Bella the Snowdog

I told you I take requests… so, today I present with “Bella the Snowdog.”  (Hat tip to Pamela from Something Wagging for the suggestion.)

But first… a bonus video from 2010.  (We don’t have snow yet this year, and that’s fine by me!)

Bella the Snowdog

Bella the Snowdog, is a silly, happy pup.
With gigantic ears and a big black nose,
and a tail that’s always up.
Bella the Snowdog is a lazy dog they say,
Sometimes she runs around, but it’s pretty clear
that she likes to snooze all day.
There must be cozy blankets in that doggie bed she found.
For when she goes to take a nap, she doesn’t move around.
O, Bella the Snowdog,
dreams of chasing squirrels up trees.
When she dreams, she runs and barks and plays,
Happy to snooze the day away.


Before I go, I wanted to let you know that there’s still time to enter the Social Media for Social Good giveaway… today, the chance to earn entries through Google+ goes live.  I’ve included the Rafflecopter after the jump if you’re interested.  
(If you haven’t entered via Twitter or Facebook yet, you can still do so.  For Facebook, click here.  For Twitter, click here.)  Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Happy Halloween from the Cone Ranger

When she’s not being a flashlight, I like to think that Bella is dressed in costume as the Cone Ranger.  Accordingly, here’s a video of her in “costume” for your Halloween enjoyment (especially since I already shared my favorite Halloween song on Saturday).  I’d recommend watching this one with the sound on to get the full benefit of the soundtrack. Poor Cone Ranger – life on Coney Island is full of challenges.

Hi-Yo, Salamander! Away!

Seriously, she was so full of energy last week (when I shot this footage) that her crazy was at an all time high. We’ve managed to institute some “cone breaks” into her schedule, which seems to help.  While supervised, she seems to – mostly – be leaving her incision alone.  She’s still all coned up at night and when home alone, however.  I don’t trust her that much yet.

Hope you have a great Halloween!

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The accidental Halloween costume

It’s time for the big reveal.  What will Bella be for Halloween? 

To be honest, I don’t have the heart to make Bella wear a Halloween costume when she’s already stuck in a cone.  (She’s not a huge fan of being dressed up even when she’s in a good mood.)

However, the new cone appears to have a silver lining… literally.  This weekend, we discovered that the cone has some reflective qualities.  As a result, photos taken with a flash end up like this:

Have you guessed it yet?   Keep reading…

She’s going as a flashlight!

Poor Coney Island.  The insults never stop coming… I even got some of this snazzy flashlight action on video:

What’s your pet’s Halloween costume this year?

UPDATE: I just got a call from the vet – Bella’s lump was benign!  Yay!

UPDATE 2: It’s a Halloween Parade Blog Hop from afFURmation

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An update from Coney Island

Bella has a new cone (the Comfy Cone).  She seems to prefer this one to the plastic monstrosity she was wearing on Saturday.  Her navigation has improved.  It also makes drinking easier and appears to make sleeping more comfortable.

However, the new cone has not caused her to develop an appreciation for life as the sole occupant of Coney Island in our household.  I still catch her shooting me dirty looks on a regular basis.  The fact that I keep referring to her as Coney Island and Coney McConerson probably isn’t helping matters.  (When she takes a nap in the middle of the living room these days, she’s like her own little island of annoyance.  I wouldn’t recommend it as a tourist destination.)
I asked Bella to watch the following video shared with me by Pamela from Something Wagging This Way Comes.  She was not amused (apparently they don’t enjoy cone humor on Coney Island).  However, as a not-so-proud member of the People’s Republic of Evil Cone Purchasers, I found it highly entertaining.


Thanks for sending this my way, Pamela.  I love it!

On a related note, I think Bella has been deploying her cone to score maximum sympathy points.  Last night, those points were awarded in the form of chicken.  The cone has really upped her game in the begging department.


Tomorrow, I reveal what Bella’s going as for Halloween… any guesses?  (Hint: the cone is involved.)

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Cone of Extreme Annoyance

Bella would like to register a complaint. She has decided that “Cone of Shame” is not really an accurate name for this torture device.  It’s more like a Cone of Extreme Annoyance.

I think I’m currently on her List.  She keeps running into things and giving me dirty looks.

So far, she’s doing okay, other than the fact that she’s obviously annoyed.  She currently has so many pills that I’m beginning to think she needs one of those pill caddies, however.  (Antibiotics and pain meds plus her usual thyroid medicine.)   

Looks like I’ll be having a lazy day of watching TV so that I can hang out with her and keep her from overdoing it.  Could be worse…

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I’ll stand by you… words to live by

A momentary semi-serious interlude ahead…

Last night, I returned home to find a very unhappy Bella.   We had a thunderstorm while I was at work – a fairly loud one.  Bella’s storm phobia appears to have skyrocketed to a whole new level lately – I found paw prints on the dining room table, the dining room chairs… and other evidence of absolute and overwhelming fear.  My poor girl.

