Bella 15-008

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Profile

 

In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Entered Foster Care Fence Kid Friendly Another Dog Cat Friendly
1/12/2015 Physical Yes Female Dog Only Yes
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.

Our beautiful Bella arrived on Monday fresh off the farm. She had been seen many days running free "on the range" and it was now time to come in and have a Golden life in a new, forever home. It was a hard choice for her surrendering owner.

Bella has a very sweet personality and gets along, not only with our resident dog, but with everyone that crosses her path. She has been bathed and had nails trimmed by a groomer, been to the vet, and is today being spayed. As we stood in line for her spay, she nuzzled a small kitty in a cage, with big tail wagging.

She loves sitting out on our 4-season porch and enjoys her outings with Ginger in the snow covered fenced-in area. There is no resource guarding or any territorial gestures, whether it be food, toys or treats. She is tentative on the treats as she has not had many in her past five years.

We are keeping a close eye on her to make sure she is completely house trained. She lived in a machine shed with other dogs and always kept her site clean. That is all we know for sure. But since we have had her, there have been no accidents inside. She sleeps in a crate and lets us know by a gentle bark in the morning when she needs to go out to do her business. Her owner said she was used to concrete and gravel, so she is now readjusting to a fenced grass, snow-covered yard. 

Bella walks very nicely on a leash, without pulling. A little redirection from time to time is all she needs. We have started working on commands and she will sit to take her food. Because she is now 78 pounds (about 10 pounds overweight) we are cutting down the amount of food she gets each day. She doesn't seem to mind, but is VERY excited when it's time for breakfast!

We will keep updates coming as we get to know her more and find out how well she is doing in her spay recovery. She will have to stay with us during that time, but will soon be ready to say hello to her forever family. Could that be you?

 

 

 

At a Glance #15-008

Golden Retriever Born: August 2009
Female 75 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

 

In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Entered Foster Care Fence Kid Friendly Another Dog Cat Friendly
1/12/2015 Physical Yes Female Dog Only Yes
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.

Our beautiful Bella arrived on Monday fresh off the farm. She had been seen many days running free "on the range" and it was now time to come in and have a Golden life in a new, forever home. It was a hard choice for her surrendering owner.

Bella has a very sweet personality and gets along, not only with our resident dog, but with everyone that crosses her path. She has been bathed and had nails trimmed by a groomer, been to the vet, and is today being spayed. As we stood in line for her spay, she nuzzled a small kitty in a cage, with big tail wagging.

She loves sitting out on our 4-season porch and enjoys her outings with Ginger in the snow covered fenced-in area. There is no resource guarding or any territorial gestures, whether it be food, toys or treats. She is tentative on the treats as she has not had many in her past five years.

We are keeping a close eye on her to make sure she is completely house trained. She lived in a machine shed with other dogs and always kept her site clean. That is all we know for sure. But since we have had her, there have been no accidents inside. She sleeps in a crate and lets us know by a gentle bark in the morning when she needs to go out to do her business. Her owner said she was used to concrete and gravel, so she is now readjusting to a fenced grass, snow-covered yard. 

Bella walks very nicely on a leash, without pulling. A little redirection from time to time is all she needs. We have started working on commands and she will sit to take her food. Because she is now 78 pounds (about 10 pounds overweight) we are cutting down the amount of food she gets each day. She doesn't seem to mind, but is VERY excited when it's time for breakfast!

We will keep updates coming as we get to know her more and find out how well she is doing in her spay recovery. She will have to stay with us during that time, but will soon be ready to say hello to her forever family. Could that be you?

 

 

 

Updates

Sunday, January 25, 2015

An interested family came to see Bella with their male dog. We did the usual meet and greet outside on the driveway, then in our yard, and finally in the house - all the time on leash. When we got inside, Bella went immediately to her crate (we leave the door open during the day). Every time that the visiting male came by her, she would bare her teeth and growl. This happened repeatedly. The two dogs were in two different rooms. The visiting dog was very sweet and showed no aggression. He was bigger than Bella (part St. Bernard!) and curious, which is normal. The family stayed for about an hour, but the behavior on Bella's part never changed. 

Since this visit, we've believe it would be best if Bella's forever family has no other dogs or perhaps only one other female. Bella has no issues with our soon-to-be 8 year old Golden. They sleep in the same room at times, play outside together, and share toys. She is very sweet and becoming a loving family dog.

Bella used to love running with deer, now she enjoys watching them from afar. We've had as many as 17 come through the woods behind our house. It's a huge tease, but one she's mastering well. She and Ginger stand on our deck, tails held high and eyes ever vigilant. It's a sight to behold. :-)

If you meet this new criteria, please give a shout out to your placement director. Bella is waiting for you!

 

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Bella's spay went great. She had no problems with the incision at all. She doesn't even lick it, so we don't have to put the "cone of shame" on her. :-) Seriously, it's healing nicely. We even took the two girls out for a short walk yesterday. As you can see, its clear that our dog, Ginger, is a wee bit jealous of her new companion.

We are in the process of adjusting Bella's food. She was having a little trouble pottying after surgery so the vet suggested some canned food (has more water) to help. She loved the chicken, couldn't abide the bison, and tolerated the lamb. But now we are trying to get her back to dry food. It may take awhile.

One thing we've been experiencing at night is that Bella will bark to go out, but then also throws her head back and howls until she's heard. Since she lived with a Basset Hound for a few years, I'm wondering if she picked that behavior up from him. Most Goldens are so quiet, that it is something totally new to us, but we're working on it. More on our progress with that later.

Forgot to mention that Bella is a purebred Golden. She was with a breeder for the first 2 years but didn't want to be with the "boys" he brought around. He finally gave her away to her last owner who kept her on the farm. Apparently, Bella liked to chase after deer along with another dog on the property and were finally threatened by other neighbors who weren't pleased with that behavior. That led to the decision to give Bella up.

All said and done, Bella remains a very gentle and sweet girl with no resource guarding, and no aggression. She has been around our two young grandchildren, 11 and 9, and stayed close to them the whole time. Other than the howling, she is a perfect lady.