Another Birthday!

Okay, this is being posted really, really late, I get it, but I want you to know I turned 10 on August 1.

Why the delay? Well, I have been pretty busy taking care of my humans, Donna and Frank, recently. They really do need a lot of support! Also, I guess I'm in denial. Frank says that I'm 70 in human years, because every dog year is seven human years. That means I am just a little bit younger than he is!

Anyway, I guess it means I'm really old, and I'm not sure how to feel about that. I suppose I'm just happy to be upright, walking along on my four legs, checking out things in the old neighborhood---and being grateful I got adopted after being in the animal shelter for only a few weeks.

I've heard humans asking if dogs go to Heaven and I wish I knew the answer. I don't mind waiting to find out, but I hope we do, especially if there are lots of treats!







Bella with her birthday cookie


(c) Copyright, Frank and Donna White, 2019, all rights reserved

Watching TV

When I first came to their home to help Donna and Frank out, I realized they had a lot to learn about dogs. After a couple of weeks with them, Donna had to go into the hospital, and I was left alone in the house. That wasn't so bad, because family members came over, walked me, and fed me, and Frank was home as often as he could be.

However, Frank had this "great idea" that I would enjoy watching "Dog TV." This is a channel that has a bunch of dogs running around and doing silly things, sometimes with humans, sometimes on their own. I had no interest in it and the noise was irritating. It's like my last post about "the tree without a smell." If something has no smell, it really doesn't exist for us dogs. Anyway, Donna told Frank she thought it was a waste of time to run Dog TV when we weren't home and he finally agreed.

Well, things changed the other night. Donna and Frank were watching a movie about a dog and they thought I would like it, so they got me up on the bed. Of course, there wasn't any smell with this movie, but there was something else: sound! And the sound was of my own name---Bella! It turns out that the main character was a dog named Bella who accidentally ran away from home while chasing a squirrel and got lost.

Of course, that would not be something I would do---run away from home, I mean (or chase a squirrel). In fact, Frank said the same thing. He told Donna, "I don't think Bella would ever run away from home." Donna laughed and I had the impression they were making fun of me because I am slightly overweight.

Well, the Bella on TV had a lot of crazy adventures and almost got done in by a pack of wolves (don't forgot we have coy wolves here!) before being saved by her friend, the cougar (I know, kind of a weird plot).

So I enjoyed that little interaction with the television---even without the smell!

Bella watching Bella!

(c) Copyright, Frank and Donna White, 2019, all rights reserved

The Tree Without a Smell

Okay, I know: dogs are not supposed to be interested in plants, but I am! I love their smell and sometimes I frustrate Frank on our walks because I have to stop and smell everything. Humans talk about "stopping to smell the roses," but they don't really do it very often.

Anyway, evergreens are my favorite. What a great smell they have! And they are there year-round, so I always have something to look forward to on my walks. Did you know that plants communicate? Yes, they do, with one another mostly, but with animals, too. My evergreens always have some news for me!

So, of course, I love Christmas because we always have had a real evergreen in the house for a few weeks. It's kind of sad because the trees have been cut down and they are dying, but I feel that I provide them with a real service, a kind of hospice care, if you know what I mean.

BUT, something went wrong this year. Frank put up a tree that looked great, but when I went over to smell it and talk to it, NOTHING. It had no smell and had nothing to say. I heard Donna and Frank talking about how much easier it was to have a "fake tree," and I wondered how it could be both a tree and a fake at the same time. Then it hit me! It was a fake but it was not a tree! It was something humans could pretend was a tree.

At first, I was sad that Donna and Frank had interfered with a tradition of having a real tree in the house for a few weeks around Christmas. Then, I had a kind of ethical thing happen: was it better to have a real tree die so I could smell it and communicate with it for a while, or was it better for me to let go of my tradition so a tree could go on living? In the end, it was a no-brainer: let the real trees live!

---Bella

What is this thing?

(c) Copyright Frank and Donna White, 2019, All Rights Reserved

Bella Gets Bored

One of my humans, Frank, is such a creature of habit. When I take him for a walk, he always wants to take the same route. He has a "short walk," "medium walk," and "long walk." These are all pretty much in the same neighborhood and it does get kind of boring.

Recently, I have convinced him to explore a little bit and we have started going across the main road to a new area that is full of all kinds of interesting smells and buildings. One time, a big dog started barking at us and the owner came out, saying, "Bella, be quiet!" He was talking to his dog, not me! Bella is a pretty popular name for canines, I have found. Frank's cousin has a dog named Bella and they call her "Bella One" and me "Bella Two," which I find somewhat unfair, but she was part of the family first, so I guess it's okay. There is even a dog supposedly named "Bella" on the dog food Frank buys me!

Anyway, the other day, I decided to do something really new. Frank thought we were going on the "medium walk," but at the key moment, I deviated and headed into the downtown area. Wow, was he surprised! He kept saying, "Bella, what are you doing? Where are you going?" I just pushed right ahead and paid him no mind.

