A couple of months ago we welcomed a new addition to our family shortly after moving into our new home. Her name is Bella and she is the cutest dog anyone could ask for. We adopted her from the West Suburban Humane Society off of Ogden Ave. in Downers Grove, IL. Bella is a mutt, half Pit Bull and half Chow according to her paperwork, but she’s all heart. With a beautiful brindle short-haired coat and spotted blue/purple tongue that constantly says I want to lick your face all day and night, Bella is an absolute sweetheart to our family.
Back in 2007 we were renting a townhome in Aurora, IL and had as our only pet a Pit Bull-Labrador mutt named Abby (AKA Abby the Labby or Abbers). Abby was the perfect dog, beautiful, loyal, and well trained. I had purchased her as a pup from a Petland a few years earlier and we absolutely loved her. The dog was intelligent, playful, and with her coloring and body size she looked like a Twinkie. All of our friends and neighbors loved Abby, and Abby loved everyone. Unfortunately, on the computer I am using at the moment I do not have any old pics of Abby to post.
Sadly, right after our Wedding in 2007 my wife Melissa and I went through a rough spell, and ended up separating to take a break after so many years together and to work on ourselves. With our separation I ended up renting an apartment in Lisle, IL and unfortunately Abby’s 65lb frame was outside their pet guidelines and I was unable to take her with me to the apartment. Melissa ended up moving to Arkansas to stay with her Mom and took our son and Abby with.
After some time, the distance between me and the three of them was too much to bear. I begged and pleaded for Melissa to find a way to move back to the Chicago area. Melissa informed me she would come home with our son in tow and they would stay with her Grandmother in Brookfield, IL. In order to do so, due to her Grandmother and Uncle’s allergies, they would have to leave the dog behind. It broke my heart but I told her to find her a good home and come home ASAP. Melissa found Abby a home with a good family who have raised her as their own, she is still happy and healthy the last time I had an update on her status.
After Melissa was home we eventually found a way to work out the kinks and made peace with each other and began the reconciliation process. Melissa and Patrick happily ended up moving in with me into another new apartment in Lisle and we stayed there for several years up until our first home purchase in April of this year. All the while there was a piece missing, a hole in my heart, for although I had my family back, we were one important family member short.
Fast forwarding through several years of heartache and regret after we bought our house Melissa knew I wanted to have a new dog. After deciding to adopt and perusing the websites of several local shelters we decided to head over to the West Suburban Humane Society to view a Rottweiler that garnered our interest named ‘Remy’. While at the shelter we saw that Remy was going to be a little too wild for our lifestyle as we have a pretty quiet household with just the three of us. I was looking at Remy through his pen trying to make the decision when I heard a small noise coming from the pen behind me. I turned around and saw the biggest dark brown dog eyes staring back at me. The majority of the dogs in the kennel were barking and hopping around in their pens trying to gain attention or scare us away during our tour. Bella was one of the few who were very calm and looked scared and heartbroken. Melissa and Patrick were on the other side of the kennel looking at other dogs when Bella and I first made eye contact. I knelt down next to the pen and said “Hello Girl.” Bella walked slowly towards the door of the pen where I was kneeling and sniffed my fingers through the fencing. She began to lick my fingers and our eyes were still locked together, she seemed to be trying to tell me something. I could feel the sadness inside of her and couldn’t believe after having a good look at her what a beautiful animal she was.
I stood up because I was starting to feel overwhelmed. There was a connection here, something I hadn’t felt since the first time I locked eyes on Abby at the pet store. I tried to shrug it off, knowing that my son had his heart on Remy the Rottweiler. However, after trying to look at the other dogs in the kennel I kept walking back over to Bella. Eventually I called out to Melissa, “Hey Hon, you should take a look at this one.” Melissa came over and saw her and to make a long story short, didn’t look at any other dogs after first meeting Bella. The staff allowed us to take her out of the pen into their fenced in yard where we could interact with her. We found out she was 2 years old, and was given up to the shelter for anxiety issues. She is on a daily medication, Xanax, to keep her calm, as well as a supplementary pill for when there is lightning and fireworks, much like an Ativan for adults. Also, they told us that she did not like other dogs and would have to live in a ‘one-dog household’.
After putting her on hold and thinking about her for 24 hours straight I made the decision to adopt her. I felt that if she was placed in the right home with the right family, her anxiety issues would suppress and she would be a very happy and loyal dog for many years to come. I remember when I put her in the car and we were driving home I turned to look at her in the backseat, and it was the first time I saw her smile. I told Bella, “You have big paws to fill.” And fill them she has. She is not perfect, not fully trained, but we are working on it. Her anxiety issues are stable, and after the normal period of adjustment she has accepted us as her new family and loves her new home. All she wants to do is lick your face from dawn till dusk. With her beautiful brindle coat and pointy ears, when we put her round tag on her I could only think one thing, she looks like Scooby-Doo. Hence her new nickname Bella Dooby Doo. She has helped to mend the cracks in our family and to heal the canyons of regret inside my heart for losing Abby.
There have been so many times when I am sitting on my couch and the loneliness I’ve felt these last few years without my best friend Abby by my side have hurt more than you can possibly imagine. Yet, now when I look to the right, the couch cushion next to me is no longer empty. When I look at my feet, the space on the floor between them is no longer bare. When I come home from work, she is always waiting for me at the top of the stairs, tail wagging. When I drive my car on an errand, she calls shotgun like the one before her. When I feel tired or sad, I feel the wet tongue on my face or the warmth of her hug. When I fall asleep, she always cuddles me and then goes to lie near or between my feet. When I hit the snooze button too many times, she nudges me out of bed. When I leave for work, she sits on top of the stairs and promises me she’ll be there when I return.
I thought that I was rescuing her but as it tuns out, Bella is the one who is rescuing me.
Unintelligent Arguments 