Bella and I had an appointment at the vet's office today and on the way, I noticed something new about her... One of the positive aspects of adopting from a rescue organization (as opposed to the shelters) is these tiny observations while being fostered with us that give you clues about a dog's previous background...
Bella has always looked at other dogs with interest (not aggression), but not to the point I would say she's 'alerted'... Driving, we passed a lady walking two very large, very black Retrievers (Flat-coated?)... Bella spotted the dogs and outright alerted big time!... She followed them from afar, to when we pulled up along side of them and then passed by...
With a litter of primarily black puppies (genetic experts step in here, but isn't black a recessive gene?) and this major alert towards all black dogs, I'd make a calculated wager that the litter's father was either also all black in color like Bella... OR that her previous owner also had a black dog that was Bella's packmate... She didn't cry, wine, growl or bark... She just SO interested in those two dogs - unlike any general interest I've ever seen her show any other dogs with the exception of one - we have a VERY senior Chi who just turned 15, is tiny (about 4 pounds), suffering from dementia and is what is referred to by Chi lovers as a 'Black Bandit'... Sorta/kinda reminds you of the Dobie coloring with the beige eyebrow buds and the black mask...
Every morning, Bella waits for Mr. Sweetie to stretch and then hobble on his fragile legs and hips out to the backyard to go potty... She's gentle as she waits for him, and because of his anxiety issues from his past, Mr. Sweetie seldom allows other dogs within a foot or so of him (probable dog-attack in his past)... I watch the two of them - Mr. Sweetie and Bella - do this routine almost every morning, and with Mr. Sweetie's arthritis, Bella has to be patient for him to get up and get moving...
While initially I thought she was just being maternal and sweet, now after watching her alert on those two black dogs and her gentleness with a resident black dog here, there just HAS to be some endearing feelings or memories inside Bella that are connected to that kind of coloring in another dog... Interesting stuff...
Bella also LOVES junk food of any kind!... LOL... She consistently picks out her veggies from her meals and as I cook for my crew, I don't feed them junk food... Give her high premium 'good stuff' versus a greasy burger from a fast food place, and she'll pick the greasy burger every time!
When you combine this preference to her walking right aside of you all the time and her unfamiliarity with a collar and leash, it has crossed my mind that maybe she previously was owned by a homeless person... There is a natural 'walking with me' flow that she does all the time which is SO common between the homeless folks and their dogs... Plus she is super human-friendly - another common (positive) aspect of homeless folks and their dogs... Quiet and not intrusive upon you, but clearly favoring your company, I wouldn't bet the house payment on this, but were I to make a guess, I'd feel pretty confident that this is her background... Hansen Dam is also the home to a lot of homeless folks, so putting this puzzle together, so many pieces fit...
Anyway, we got her test results back already from the vet and her calcium levels are back to where they should be now... HURRAH~!!!... Between switching her diet around, adding in supplemental hand bottle feeding to relieve some of the pressure off of her and calcium meds 5 times a day, we've achieved a great compromise of still having mother nature give the pups the absolute best, but improving Bella's health back to the normal standards... The pups will need to be weaned early at four weeks, but she's given them all such a great start in life already (at the risk to herself), I'm sure she'll be glad to see the weaning starting!
On the way to the vets, we stopped at a local petshop and bought a new collar for her too... I have this odd ritual - I somehow believe a new collar, leash and/or harness replacing the old removes the past and its smells, opening up a new positive journey for a shelter dog... It seems to me they just have an increased energized step to their walk... A "look at me in my new duds" attitude... And for some that have abused pasts, I almost think the smell of that collar keeps those bad memories with them...
In Bella's case, she didn't have a collar in the shelter -- and clearly she was not abused but must have been loved greatly -- so getting a new collar was more of a celebration of a new, upbeat life... She's such a deep, rich black and her coat is so shiny, I picked out a red and silver braided collar to show off her richness in appearance... At the petshop, I sat my purse down on one of those doggie steps and Bella climbed up on the one aside of it, patiently sitting there while I tried on this one and that one until I found one that fit her well and I loved the appearance... I need to take a new photo of her to post in here that shows off her new collar now... And while there, we had our nails trimmed too, so she's all ready for the party now! ::smile::
What a sweetie she is!
