Bella the bull boxer

Bella learns to 'finish' like a dog-show dog

2009-03-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Check out Dave's blog post about our dog. She is a pit bull. At least she's part pit bull. I think. Though the vet described her as a boxer mix on her license application.

And we shot some more video today, posted above. Apparently today is Albert Einstein's birthday, so it seems appropriate that Bella demonstrate that she is also a genius.

Bella knows a trick or two

2008-11-22T14:24:00.001-08:00

Check out the tricks this pretty good dog can do:

Cat likes to sidle up to Bella at mealtime

2008-10-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

Bella has no territorial issues when it comes to her food dish. Nick the cat makes it a habit to drink from Bella's water dish while Bella's eating dinner. Not a problem.

Bella's enjoying her obedience class at PetSmart. Denna, her instructor, is wonderful. Bella likes visiting with the other dogs in class, and now will take treats from anyone in the store who makes her an offer.

Bella takes a breather at Woofstock

2008-10-04T11:13:00.001-07:00

Today we took Bella to Woofstock, Wichita's annual dog party fundraiser at Sedgwick County Park. She had a fine time. Sniffed lots of dogs, accepted pats and treats from lots of strangers, let me tie a swag bandana around her neck and even indulged us by creating a purple paw print souvenir to display on our fridge. All for the good of the Kansas Humane Society. We stayed for a couple hours and she got worn out. At one point, she insisted on a rest under this table where the Humane Society was selling calendars.

Bella enjoys a dinnertime playdate with Zeus

2008-08-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Our friends Gretchen and Mike came to dinner tonight and I asked if they would bring their German Shepherd Zeus with them. This was the first time Bella had a friend over to play. Bella was delighted to have company. She barked a few times in her usual belligerent fashion at Gretchen and Mike, but she adored Zeus from the moment he arrived.

Today on our walk, whenever Bella tugged at the leash toward another dog, I just asked whoever was walking by, "Is it OK if she says hi?" People were very gracious, and Bella got to sniff at other dogs and wag her tail, so our walk was more peaceful than usual. She really likes other dogs. Now if I could just get her to stop barking at my dinner guests.

Dog days of summer are upon us

2008-07-22T10:34:00.001-07:00

I came home from work at lunchtime today to walk Bella, but at 100 degrees, it is just too hot outside for her. We walked one block, then when we hit a shady patch, she lay down in the grass and refused to budge. 'Til I said, "Wanna go home?" Then she bounded to her feet and turned around, intent on reaching air-conditioned comfort as soon as possible.

Poor girl. Dave left on a road trip this morning and she will miss him. They are best friends. This morning, when he got up uncharacteristically early to pack, she became kind of agitated watching him. Even went upstairs to hide under the bed at one point. While he's gone, she'll have to spend more time in the crate than usual, and more time at doggy daycare, and more time with me. We will get along fine, but I know that when Dave gets home she will all but explode with joy at seeing him again.

New bedding for Bella

2008-07-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

Bella keeps chewing on the nice fleece mats we buy to line her crate. So today I made a canvas cover for it. I'm sure she'll chew this up too, but I can replace it for just a few bucks, or patch it up. So far she seems to like it.

Bella's shy, but not with everyone

2008-07-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

Today I took Bella and a sack of her favorite toys to College Hill Animal Hospital, where she's going to be boarded for a few days. This is the clinic where she spent much of her puppyhood, while the vets there nurtured her back to health after she and her brother and sister had been abandoned and left to starve. We adopted her from these folks. Bella is kind of a shy girl with strangers, but the minute she walked into the clinic today, she made it clear that everyone there is her friend. Her tail was wagging like mad. She was right at home. The staff there seems to love her too. So I can relax while we're gone on vacation, knowing she's being spoiled by people she loves while we're away.

Long walk calls for frequent pit stops in cool grass

2008-06-22T11:08:00.001-07:00

We took Bella for a long walk today at Sedgwick County Park. It was a nice day, kind of warm. She was friendly with a boxer puppy we saw on the trail, and with another mutt as well. She was a good girl, but she keeps her own pace; every time we hit a shady spot, she collapsed in the grass and stretched out to cool off. She must have done this about 10 times on our hour-long walk.

My brother Bud and his family were here to visit this week. Bella was a little nervous about the houseguests-- she barked every time my brother looked her way. But after a couple days, she was willing to take treats from my nephew, Ethan, and he led on her leash nicely. I wish they could have stayed longer-- I think Bella eventually would have relaxed and treated everybody like family.

Yesterday we went to a party and instead of crating her, we let her hang out in the backyard while we were gone. Neighbors didn't leave us any frantic "shut your dog up!" phone messages, so we're going to assume she quietly sacked out under her favorite bushes until we got home.