Initially, I was worried that she may have hurt herself, but she seemed okay. While I cleaned up the dining room, she had dinner and seemed relaxed.  So although it had been a rough afternoon, things seemed to be returning to normal.

Unfortunately, more storms were on the way.  So, I loaded Bella into her Storm Defender Cape, and we headed upstairs to hang out with some music on in hopes of keeping fear at bay.  (As an aside, the Storm Defender Cape seems to work sometimes, but I ordered the Thundershirt last night in order to see if it will work better.  I need to try something different in light of her escalating fear.  I’ll keep you posted.)

Anyway, as I sat upstairs, sipping my second glass of wine on an empty stomach (it was one of those days, capped off by the dining room incident), iTunes decided to play “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders.  It seemed like a good song to sing to Bella – I blame the wine for this assessment.  (Although I cannot carry a tune in a paper sack, I love to sing.)

As I serenaded my receptive pup with this song, it struck me just how perfectly some of these lyrics described how I was feeling.  I know it’s technically a love song, but stick with me here for a second.  For example, take the following lyrics:

  • “Don’t be ashamed to cry/ Let me see you through/ ‘Cause I’ve seen the dark side too”
  • “Nothing you confess, will make me love you less”
  • “Take me in, into your darkest hour/ And I’ll never desert you, I’ll stand by you”
  • “Won’t let nobody hurt you/ I’ll stand by you”

That’s the kind of unconditional love that our animals deserve.  (Honestly, it’s the kind of unconditional love that some people in our lives deserve too, but that’s a discussion for another day.)

When a dog is fearful or reactive, some people get angry at the dog.  That’s hard for me to take… for all that we treat them like our children, dogs are not just little people in fur suits.  They’re dogs, and it’s our responsibility to try to understand where they are coming from rather than ascribing human reason and emotions to their actions.  It’s natural to be upset when your dog messes something up, but it’s essential to put things into perspective.  How you react to to something like this is within your control – you can choose how to handle it.  Fearful dogs don’t need to be blamed… they need love and a person who will do their best to help them through this difficult time.

Although sometimes she destroys things, messes up the house, or generally makes life difficult, I am fiercely protective of my girl.  I’ll do whatever it takes to help her through the rough times.  I’ve been fortunate in the past to have people do the same for me, and I hope I’ll be that fortunate again should the need arise.

Deep thoughts about dogs inspired by a 1994 power ballad.  That’s just how I roll.

 

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Now casting: Bella’s made-for-TV movie

Hmmm… perhaps it would be a direct-to-DVD movie instead?  Bella doesn’t have a large ego, so I’m sure she wouldn’t expect her first flick to go straight to the big screen… anyway, you may be wondering what I’m rambling about right now.

Although I got sidetracked thinking about the format, I’m trying to decide what human celeb would play Bella in a movie.  Where did that random query come from?  The lovely Kahuna K9 (a new blog I discovered today through my blogging pals at Rescued Insanity, Kol’s Notes and Something Wagging This Way Comes) has invited bloggers to answer that question.  So, it’s time to cast Bella’s doppleganger…

After much consideration, I’ve decided to give the role to Kristen Schaal.  (Loved her in Flight of the Conchords and still love her when she pops up on The Daily Show or anywhere else.)  I think her performance as Mel on FOTC was the key to winning this role… there’s something about her slightly goofy, happy nature with an edge that just says Bella to me.  Do you agree?

Any thoughts on who should be Kristen’s understudy? (Bella’s movie just morphed into a play, I guess.)

 

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Clan of the Cave Dog

I have a special treat for you today.  We’re going to visit the lair of a mysterious animal known as the Cave Dog.  Not too close… we don’t want to spook the magnificent creature.  However, if we move slowly, we may be able to catch a glimpse of this cozy canine.

 

The Cave Dog’s origins are a mystery.  Rumor has it that the Cave Dog will hide under anything.  At night, the Cave Dog usually falls asleep in its chosen den… after a few hours, one can hear the Cave Dog shuffling out of the cave.  This nightly migration from cave to dog bed is a phenomenon that pupologists cannot explain.  Only the Cave Dog knows the reasons behind this puzzling pattern.

If you know where to  look, you may be able to find a Cave Dog under a sofa, table, or bed.  Although the Cave Dog gravitates to these locations, the beast is not stealthy.  The observant naturalist can usually spot an errant foot or tail, which will give away the creature’s location.  On occasion, the Cave Dog will even leave its head exposed.

