Vet Update

Hi everyone, I have fabulous news!!  Bella is now 50.4 lbs!  We also had a blood panel done on her to make sure all her internal organs were working and they are :)  Her ear infection is gone, she had her distemper booster,  and she had her nails done.

I must say, Bella is such an incredible girl, with the most hilarious attitude.  She struts around here with her tail held high, doing her bully walk, and of course the butt wiggle.  And when she wants to play she does the most funny happy dance.  I have tried to catch it on video a few times but darn it..  I swear she knows she is being taped and then stops....  She also does this adorable smile where she wrinkles up her nose.  With the help of my 11 year old we did manage to catch that on tape finally, but only a quick glimps, lol.  I will be adding that video on here for everyone to see.  And she smiles ALL the time, as soon as my eyes open I get greeted with her face smiling at me, anytime I call her name she smiles, when Emily comes home from school..  Well then we get the happy dance, wiggle butt, with LOT'S of smiles..  Yup, she is one happy dog.

I am hoping to introduce her to my furry grand baby Laela this weekend.  Due to financial issues for my son and daughter in-law I will be taking Laela whom is also a brindle pit bull.  Laela is very loving and not dominate at all so I am really hoping her and Bella get along.  If we don't try and introduce the two of them this weekend, it will be next weekend, and I will let you all know how that goes.  Laela needs to come home to her grandma.  I seen her the other day, she wrapped her paws around my neck and would not stop hugging me, the kids said when I left she would not stop looking for me,  it made me feel so bad that I could not bring her back home with me right then and there. 

I also want to send out a thank you to a very special lady, whom is an angel on earth...  Carol Groleau, thank you so much for helping with Bella's vet bill.  Monday night I sat here balancing our checkbook (for some reason the bills are never ending, lol)..  Between the Vet appointment on Tuesday for Bella and the needed additional work done on Johns Jeep (new starter and a new gas tank)...  I was stressing out, we would have been left with no money in our bank account.  When I got to the Vet on Tuesday, I was informed that Carol called in that morning and placed $200.00 into Bella's Vet account.. Carol, words alone could never express to you how grateful we are to you.  Your donation covered her entire vet visit and left enough over to cover several months of her heartguard pills.  Thank you so much Carol, you are such a blessing to us.

Here is the video of Bella smiling, it is only a quick glimpse so don't look away or you will miss it, lol.

and here are some fabulous new picture of Bella also..

It was Bella's first cold morning, took her out around 6am, put my coat on the couch, when I can back into the living room she was pulling my coat over her with her teeth, lol

Happy girl :)

Bella and Emily have become VERY close and can usually be found snuggling together.

The other night I went out to tell Emily that it was time for bed..  Her and Bella were already fast asleep....

Chase and Bella watching Animal Planet.

Bella knows how to sit in style on the couch, with her arm on the arm rest to boot, lol.  And yes she is getting in her daily fill of Animal planet..  I wonder if this is how I look when I am watching my soap??  lol

yup, she is one happy girl.....

Through thick and thin

Hi everyone, I have not posted in a week but wanted to give everyone an update.  Bella is absolutely flourishing. She no longer has any fear when I leave the house, she knows I will always be back.  Right now I am working on property training her so she can run around and play instead of having to be on a leash. She does very good as long as I am in her site.  I know it will help her a lot that Trigger stay's in the yard, that way she will learn the boundaries.

Tuesday was a big day for Bella.  I had to be transported by ambulance to the hospital....  The day went like this..  It was in the afternoon, John, Chase and I were just relaxing and watching a movie.  I got a ringing in my left ear..  No biggie..  Then I felt a little dizzy..  Well with me being an EMT I knew not to get up fast, so I got up real slow, went to go get a drink of water, then it hit me...  All of a sudden I could barely talk, my heart felt like it was bounding out of my chest, I had a very hard time breathing and everything started going fuzzy.  I sat by John, and told him to call 911, that something was very wrong, I thought I was having a heart attack.  I had Chase go fetch my medical gear..  As an EMT I know not to hyperventilate, but to take relaxing breaths, in through your nose, out through your mouth, which is not very easy when battling a head cold.  Then everything got worse..  My fingers curled inward, and I had no strength in my hands, I could not hook up the oxygen tank I carry in my EMS bag, and neither John nor Chase know how to use any of my equipment (I am the one that is supposed to help others, I am not supposed to ever need help) I was trying to assess what was happening to me, all I could think of was either a possible heart attack or a stroke, I was leaning more towards a heart attack because most of my signs pointed in that direction, but I did not have the heavy feeling on my chest.  All of a sudden I found myself fighting to stay alert, my main focus was on Bella, I could not leave her, I just got her.  I truly thought I was dying, I said good by to John and to my son, made sure they both knew how much I loved them.....  Police and EMS arrived, and precious Bella did not even bark once.  She kept close to me but also made sure she was not in the way, I think she knew they were here to help me.  I am so proud of her for being such a good girl in the midst of all the chaos.  A week ago I don't think she would have been so calm.