Sleepover at kennel wore Bella out

2008-06-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

We went to the Symphony in the Flint Hills concert yesterday about 100 miles away from home. Pets weren't allowed at the event, though I would have loved to have let Bella run loose in the grasslands near Council Grove. Instead, we booked her an overnight stay at Chisholm Creek Pet Resort. They had about 100 dogs staying at the kennel, all of them barking like mad when I went to pick Bella up today. She's happy to be home, I think. And worn out.

She finished her obedience training last week. She did great, but didn't pass her final, unfortunately. She was too frolicksome when I was walking her on her lead, and wouldn't sit still to let the instructor pet her-- she wanted to jump up and say hi. She loved the instructors though, and learned a lot-- sit, stay, lie down, do what we say at least some of the time. We may sign her up for a refresher course when she gets a little older.

Here's a link to an interesting, pro-pit terrier Web site I discovered today: http://badrap-blog.blogspot.com/.

On the road with barkin' Bella

2008-05-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

We took Bella on her first road trip this weekend. I was able to redeem a handful of reward points for a free stay at the Travelodge in Dodge City, Kan., so we headed west to see new territory, through Pratt, Greensburg and all other points of interest along Hwy. 54. Bella was a terrific travel companion. She was fine in the car, loved stopping for a stroll through Pratt's lovely Sixth Street Park, and was fine staying parked in the shade with the windows open while Dave and I enjoyed a dandy (and quite inexpensive) steak dinner at the Central Station Club and Grill in Dodge City. She was rewarded with a few bites of my leftover filet mignon.

As we strolled around on our travels, she was pleasant to all strangers, even the prairie dogs yipping at us in their well-populated town along a lovely walking trail at the Dodge City Community College. The only time she barked was in the middle of the night, when we were awakened by fellow travelers laughing, cavorting and slamming doors outside our room some time after 2 a.m. She let out a couple loud barks and some growling then on our behalf, voicing our own sentiments exactly, ready to protect us should the revelers want to break into our oh-so-posh room.

This morning we toured the Gray County Wind Farm on our way to breakfast at the quite excellent Pancake House in Liberal. Now we're back in Wichita, and Bella is settled into her old routine, sneaking bites of the cats' food and chewing up the pad in her crate. There's no place like home.

Obedience class is paying off so far

2008-05-16T04:49:00.001-07:00

Bella has surprised us in her training class so far. She does not desperately tug on her leash to play with the other dogs, and she actually does what she's told more than half the time. She loves the teacher and volunteers At Wichita Dog Training Club. She happily takes the treats they offer, licks their hands, wags her tail, lets them pet her face and refrains from her usual, "You're a stranger, back away from me NOW," bark bark barking. And she's learning to sit, stay, down, and walk nicely on her lead.

Dave's brother Mike is visiting us this week and so far she barks at him a lot. She needs to learn a little hospitality. Our neighbor Scott is working to win her over, offering her treats through the fence, and she is starting to warm to him a little, though grudgingly.

With us, she is just an affectionate baby. And she's getting better on her walks too. For our class, we bought a prong collar, which looks like a medieval torture device, but she does not seem to mind it at all, and it helps us train her not to lunge when she sees other dogs. Most often when we let her approach another dog to say hi, she's all kisses and tail-wagging, but her friendliness can be a little overwhelming. (So we're surprised at how she pretty much ignores the other dogs when we're at obedience class.)

Let's see if she's smiling next week

2008-04-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

We've signed up Bella, and ourselves, for several weeks of training. Last night was the orientation session -- we were told to leave the dog at home.

To show what could be done with intelligent training and a consistent approach, the instructor put a miniature pinscher through his paces, commanding him to sit, lie down, jump and stay for a long time. Most impressive. Those of us with less cooperative dogs watched with equal parts awe and skepticism. Personally, it's hard to imagine the gregarious Bella sitting placidly in a room with only one dog present, much less the 8 or 9 that will be there next week. I'll try and keep an open mind.

One thing though: I began to realize that Bella is comparatively mellow. Each person there had to introduce themselves and describe the behavior they were interested in modifying. Their stories ran the gamut from outrageous to completely beyond the pale. These are not dogs; they're hardened criminals. Now, not only am I worried about Bella falling in with a bad crowd, I'm also a little concerned for my personal safety.

But such is the life of a pet owner: Pouring out food, picking up poop and wondering if somebody else's dog will decide to rip your throat out. The rewards more than make up for it. Or so I'm told.

Pondering the mysteries of the universe

2008-04-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

Bella is one stoic pup. Doesn't she look like the smartest dog on the planet?

Tough girls in the neighborhood

2008-04-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

We've started to get Bella out walking with her pal Izzy whenever we can. Izzy is my friend Missy's Weimeraner mix. Izzy doesn't hesitate to let Bella know who's boss, and this has been good for Bella. Once we get to strolling, the two dogs get along pretty peacefully.

We hike though the neighborhood and hook up with another dog friend, Chloe, who belongs to Missy's sister Barb. Chloe is inspirationally sweet. Little Miss Congeniality. Bella's behavior on leash is improving, maybe because of this pack-like activity. And she seems to be getting over her shyness about people we see when we're out walking. She especially loves Barb, who supplies the treats on our walks.

