like symptoms!!!!! (They say its allergies not the flu HAA!!!) Then again, I kinda miss not knowing what the big girl is going to do next. The kids are actually asking what I did to the dog? I think they are afraid I may do something similar to them? Not really sure but while I convalesce I will enjoy the normalcy of my whacky loveable dog. I just fear retribution is going to be hell. Then again, it will just give me more to write about. OK, time to go take more meds!!!!!!!!! If any of you have similar experiences with your whacky loveable pups send me a comment. Be back with you all soon :)

How Much Do We Love our Bella???

2012-01-31T14:40:00.000-08:00

Hello again friends. This post is dedicated primarily to those of my readers who have a loving dog in their life who is like their kid. A pup's love is as unconditional as a child's love. No matter what kind of home they live in, how they are treated, or how many times they get put in "time out", a dog will always come for a treat, will always miss you when you're gone, and wait patiently by the door for you to come home. My Bella can be a handful but today she reminded me of that unconditional love and how much of a child she is.

Often times, I'm still figuring out how to plan my day since staying home with the kids. Bella tries to give me ideas in her own little way. This dog will drag a shirt out of the laundry basket which tells me I need to do a batch of clothes. Bella will pull a coat off the back of a chair showing me it's time to go for a ride in the truck. Other times, she will pull pillows and blankets off the couch letting me know they are in her way because she wants to lie down. Today she was simply being a little kid..

I was cleaning up after breakfast and Bella was barking up a storm. When I entered the living room, she was lying down on the couch under her blanket barking for no apparent reason. I went over and asked her what was the matter. I knew she'd had her treat, gone out to do her business, and she had already played with her tennis ball. I sat down next to her and rubbed her head asking "What's the matter my girl?" She stretched out, laid across my lap and promptly went to sleep. She just wanted me to be with her for her nap. I just sat there patting her head and talking to her quietly about what a good dog she was. I stayed with her for about half an hour and then decided it was time to get back to my daily task list.

While I was sitting there I found myself thinking of when my son was small. We used to sit and cuddle on the couch and I would tell him how proud I was of him, what a good boy he was, etc. Sitting with Bella today was like sharing a special moment with your kids. My son Sean turned 15 today and I was thinking about how fast he's growing up and how much he's "grown" away from mommy now that he's a teenager. I guess I was missing those times. Bella knew just what to do to make mommy feel better. Sometimes a dog just knows when a parent needs to be reminded of their child's unconditional love.

Thanks for reading...come back soon :)

Bella's Chasing Her Tail Again

2012-01-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

I never realized how lethal a dog's tail could be. Lady Bella has a whip attached to her butt! It is very funny to see a dog as big as my girl spinning in circles to catch her tail. Since she has grown and the tail has also, all she needs to do now is turn her head slightly and take a chomp. Unlike some dogs who chase their tails, Bella doesn't really have to work at it to get ahold of that thing. She will wake up sometimes and her tail looks more appetizing than her tug toy so she puts it in her mouth and the race is on. Once she has ahold, watch out.

When she was smaller, I don't believe she realized the white tip is attached. If she caught a glimpse of it she would growl and attack. It was a foreign object that needed to be destroyed. We were all very puzzled watching her when this occurred because the initial bite seemed quite painful but instead of saying to herself "oh maybe I don't want to do that" she would growl and yelp taking a more vicious run at it. She would sit there biting it repeatedly, showing this tail who was boss. She has grown out of that finally.

Now the tail is her first line of defense. She uses it for evasive maneuvers while trying to avoid capture. As mischievous as Bella is suffice it to say, she is in time out quite often. She has learned by accident once she is in a spin, no one is brave enough to try and grab her. The tail is no longer an enemy but her ally against the dreaded pen. She does not like going in her pen anymore for any reason whatsoever. I noticed today how deliberate this tail spin is. She was chasing our cat Suzie today in an attempt to bite her tail too. The cat does not like this game. Of course I don't allow it either which bothers Bella. I was on the move to stop her which means we play "ring around the rosie" around the kitchen island until I catch Bella or I fall down when she screams by like a racecar with legs instead of wheels. Today I got whipped like a ragdoll. As she flew by, I grabbed for her collar and she went for her tail immediately going into a full tilt 360. After being pulled off my feet and slammed into the side of the island she realized I'd let go and stopped the spin only to smack me right in the face with that tail! OUCH...Talk about adding insult to injury.

Keep in mind the reason for this matchup was to rescue the damn cat. I stood up having decided the dog can do what she wants for the next five minutes until my head stops spinning. I look up to see Suzie sitting on the island watching this scene. The cat is cleaning her paw and Bella comes over and licks her furry little face. I wonder sometimes what those two are planning next.