If she doesn't like a rule; she breaks it with ne're a care of consequences. She gets irritable if she doesn't get her snack - like Brie if she loses track of time before bed and does not have her favorite ice cream or some other delectable dessert. Bella becomes irate if I don't take her for a walk or I leave her home when it rains. This is like Brie if it is raining outside and she can't go to the park. If Bella is mad about something and doesn't get her way, she tortures our cat to get my attention. Poor Suzie has been lying on the floor and Bella has gone over and put the cat's whole head in her mouth or just squished her to the floor with one big foot while the cat flails around helplessly. This is just to piss me off! Brianna will go punch Sean or throw something at him when she's angry. They are two peas in a pod. Scary Mary and Scary Mary Mini. Bella pouts if I change Animal Planet while she's watching one of her favorite programs - "Cat From Hell" or "Dog Whisperer". This is equivalent to changing "Phineas and Ferb" or "Looney Tunes" on Brianna. Bella will sit on the couch, throw her head back and howl at me until I either shut off what I am watching or put the channel back where she wanted it. I kid you not, this dog watches television! Brianna simply hides the remote after putting her channel back on so I cannot change it. If I were more Tech savvy I may be able to fix this issue, but unfortunately, I am not. This results in no one watching TV at all. I do know where the power button is without the remote. When Bella figures out how to hide the remote, I'm really going to be in trouble. She's already buried my phone in the yard.
We have decided that once we become pregnant, the dog can no longer sleep with us. We are not there yet, but working diligently to increase our happy nest. We have to make sure the dog is settled into her new digs before a baby bundle arrives; God Willing...
My husband and I are very good to our animals. However, I treat them like our children. If I get kicked in the stomach while carrying a baby, it is not only going to be quite painful but dangerous for our new little one-to-be so I cannot take the risk at the expense of my dog's feelings. There are some boundaries when it comes to safety. I am not totally delusional about the risks with a 100+ pound pup. I had seen a really cute futon bed at Walmart that I thought would be great for Bella. I decided we could put it at the foot of our bed inside her pen and she would be comfy cozy but not right on the bed. I guess I hadn't considered the dimensions of the dog pen or that of the futon.
We went to look this weekend and my husband says "Really!! Not gonna work". I asked what the problem was and he asked me if I knew what math was. I said, I thought it would fit and he said "That's the problem, you thought. Dammit!!! I want my bed back and I hate it when my husband is right. He is so rude!! I'm so tired of waking up with unexplained bumps and bruises from a dog, but as usual Matthew's common sense supersedes my unrealistic visions. We went to the pet section and he says "Ah, there you go". Of course his unnecessary sarcasm is always at hand when he is right but as usual he was onto something. He found a therapeutic dog bed which is big enough for Bella but not too big for our bedroom. Of course, from a practical standpoint this bed makes perfect sense but for my baby's comfort, it didn't look very cozy. Bella is accustomed to being pampered and loves our bed. It is a California King that is just melt-worthy comfortable; cloud-like. I looked at this dog bed and was very unimpressed. If I were her, I'd go chew up Matthew's boots!!
Well, "What the hell do I know?" We determined we would try it out and give Bella the opportunity to decide if she liked it or not. If it was up to me, it would have remained on the shelf. We brought it home and she started checking it out immediately. It wasn't even out of the packaging and she was trying to lay on it. We took it out of the box and let her get used to it in the kitchen. When we brought it upstairs at bedtime. she jumped on the bed and was looking at me with this sideways head tilt that said "Mom, why are you sleeping there". I think the dog was letting me know it was for me not her. Matthew had already brought her pen upstairs so it was pretty clear she thought one of us was in trouble. This dog shocked the bejeezus out of me. Once she realized it was for her, she went right in and sniffed around then laid down. Bella LOVES HER NEW PAD!!
The first night was a bit sketchy. She whined but there was no growling, jumping around or knocking things over, chewing or howling. She was somewhat perturbed but within about 30 minutes she settled into her new spot.
Since then each night, she comes upstairs, tucks Brianna in with me and then she goes into our room, inspects her bed to make sure there is no cat laying on it, then heads downstairs with me until it is time to sign off for the evening. She goes right to her pen and waits for me to open it, circles her bed a few times and then plops down 'til morning.
I am so impressed by this turn of events and the ease at which she got past sleeping with us, that I have to give credit where credit is due: My husband is a genius. I complain about the dog not knowing she is a dog and now I understand it is my fault. I wasn't treating her much like a dog. I file and polish her toe nails (clear only - daddy would not approve if he came home and she had red toe nails), brush her teeth, Brie and I make necklaces for her that coordinate with her collar, she gets Dunkin Donuts munchkins every morning, and a home-cooked breakfast she eats with me and the kids. She has hamburg with honey and garlic salt mixed into her food each day; I'm not so sure about the benefits of honey for a dog but she just loves it on her toast so I thought she'd like it in her breakfast as a treat. Matthew tells me all of the time he is convinced I am a crazy person masquerading as normal. I don't agree. Why should our children be treated like royalty and our animals not so much. They are our kids too!
My husband treats Bella like a dog and it makes her happy and content. I treat her like one of the kids and she is petulant and stubborn; acting out constantly. She is downright fresh!!! Go figure... One more reason I married him. It is so nice to have someone tell you that you are crazy in such a loving caring compassionate way. Crazy wife - happy life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I did find one problem with her new-found puppy sanctuary. During the day Bella comes and lays at my feet while I write or sits with me while I do housework. She is always by my side. Since she is in her own bed now, I cannot get this dog off of me. She is like crazy glue! It is one thing to have her beside me but if I leave the room she is right on my heels. I actually sat on her today which was not pleasant for either of us. She ended up nipping my butt because she was not pleased and I actually fell off the couch because it hurt. I was trying to sit down on the couch and she beat me to the spot. I pretty much fell over her and as I went to stand up that is when I got the shark bite. OUCH!! She growled her discontent with the situation and I yelled at her for biting me. Brie thought this was friggin' hilarious and proceeded to high-five the dog. Yes, I suppose I am accepting she is a dog...if those teeth are any indication. Good thing Brie doesn't have chompers like that or we'd all be screwed!!! Maybe since Bella is in her own bed now I can start working on getting her off the damn couch. BUT: If today was any indication;