The dogs love to roughhouse off-leash in Barb's backyard when we're done cruising the neighborhood.

Bella's mad dash for freedom

2008-04-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

We hardly ever let Bella off the leash when we leave the house. Yes, we think she's lovable and wouldn't hurt a flea, but you don't want to risk anything. The other day we had the park mostly to ourselves, so we stood about 50 feet apart and had her run back and forth between us off the leash. It's fun to watch her tearing along at top speed, and it has to be good exercise. Unfortunately, a man and a little girl were handling a kite at the other side of the park, so on her third dash, she abruptly veered off and made straight for them -- ignoring my terse commands and, finally, my dire threats.

The good news: She stopped well away from them and contented herself with barking a couple of times. But it made me realize she has a ways to go before we consider her 100 percent reliable. We'll probably settle for 75 percent -- no dog can be completely predictable -- but she's going to be seeing a lot of that leash in the months to come.

Dogs are basically slobs. Sorry.

2008-04-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, having a dog does change your life, but rarely in the heartwarming ways you read about in bestselling books. One day you realize that every item of apparel you own has fragments of Milk Bone dog biscuit in the pockets. Every single pair of sneakers has a dollop of petrified dog crap lodged so deeply into the sole that it an industrial laser couldn't remove it. Every bit of exposed carpet shows some trace of yard debris. Every household item and computer peripheral sports multiple tooth marks. This is the reality of dog ownership. No doubt Bella will teach me many life-changing lessons and make me a millionaire, just as Marley did for John Grogan, but for now the biggest lesson is this: If you like things tidy, don't get a dog.

Not convinced? The picture above shows Bella after a recent roll in our wasteland of a backyard. That's the bad news. The good news is that the color of dry grass coincides roughly with the color of our carpet.

They say the best thing about dogs is that they love you without reservation. Maybe. I could be projecting, but Bella's doleful expression seems less about unconditional affection than profound disappointment. Couldn't I learn to do tricks or something? Lately I've been affecting a hearty bonhomie in all my dealings with her, but I don't think she's convinced.

Walks can be pretty exhausting

2008-03-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

The key to a calm, happy dog: discipline and exercise. Bella gets at least one good long walk a day. On weekends, we take her out more often. We like to take her to a nearby park where Dave and I stand far apart and take turns calling her to run to each of us. She races to get to us. This game wears her right out.

Her one bad habit is lunging and barking when she's on the leash if she sees another dog. She barks, but doesn't seem angry. I think she's frustrated because she wants to make friends and PLAY. She used to bark in alarm when we'd walk past joggers or any other people, or if someone stopped us to ask directions (or to ask, "what kind of dog is that?) but she seems to be over that tendency now. She's much calmer on the leash when we see other pedestrians. We start training classes in a few week and I'm hoping we can teach her to be calm and just keep quietly walking when we encounter other dogs on our walks. She's pretty powerful, so I really need her to do what I tell her to do when she's on her leash.

This photo shows her taking it easy after her walk today.

Bella the pup

2008-03-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of Bella just after we brought her home.

The dog who was meant for us

2008-03-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

We adopted Bella in November. I had taken my cats to the vet for their annual checkup and mentioned to the doctor that we were thinking about getting a dog. I asked if he had breeds to suggest. I said we wanted a dog that wasn't too big, didn't shed too much, wasn't hyper. He called down the hallway from the examination room, "Can you get Faith for me?" I assumed Faith was a clinic employee who knew a lot about dogs. Actually, Faith was a 12-week-old pup who was about the prettiest thing I'd ever seen.

We couldn't really guess about what kind of dog she was. Part boxer for sure. After we brought her home, Dave speculated that she might be part pitbull, given the circumstances of her rescue. Faith had been discovered in a vacant apartment with her brother and sister, all starving to death. They were brought to the vet's office in a plastic dish tub. Little brother died, despite heroic efforts to save him, but Faith and her sister, Hope, survived and thrived under excellent care at the clinic. Hope was adopted a few days before we found Faith. She is now "Molly," and we rechristened Faith "Bella."

We are frequently asked if Bella is part pitbull, and our vet has told us that she probably is. We take her to doggy daycare a couple times a week, and when we went to pick her up after her first day there, the workers there said she sure looked like a pitbull to them, and that they don't usually accept pitbulls or pitbull mixes. However, they were willing to have her there since she had been so sweet and playful her first day. She's been sweet and playful every day she's been there since.

We're working hard to socialize her with other dogs and people. She plays at daycare twice a week. She loves it. Her tail gets to wagging so hard when I drop her off you'd think it could fly right off.

Bella is six months old. We are delighted with this dog. She is smart, devoted and personable, not to mention pretty. Not the image I've always harbored of pitbulls, I gotta say. We never would have predicted we would ever own a pitbull or a pitbull mix. But she's the pup who was meant for us.