Isabella

 

It's time to talk about Gina and Schyler again!  They have a home and a furry household that keeps getting bigger and bigger. 

 
Previously we've shared their beautiful pooches Moo Latte and Dakota. Today's story, however, is all about Isabella. 

You know by now I'm a believer in Doggie Destiny.  Bella was destined to be with Gina, and moreover, she had a very important role to play in Gina's life. Bella brought Gina back to dogs.

Gina had been without a canine companion for 10 years after she lost Mr. Mojo. One day about 4 years ago, Gina's now ex-boyfriend told her he had a surprise for her. 

This did not appeal to her in any way, as she could sense the relationship was soon to end and wanted no part of any surprise, especially one from him. However she agreed/relented and the next thing she knew they were pulling into the parking lot at the Salt Lake City Humane Society. 

Gina immediately dug in her heels, knowing the last thing their doomed relationship needed was another soul to be involved. However her boyfriend was as obstinate as she was, and she knew he wouldn't give up until she at least went in and looked around.  She was determined to leave there without a dog, and she did, but it wasn't because of her reluctance. 

You see, Gina saw Bella right away. And Bella saw Gina too. Bella was in a big viewing room with a glass wall. 

As Gina surveyed all the hopeful faces in the kennels and that room, she walked up to the window. Bella jumped out from under a bench and ran up to the window. Readers, you see Bella's face. 

You see Bella's eyes. Gina was probably a goner immediately. 

Gina decided to be a tough cookie and walk away. When she walked back a bit later the same thing happened. 

Bella seemed to recognize her and ran to the window. Telling herself it was a coincidence, she decided to hang back and watch how Bella interacted with everyone else. Guess what?  It wasn't a coincidence. Bella had set her sights on Gina.

As you well know, sometimes our destinies, doggie or otherwise, are fraught with obstacles. That was the case with Bella and Gina. As Gina caved and took Bella out to the yard to walk her and get to know her, she was so deeply drawn to her. After 45 minutes she knew Bella was meant to be hers. She and the boyfriend went back in, only to find out another family had just adopted Bella. NOOOOOO.

 Gina was prepared to throw down and trade fisticuffs with any potential adopters until she saw the people had a little girl who threw her arms around Bella and said "My puppy!"   Uh..... so much for challenging them to a fight. BOL. (Bark out loud!)

Gina left extremely disappointed, and she and her boyfriend drove around to a few other shelters, which is how she wound up with Dakota. So obviously the day ended happily, even if Gina's relationship did not.

However, there is still the question of how she wound up with Bella. 

Well, about a week after they met Bella, Gina's boyfriend got a phone call that the family had returned Bella because she was "too hyper and too big."

  Gina says that in that one week Bella had a big gash on her forehead and lost a lot of weight. 

We all hate to think about Bella with the wrong family, but as Gina says, maybe Bella was acting up just so they would return her, and then she could fulfill her Doggie Destiny with Gina!

Gina went and picked up Bella right away, who immediately bonded with Dakota. 

 The two just celebrated their four year Adopt-aversary. They had a party with yummy looking cupcakes!

Bella is Gina's love. She is a big baby who is afraid of the dark and yet she is the mother figure who looks out for everyone in the pack, human and furry.

She sleeps with Gina when Gina is suffering with her terrible migraines and goes to work with Gina, checking in on her at the receptionist desk all day. 

Bella loves car rides, walks, treats, breakfast. . . all that good stuff!

Bella most certainly knew what she was doing when she saw Gina that day. She knew she had a job to do and she took it very seriously. Thanks to Bella, Gina and Schyler have a house full of rescues. Just look at Schyler's senior picture!

 I can tell this young lady is destined for great things! Anyone who has their senior picture taken with their dog is clearly a special and amazing person (ahem ahem).

Be kind people. This picture was taken many lifetimes ago. Yes, that's a flowered fleece sweatshirt. Try not to focus on that. Look at my cute Snickelfritz! Can't wait to see her again someday.

Many thanks to Gina and Schyler (and her brother Derick too) for sharing their pictures and stories, and significantly their home! Oh, and spoiler alert: their stories aren't even done yet. . . there's another dog who just joined the family. Oh boy. 

Do you have a rescue story to share? You can submit it to me at pabibliophile@gmail.com. It doesn't have to be too exciting or eventful. It just has to be about you giving a dog (or any other animal) a home when it really needed one. Keep those happy stories coming!