The good news is I only had an anxiety attack..  Never in a million years would I have guessed that was what was happening.  I have never had one before and I was relaxing when it hit..  I do know it better never happen again, that is a very scary thing to have happen, you truly fell like you are dying.  Oh and I will be teaching John and Chase how to use my EMS equipment this weekend too, lol.

Bella is growing in a positive direction more and more everyday.  I just love her so very much.  And am so proud of all the progress she has made.  She has a vet appointment on the 26th and I will update everyone again when I get back from that.  I will also be sharing more pictures and hopefully a video with everyone this weekend too :)

Seperation Woes.....

Well today was a tough day for Bella..  I ran to the grocery store to get some items for dinner and left Bella at home.  When I got back, John said I am not ever allowed to leave like that again.  Poor Bella sat by the door and cried the entire time.  John tried to comfort her, but nothing he did helped.  He said he has never heard such a mournful sound come from an animal (she was actually crying), it just broke his heart.  My heart just broke also when he told me this, my poor girl thought I was never coming back...  So starting tomorrow we are going to be working with her on this.  She needs to understand that sometimes I do leave the house without her, but I will always come back to her.  Instead of taking her with in the mornings to bring Emily to school I will leave her at home, it only takes me about ten minutes to leave and come back.  That way she will start to realize..  Ohh, well look, she comes back to me, lol. 

Other than that, Bella is doing fabulous!  She is on her second day of medication for her double ear infection, and already I have noticed she is not shaking her head as much.  She still does not like having the medication put in her ears, but my 11 year old son is great at holding her for me.  In time she will realize that when I am doing something it is to help her, and not to hurt her.  The anti itch spray I got for her is working wonders too, I apply it twice a day and she has not itched once.  Her coat is also starting to look more shiny already and her hair is not falling out like it was.  These are all things that make me a very happy Bella mommy :)

Bella also found the closet where we keep our blankets, she found one she liked a lot, pulled it out of the closet and put it on the couch, she is such a character, lol.  Here are some pictures I took of her and Trigger napping together on the couch, and both those nuts had to "nest" the sheet on the couch to get it just right so pardon the mess.  Also, the pillow Bella is sleeping on..  That is the pillow I sleep on at night, every morning when I get up, she grabs it, drags it into the living room and paws at it until I put it on the couch for her.  Yup, I think she knows I love her :)

Vet Update and Milestones

Hi everyone.  I got a call this morning from Dr. Deb...  Bella does have a double ear infection.  I was so hoping it was just ear gunk, my precious girl has already been through so much.  But we have her on the needed medication to heal this.  I also got her some vitamins, some anti itch spray and some ear wash.  Her next Dr. appointment is scheduled for 10/26/2011.  At that visit she will be getting her distemper booster, getting her eye's looked at ( they were pretty goopy this morning) and getting her nails done. 

Here are some milestones that Bella has crossed since she has been with me.  I will also be adding some fabulous photos that I have taken of her.

10/11/2011

Fabulous Bella update!! Since I brought her home yesterday, I would have to walk her to the food dishes and stand by her in order to get her to eat, if I would even so much as cough she would hit the ground cowering.. Obviously from her very skinny state we can all agree that she was not allowed food, I also think that the evil people that had her before me would also beat her for eating.. But.... Just 5 minutes ago while I was washing dishes she walked up to the food dish, ate all on her own and was even wagging her tail!! Not once did she cower from the sound of the dishes, or from me coughing (still battling that darn cold, lol) I am so proud of my precious Bella :) Before long the only way anyone will ever be able to tell that she was an abused Pit will be from the scars on her body, and not because of how she cowers. Her cowering, scared day's are done! ♥

 

10/12/2011

The CUTEST thing just happened.. Trigger has been patiently waiting for Bella to become his friend since we brought her home. He now realizes she is not afraid of him any longer. He brought her a ball, as if to say come be my friend, come play with me, well Bella has no idea what to do with a ball, and just ignored it. So Trigger brought Bella her favorite toy which is the Raccoon that Chris Denino bought for her, and placed it next to her. Bella perked up her ears and gave Trigger a little smooch :)

 Bella eating all on her own!! :)

Bella getting ready for bed.

Bella, probably thinking..  "okay mom, enough with the pictures, put your head on your pillow and snuggle me"  lol.

This is a must share.  I was about to wash the kitchen floors when Trigger and Bella came bounding into the room.  I am so glad I grabbed my camera.  As you can all see Trigger is still trying to get Bella to play ball with him, lol. 

