When I first met Bella I was uneasy around her.  She had a very loud and intimidating bark. She had a vicious "attack act" whenever a stranger would knock.  Bella came to us from Jay where she lived near the beach. Jay rescued Bella and raised her for over 4 years... she turned into a very cool and smart dog.  She started spending time at our house in the spring of '13.  A construction project had dragged on and on. Bella spent more time around the house as the work slowly continued.  After the work crew had completed and left Bella stayed with us.

Bella immediately fit into our family.  

Right away she added a sense of protection around the house.  The doorbell has been broken for the last 4 years. I never had the need to have it fixed since bark'n Bella was always the first at the door making things lively.  I often shortened her name to Bell since she replaced our doorbell.  The door is filled with scratches from top to bottom (letting strangers know she was there).

Solid as a rock, beautiful, 

and fierce!

Bella kept the backyard clear of lizards and many pests. The backyard was her romping grounds she'd spend hours back there... chasing squirrels as they hopped above between fences and trees.

She loved summer pool time.  Whether just sun bathing or playing in and around the pool, Bella would always join in.  One summer she ran around the pool so much her foot pads got sores.  

She got so excited by squirrels!

Playing with her favorite dog friend Mochi.

Over the past 4 years we've walked around Blackhorse area over 1800 miles from our daily walks.  Bella was my daily company since I began working from home over 5 years ago.  We'd play "tug-a-war" or "Roof ball" during breaks and weekend afternoons.  She would eagerly whine the entire ride when asked "wanna go to soleado"?

Of course, Bella loved meal time.  Bella sat near whenever Tomoe cooked;  hoping for a specially cooked egg white or chunks of chicken, beef or a bit of sashimi.  Shortly after living with us she was left home alone for about 20 minutes.  In that 20 minutes she knocked a box of Crispy Cream donuts off the counter, devoured all 12 of them, and licked any remains from the wrappings. Bella had learned to listen to commands in both English and Japanese commands.  She was very smart.  

If she did something she shouldn't and she knew it, she would be ashamed of herself when we'd arrive home. She would greet us as usual, but, instead of all the "hoop-la" excitement, she would walk to us with her tail between her legs and head hung low.  Bella was a smart dog though.  She learned and these incidences decreased.

Bella was loved very much!!

Six months ago Bella became ill - couldn't stomach food and quickly lost weight. It's been a roller coaster of a time; Sometimes I thought she was getting better but then she'd get more ill.  She became frail and weak but still brought us much joy, laughter. comfort and love that will continue.

Bella is missed but not forgotten.

Dec 23, 2018