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Sleeping (Grab) Bag

I took the above picture on a summer day when Wiley was just not interested in getting out of bed.  As you might be able to infer from the alarm clock in the top right corner, his back legs are on our pillows. I think he looks like an orangutan in this picture, because his front legs look freakishly long from this angle.  And yes, he does have them resting on a pile of blankets, extending straight out into the air.  There are cuter pictures than this one of sleeping pets, but this is one of my favorites anyway.  Wiley seems so relaxed and comfortable and at peace. Readers, I know some of you know exactly what I mean when I say he was a scared shell of a dog when we brought him home.  This pose, this moment captured in time, reminds me that we have brought him as much happiness as he has brought us.   

 

Now a humorous segue.

Okay, onto the rest! With winter limping along to a close, I guess I'm celebrating the concept of hibernation with all these sleeping posts. Nonetheless, I spend a lot of time on the internet looking at images of animals. Seriously. Way too much time for a grown woman.    Today I can at least justify that time spent by sharing some of my personal favorites about sleeping. They all produce reactions, whether I'm laughing or "squeeing" as it's called these days.  The pictures are hyperlinked to their sources if you want to track them down.

I just . . . can't. . . even. . . 

These dogs are brilliant.

This is how I feel every day when I get home from work.

 When I first looked at this I thought "Is this a Husky or is it a Malamute?"  Then I thought "Who cares?  It's flippin' adorable!"

I am terrified of visiting Australia. Between the poisonous insects and serpents, the "dust-wave," the exposure to sun (I am so white I refract sunshine), and the chances of running into Russell Crowe, I'm totally okay with the idea of never going there. But if I could just see this one time, in person, I would go.

And now,  I treat you to one solid minute of warm fuzzy feelings via this pug puppy who cannot stay awake. Click on the pic.

Okay, that should bring you enough smiles to get through the rest of your Thursday.  Don't forget you can still submit your sleeping pet pictures for next week. Check out what everyone else has submitted so far on yesterday's post.  As always, we welcome your own rescue stories.

What did you miss? 1/6-1/11

This week we started with a few cute kitties, because we are all about rescue, period. On Monday we introduced Leroy, a pedigreed dog with a mind of his own. We heard about Cujoe and Gracie, two puff-balls of love, and then we saw the lengths Wiley will go to to distract me from my hard work here. Thursday was Schultz's day, and we thank Hannah for sharing this guy with us. Finally, we heard about the boxer puppy named Sergeant Roscoe, who is making a difficult job a little easier for some Kansas officers. 

Now, prepare to see a video that will make you wonder how animals can be so compassionate while humans continue to shirk their duties of responsibility to each other.  Both of these dogs are rescues.  Click on the picture to see the reason why dogs are better than a lot of people.

Do you have any pictures or videos of your pet stepping up?  Share them here, even if they are not rescue pets, and I can share them with our readers.

Sergeant Roscoe

 Today is Friday, so let's just keep it light. This is Sergeant Roscoe!  This brindle Boxer puppy was adopted by the Parsons Police Department in Parsons, Kansas when the officers felt they needed a little something extra around the station. 

Click here to watch a video about Roscoe.

 Initially they thought Sergeant Roscoe would be mostly a mascot, but then they began to notice a change in the moods and temperament of not only the officers but also the people brought into custody.  Agitated people would calm down and inconsolable children would relax.

           

 Roscoe isn't officially a certified therapy dog, but many officers at the station think he is a natural. Moreover, the police have not only noticed a reduction in stress, but also in blood pressure! Now, if only we could get a reduction in crime.

How do your animals impact your health?  I'm not asking that statement generically or rhetorically.  I mean how do your own pets impact your health? Some of you know exactly how they've helped, and some of you may have never thought about it.  However, facts are facts. Pet owners are healthier, and over the next few weeks on the blog we will explore why that is. Give your own situation some consideration and if you feel your pet has improved your health tell us why.

Sources:
Holliday, Liz.  "Dog Helps Ease Tension at Parsons Police Department." KOAMTV. 19 Dec. 2012.      web. 10 Jan. 2013
Penate, Jennifer. "Parsons Police Department Newest Sergeant." Fourstateshomepage. 21 Dec. 2012.  web. 10 Jan. 2013