I was somewhat inspired because sometimes I hear this song called "Downtown." Frank and Donna don't know that I can understand some of their language, but I can! This song says, "Everything's great when you're Downtown," and I wanted to check it out for myself. So off we went.

I guess it was great, but there was no grass or trees there, just big buildings and a lot more humans (and cars). I can't say it met the promise of the song, but it was different, and got Frank out of his comfort zone. So I wasn't bored for a few days!

Hmmm, where shall I take him next?

Bella Goes Downtown!

(c) Copyright, Frank and Donna White, 2018, All Rights Reserved

We Saw One!

Do you remember how I told you in an earlier blog that I would give my life for my human, Frank, if we ever encountered a hostile Noble Ancestor?

Well, I almost had to make good on that promise last night. Frank and I were in the front yard as I finished my business for the day when I suddenly saw it:  a large coy wolf with dark fur running up our street. Without thinking, I immediately started barking and I'm pretty sure it started to run faster!

 Of course, if I had not been startled, I would've barked a greeting instead of a warning. I would've loved to have talked with the noble Ancestor about life in the wild!

 I definitely would've had to defend Frank if the coy wolf had turned his/her attention on us. Frank wasn't showing much situational awareness and in fact started pulling on my leash and telling me to be quiet so that I would not wake up the neighbors. Then, he saw it and said something like, "Oh my Gosh, oh my Gosh!" At that point, the Noble Ancestor turned the corner and was gone, just like that.

Frank was very excited and we went inside to tell Donna about it. Frank told her what happened and I tried to explain it as well but she thought I was begging for food and told me to be quiet. Donna suggested that Frank call the police. We didn't think they would do much, but there is a database of sightings for the town, so Frank called.

Here is how the call went:

Frank:  Hi, I want to report that I saw a coyote running up my street. I know you track them.
Cop: Where do you live?
Frank: (He tells him)
Cop: Awesome! Thanks for calling.

End of call.

 This morning, when Frank  came into the living room, he called me Brave Bella and said I was his hero. That felt really good, I can tell you!

Ready for Action!


(c) Frank & Donna White, 2018, All Rights Reserved

Note: We write these blogs up on Bella's behalf primarily for the entertainment of our grandchildren, but adults seem to enjoy her adventures as well!

It's My Birthday!

So today is my birthday and I am nine years old, believe it or not! Frank told Donna that means I'm 63 in human years, which seems kind of old, doesn't it?

Donna and Frank bought me a lot of treats I am not supposed to have because I am, well, a bit overweight.

They also sang Happy Birthday to me and gave me a cupcake with a candle in it. The candle looked pretty tasty but they said, "No, no, eat the cupcake." I have a sweet tooth, but this one didn't do it for me.

As you know if you've been reading this blog and looking at the pictures, my coat is black and white, sort of like a panda. I have these two big patches of black on my sides and my back, but they seem to be getting a lot of white streaks in them. If this keeps up, my fur might look like Frank's hair! Scary thought!

I know I'm slowing down a little bit, but I feel young at heart. I can't believe I'm a day over five (that would be 35 in human years, right?)

Anyway, I feel happy today. I can count my blessings, like: I'm not in a shelter, I have a comfortable house to live in, a couple of square meals a day, and no coyotes...so far!


Bella (full disclosure: this photo was taken a year ago, but I refused to pose with a funny hat today.)

Watch Out for the Coyotes!

When we go on our walks, Frank often stops to talk with a neighbor who lives on one of the streets along our route. He has a little dog who jumps around and tries to get my attention, but this little guy is young and kind of hyper, so we don't have much in common.

Anyway, this neighbor tells Frank that he has seen coyotes on the street and that there is a big one that “looks like a wolf." 

Frank talks to his funny-looking silver box and finds out that most of the coyotes on the East Coast are really “coywolves,” part coyote, part wolf, and a little bit of dog! The box also told him that our town has a map showing where the coyotes have been spotted.

Frank says he worries “about what Bella would do” if I saw a coyote. “She’s tough and she wouldn’t back down; she would fight.” It makes me feel good that Frank knows I would defend him to the death, because I truly would!

The thing is, if I saw any kind of wolf, I would not want to fight him. Wolves are our Noble Ancestors! They don’t depend on humans to feed them or pick up their you-know-what or pull them around on a leash! They run wild and free and make their own rules and I would never want to fight a coywolf, even if she is only part wolf. I would bow down and show my respect! Well, unless it attacked my human...

Sorry—I get a kind of passionate about canine history!

Anyway, we try not to walk on that street at night anymore. Frank says his karate teacher told him the best way to use your martial arts skills is to avoid using them. I agree, especially when it comes to coywolves!

Still, I would love to see one of those Noble Ancestors—from a distance, of course!

Bella (on patrol)