Alas, the Cave Dog’s habitat is under attack.  When a new bed replaced the old, the Cave Dog could no longer fit underneath it.  Although the Cave Dog has managed to squeeze underneath the new landmark in a fit of thunderstorm-induced panic, the habitat is no longer ideal.  (Humans are so inconsiderate.)  Fortunately, our team of Cave Dog conservationists has constructed a new habitat for the reclusive pooch.  By draping an afghan over a conveniently located bench at the foot of the bed, we have created a new den of privacy.  The Cave Dog has adjusted well to the new habitat and appears to be quite content. 

Now, you’re in for a real treat… we’ve managed to get a photo inside the Cave Dog’s lair!

Believe it or not, the Cave Dog was fairly hospitable and gave us a slurp before we departed.  Nature never fails to surprise.

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Bella’s in the holiday spirit…

To those of you in the U.S., I hope you have a wonderful July 4th!  It’s been busy around here… I made some patriotic cupcakes and a ridiculous amount of sangria yesterday.  (No joke – I bought a 2 gallon cooler to store it in. Let’s just hope that nobody tries to go total sports fan and dump it on someone’s head as if it were Gatorade.)  In addition, I’ve made some giant submarine sandwiches, and a vat (also not really an exaggeration) of Asian Noodle Salad.  We won’t starve, that’s for sure!

Anyway, no time for a long post, but I wanted to wish all of you a happy 4th of July – I hope you have a fantastic day.  So does Bella… she even dressed for the occasion:

In spite of the holiday, Bella’s nap schedule proceeds as usual.

Happy 4th!

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Bella: the Great Houndini

 Much like the space station, we have an airlock.  Allow me to explain…

A reminder to our visitors… a non-football version adorns the door year-round.


Bella is quite the little escape artist, and will take any opportunity to flee.  (All Bella escape attempts are referred to as “fleeing” based upon a surprisingly adorable note a maintenance man left in our old apartment.)  When I was a child, our dogs were fairly well-behaved and listened to my mom when she told them to stay in the yard.  (That woman had some sort of magical Dr. Doolittle-esque abilities – I don’t think she had to train them.  They just listened.)  My family did experience one terrifying lost dog incident when Kandi (our Chihuahua) got lost in Richmond for a few days.  We were visiting family, and Kandi managed to slip out.  It was quite the harrowing experience – my parents even hired Bloodhounds to track her down.  Eventually, we got a call from someone that had spotted Kandi sneaking cat food, and we were able to find her.

So, needless to say, I’m usually fairly careful about the potential for puppy escape after the Kandi escapade.  Even so, Bella has managed to get around my defenses a few times.  Fortunately, her penchant for escape is often balanced out by her puppy ADHD (aka her tendency to get distracted, or “oooh, shiny!”).  Our first experience with the crafty canine flight risk also known as Bella was after a long road trip for the holidays.  While we were bringing our luggage inside the apartment, Bella slipped by and ran outside.  We chased her and I began to panic… however, she was distracted by the sight of a toy tricycle someone had left outside, and we were able to catch her. 

After that, we put Bella on lockdown.  Baby gates were purchased, and all friends and family were trained in the art of Bella containment.  Even so, Bella managed to escape while we were visiting my parents.  The scene was complete and utter chaos – my (now) hubby running frantically after Bella, while my mom hopped in the car to give chase.  My parents live in a fairly rural area – there’s a quarter mile of gravel road until you hit the pavement.  I thank my lucky stars every day that Bella followed the road instead of sprinting into the woods somewhere along the way.  I thank those same lucky stars that she stopped to sniff a flower, making it possible for the hub to tackle her and bring her back to base.  Bella really knows how to add some excitement to your day.

Anyway, after these various escape attempts, we got pretty serious about our containment plans.  At our last apartment, we only entered through the garage because it had what became known as the airlock.  There was a door from the garage to the laundry room and another door separating the laundry room from the kitchen.  Thus, it was possible to come and go without Bella ever having an unauthorized path to the outside world.  When we purchased our house, it also had a laundry room airlock – it was obviously meant to be.  I do sometimes wonder if Bella thinks we just sit in the laundry room all day…
 

(via Comics.com. Click the comic to see a clearer version.)

In any event, we still have an airlock in our laundry room.  We also decided to apply this principle to our yard.  When redoing the fence, it occurred to us that an outside airlock would be invaluable.  So, we decided to borrow a page from the dog park playbook and install a double gate.  I think that our friends who don’t own dogs think we’re weird… but it’s one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
We had the gate installed so that only one part of the gate can be open at a time, which minimizes the chance that our Houndini can escape and allows us to breathe a little easier when she’s out in the yard.

Bella containment was a factor I considered when looking for a house, and it’s definitely influenced other house decisions as well.  Is this something you take into account too, or am I just a crazy dog lady?  What steps have you taken to contain your own furry flight risk?  Tell me about it in the comments!

(Although this post deals with preventative measures, we’ve also had Bella microchipped and are registered with HomeAgain.  I also recommend you check out BlanketID if you’re looking for additional options that will help you recover a lost pet.  Better safe than sorry!)  
          
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