I Rescued a Dog

Bella

She’s energetic, soft, and loyal. She sleeps at the foot of my bed and perks up her ears as soon as I stir in the morning. She makes me go on walks and learn things I didn’t know.  Her name is Bella, (Bay-ya, Spanish for beautiful) and she’s a Portuguese Water Dog. 

I found her on Craigslist in the free section. There was a picture of a cute, curly dog, first posted a month earlier. Should I get a dog? 

A few weeks earlier I’d thought it would be nice to have a dog. Someone to keep me company, make me exercise, and, well, a project. When I showed mom the listing, she said the idea seemed like an answer to prayer. I need extra emotional support, and a dog just might help with that. With her permission and provisos, I messaged the owner and arranged for a time to meet the dog. 

I arrived at the dog park at the same time as the owner and dog. A furry bear-creature leapt out of the passenger seat and joyfully greeted me and my siblings. I talked to the owner for a while, asking questions, and learned that he couldn’t take care of the dog anymore. His health was declining, and he wanted her to go to a good home. I got in touch with mom, and she agreed that the dog could come on our family vacation, in two days. I brought the dog home. 

Her fur was completely matted. Her ears were cemented to her head with the mats. She stank, felt terrible to the touch, and obviously had to be groomed. The previous owner couldn’t bathe her, and the brushing hadn’t been adequate. I drove to Walmart and bought a doggie hair-cutting kit. It took two days to shave all the mats off the dog, as shaving a matted dog takes a very long time, and I had never done it before. I felt so sad as I worked, doing my best to gently removed the heavy mats. Everyone helped, and the dog was a patient as possible. 

With fur everywhere, we stepped back to admire our handiwork. Underneath all those mats emerged a beautiful, little dog. She only weighed 35 pounds, even though with all her fur she looked obese. I changed her name from Bay to Bella, because the original name just didn’t fit the beautiful little dog. 

Her breed needs to be groomed and bathed often, getting haircuts every six weeks or so, depending on the style. She hardly barks and doesn’t shed. She is house trained, and she just learned how to “shake.” It’s really new, but it's fun already, and I look forward to everything I will do with this, my, dog.