We had the priceless opportunity to welcome a beautiful puppy into our home recently. We prepared for her a good 6 weeks before she arrived. I worked many extra shifts to provide the nicest crate we could afford, lots of toys, a book to teach us how to train her, grooming tools, and fees for vet visits to come. We anticipated her as though she were our next child being born. The children were made aware of her grand entrance right before we made out trip to Pennsylvania, and a few days before we left, we went to pick out our Bella!
As soon as we arrived, Aiden was drawn to one particular puppy...she was mellow, quiet, and so very cozy as she laid in the sun. I watched Aiden focus in on her and find sweet peace in this little puppy. Aiden is our "little fire"; he is full of energy and always on the move. When I saw him channel all of his energy into this puppy in such a sweet gentle manner, I felt impressed that this precious puppy would be ours.
We laughed at the dogs, placed a collar on her neck with her name claiming her as ours, and said our goodbyes for 2 weeks.
We were proud parents!!!
The entire plane ride home, I tried to bribe the girls to be good because we were gonna see Bella and bring her home soon. It worked occasionally, we all anticipated her!
And then she came...and we were quite giddy!
Steve bathed her...
And we both held her as she shivered for hours!
Every time she jumped into my lap that day, she dozed off into a deep sleep...she knew who her Momma was!
When the boys got home, they were head over heels thrilled to welcome Bella! They played with her outside every day for hours after school!
But like a newborn, Bella wanted to sleep most of the time!
She found interesting ways of making her divided crate big enough to sprawl her entire body into! And then we made revisions...I am a HUGE fan of crate training, and Bella was a very smart dog! She went from jumping and howling to sitting peacefully and still every time it was time to get out! In just one week she found such comfort in her crate, and if the door was opened, and she was tired, she would often retire to the crate for a short nap!
She loved the many toys we got her...this one in particular!
And she became a critical part of family scriptures and prayer routine every night. If she was napping, Daddy made sure we waited to do scriptures as a family until she was awake!
The boys LOVED BELLA!!!
And Miss Lydia did too!
Sadly, a few days shy of our week mark, Miss Bella started biting the kids consistently. We took her to the vet for her immunizations and were told that this was very atypical behavior at her age and that it was a deep cause for concern. It happened over night....we don't know what triggered it, but our hearts were broken. Steve was at the vet with her when the news was given, and his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach in sadness. Our little Bella, who we loved so much, and were making such progress with, was not gonna work with the kids.
We cried and contemplated....
Yearned and anguished...
And finally decided to call the previous owner.
We broke the news to the boys after school:
I picked the boys up at the bus stop and informed them that we may be taking a ride into town. They questioned why but were told by me to go inside, use the restroom, and talk to Daddy.
Daddy was outside, sitting solemnly, watching Bella play. When I walked outside the boys were there with him, and Aiden turned towards me with big blue eyes swelling with tears. He stated, "Why do we have to give her back after only a few days? Why did we spend so much money for her only to have to give her back?" He was angry and heartbroken, sobbing so sadly.
Connor sobbed too....the tears poured down his face as he begged to hold her just one more time.
And he did hold her....
Days later, as I folded his old cars blanket we draped over the crate for security for little Bella. Connor watched me and said sadly, "Mom, I can still smell her tracks."
We all miss Bella...even the smallest of us all. We caught her biting Bella's toy, just as Bella did, only days after her departure.
And for days following, we all cried and mourned her loss.
To this day, the boys pray for her at night, including her in the sorrow they faced with losing a baby brother as well. Both Shane and Bella are forever a part of their hearts.
Sometimes, True and Pure Love...hurts really bad.
