Dogs and kids

Years before I became a mother I got a puppy. I was home during the summer after my sophomore year in college, and a friend of mine asked me to go with him to look at free puppies. I thought sure, whatever, it would give me something to do, since all I thought about at the time was Bryan. We had only been dating since the spring of that year and the summer seemed to take forever to end. Anyway, I went with no intentions of getting a puppy since I was still in college and was constantly on the move.

We drove out to a house surrounded by corn fields, which is not at all unusual in central Illinois, to see what these puppies looked like. Now, I've had many animals, mostly cats and small caged animals, but I always wanted a dog to call my own. So, when I got out of the car all the puppies were out front playing. The mother, a beautiful black and white greyhound greeted us at the car. She was the sweetest dog and had the most soulful eyes I'd ever seen on a dog. I remember sitting under a tree trying to coax a few puppies to come over so I could play with them, but they were all busy romping around. However, there was this one little puppy that came over and looked at me with the same eyes that the mother had, and I swear it was almost as if she asked to be my friend. She sat next to me and let me hold her and pet her, she followed me when I walked around. I knew then that I was not leaving without her. When we got to the car with the two little puppies, the mother came over to me, licked her baby good bye and gave me a look that seemed to know her baby would be ok. That was the day I became Bella's new mommy.

Bella is now almost 10 years old, she is the best dog ever (though I know lots of people think highly of their dog, Bella is truly the best. LoL.) Bryan and I often reminisce about Bella as a puppy: remember how little she was, how she would only go to the bathroom in the bushes, when she was finally able to jump onto the bed (which was raised to fit her crate underneath), when she caught her first tennis ball, learned how to crawl, when she was terrified of gutters and steep stairs. The learning has never stopped with her. We've done a few courses of agility and fly ball when she was seven.

I've always talked to her like a child and have tried to stay consistent with rules, outings and feeding, just like you would a child, and now she knows so much that it still amazes me that she is only a dog. We have unconsciously compared everything to her, including our children. We'll say things like, "remember when Remy became smarter than Bella?" Or, "I wonder when Jackie will know more than Bella?" This dog has become my son's best friend. When Remy goes to bed, she goes with him. When we go for walks in the trails behind our house Remy is always a few steps behind Bella. And of course when the children are eating something Bella is right there waiting for the fallen crumbs... after I give the ok. LoL.

I will forever be thankful for all the things Bella has taught me. She has been the most loving, forgiving, and compassionate being that I've ever known. I joke all the time that she must have been an old lady in her former life... but I honestly believe that she is an "old soul." Family comes in many forms and I am definitely happy that she is a part of mine.