Bella
Happy 4th Birthday to Bella Boo!!!
Wow I still think of Bells as a young pup of 1.5 years. Bella was one of the original pack members who joined my pack way back in early 2010. At the time I already had a small pack made up of mostly Labradors (Tinoh, Maddy, Baci & Bizou were the labs) and meeting this sweet but energetic Lab called Bella, I thought would be a perfect fit. And I wasn’t wrong. Bella is the kind of dog that gets on with everyone. She has a sweet and playful nature and includes everyone in the fun. Even today as I introduced our newest pack member (puppy Halle) I walked her with Bella. Bella was sweet and warm to little Halle and she play really nicely and even encouraged Halle into the water though Halle had never been in before. Thats the kind of dog Bella is, very reliable to be the fun and life of the party.
Bella (I learnt quickly) also has a super cheeky side. I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count with, the number of times Bella has gotten up to some seriously crazy mischief. I once spent over an hour trying to get Bella back on leash, it was such a game to dear Bella, though I was practically in tears. Then there was the time that a few years ago, Bella and her partner in crime, Tinoh, decided to go on a ball destroying rampage. That day it was the 3 tennis balls I had. Once they were annihilated they moved onto a very enticing (and expensive) soccer ball. The problem with the soccer ball was that it was the property of some local kids. As the kids watched on in horror and the mother in disbelief, I spent at least 10 minutes chasing, yelling & begging for that ball back. But alas it was destroyed. I of course replaced the ball and sent a card with apologies from the famous ‘naughty black labs of Balmain’.
Not too long ago I had let my guard down and wasn’t thinking. We were down at Birchgrove, the pups had had a great swim and play down at the beach. We had met up with dog walkers Ali & Rach and some of their pack, so we had a large group of pups. We made our way around the oval, running and playing everyone was happy. Then we passed the open gate to the oval and in bolts Bella, making a beeline straight towards a large school group and their teachers. Within the blink of an eye Bella with THE soccer ball in her mouth was being chased by about 4 school boys. Bella ran faster and faster. I was yelling to the kids to stop chasing, the teacher was yelling to the kids to stop. Ali and Rach opened another gate to try to get Bella to go through that, but in ran half the rest of the pack. Behind me was the oval grounds keeper yelling with fury about my out of control dog (now dogs)! IT WAS CRAZY! But once Bella had run herself out we finally got the ball out of her mouth with just a few dents shaped liked Bella’s teeth. The teacher and kids were great about it and we left the park with everyone fairly happy, though I was exhausted.
I look back now and can laugh, never a dull moment with Bella boo. Needless to say that this year Bella got her very own soccer ball from me as her birthday gift.
Since Bella’s operation a few months ago. I’ve noticed that Bella is a little more subdued but she still has that twinkle in her eye and loves to make sure that she doesn’t miss out on the fun.
Bella is very much a dogs dog. This is how I describe pups that are dog focused when out with me on walks. Bella loves her mates but when it’s just me and her she also loves her cuddles, she’s just very sweet like that.
Here is a little background written by Bella’s dad, and some very cute puppy photos along with my faves from the blog…