 

Bella's Vet visit. 10/12/11

I have fantastic news.  Bella has gained two pounds!!  I know it does not seem like much but when an animal is under weight every ounce matters.  She weighed 44.8 lbs on 9/27/11, today she weighed in at 47.3 lbs ( I wonder if all the treats her new aunts and uncles gave her contributed to that, lol).  All the ladies at the clinic just adore her, and Doctor Deb...  Well what can I say, Bella has found a special place in her heart.  I have noticed that Bella has a way of doing that to people, lol.  Dr. Deb took swab samples of her ear gunk and I will know in the morning if it is "just ear gunk" or if it is something more that would require medication.  Her incision (from when she was spayed)  is looking fabulous and healing well.  I was concerned about the redness on her lip, the area that was torn off.  Dr. Deb assured me that it was fine and would clear up.  We have also started her on a Salmon oil supplement to help with her very dry itchy skin and her fur falling out issues.  We also got her heart guard, and of course I forgot that at the vet..  So I am going to head back over there in the morning after dropping Emily off at school and pick that back up.  I will be taking her back in a couple of weeks so she can get her Distemper booster and a pedicure.

Bella was very apprehensive about being back put back into a vehicle.  I really think she was worried that she was going to have to leave me. She literally CLUNG onto me.  My heart felt so bad, all I could do was try and reassure her that she was not leaving me.  She did great at the vet, wagging her tail, but also staying right in my lap.  Once we got her back home, and she realized she was back here, her whole body just started to wiggle.  Once she was back in the house she did her super cute, "happy puppy dance" which is her romping around, boxing the air, and giving me her SUPER adorable grin that shows all of her front teeth.  I so wish I would have grabbed my camera and put it on video but I got so wrapped up in the moment, just playing with her, hugging her and kissing her.  I do promise you all though that I will get a video of her "happy puppy dance" very soon for you all to see. 

On a last note..  Here is a picture that was sent to me from Stacy Humphrey.  This is a picture she took while she was driving Bella home. Stacy brought Bella a bag of milk bones, she could not find them at first.  As she was driving down the road Stacy heard a rustling of a bag and just knew Bella found her milk bones.  So here is my lovely Bella enjoying her nummy treat. 

Bella is finally home!!

http://youtu.be/cwQugHs6ZFk  This is the link to the video of me meeting my beautiful Bella.

I am happy to let everyone know that my beautiful Bella is now home.  My daughter in-law and I picked her up at 2:15pm, on 10/10/2011.  Bella’s birthday will now be that date since that is the day her life officially started over for her.  I wanted to update everyone yesterday but felt I needed to focus my time on Bella since it was her first day home.    So let the updating begin, lol.

Bella is such an incredible example of love.  She is covered in battle wound scars on her head, legs, neck, and torso.  At some point it looks like her tail and some of her toes were also broken.  Her lip was ripped off, and she is very under weight.  Yet all this girl wants to do is snuggle, play, and give kisses.  Her love is proof that when a criminal say’s these dogs want to fight that they are lying.  All these dogs want is to be loved.

Bella’s first day home was wonderful.  Her introduction to Trigger went very well, she was nervous about him and I can’t blame her for that, I would be nervous too if I had been through the abuse that she went through.  Our dog Trigger though is such a loving compassionate dog and I think he could sense her fear, so he gave her the space she needed.  Eventually she went up to him, sniffed his face and Trigger gave her a loving kiss, instantly you could see the fear and tension just melt away from her.  I do believe Bella knows she is home,  she walks around the house with her head held high.  She follows me everywhere, and loves to snuggle with me at night.  Last night she spent the entire night sleeping with her head on my chest.  She does not like putting her harness on to go out potty but I think she just get’s concerned that it is being put on her  to leave to yet another person, I know that in time she will realize it is just being put on her to go outside and that she is never going to leave me.

Tomorrow she goes to the vet, and I will update everyone when I get home.  We will be working on fixing her dry skin issue and putting weight back on her.  Well I am off to play with my girl, and take lots of pictures which I will start adding in a few days.  For now enjoy the video of when we first got to meet and the rest of her “journey home” pictures.

A special thank you goes out to Emily Cherry, Nikki Swedberg, Mary Solomon, Jackie Graham, Bobbi Lee, Susan Siniard, Stacy Humphrey, Carolyn Kelpine, Linda Swoboda, Ashley Parker, Rita Johnson, Pam Ferree, Crystal and Andy Kreager, Dody Cosmedy,  Chris DeNino, Sally Geiger, Colleen, O’Shaughnessy, and Shellie Marvin, Belinda Binkley and everyone that cross posted about her need to get a ride home.  Each one of you helped get Bella home to me, each and every one of you are blessings to Bella and I.  You all will always hold a special place in our hearts. It is because of people like all of you that dogs like Bella can be saved from the shelters.  Thank you all so much.

Almost home!!

Bella's journey home to Minnesota began yesterday, she has touched the heart of every driver she has spent time with.  I will pick Bella up tomorrow afternoon and I can not tell all of you enough how excited I am to finally be able to just love my girl.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you  to EVERYONE that has helped get Bella home to me.

Here are pictures from her journey so far.