Christmas: it’s not the getting. It’s not the giving. It’s the loving.
I wish you a Christmas full of love, joy, and puppy kisses!
I told you I take requests… so, today I present with “Bella the Snowdog.” (Hat tip to Pamela from Something Wagging for the suggestion.)
But first… a bonus video from 2010. (We don’t have snow yet this year, and that’s fine by me!)
When she’s not being a flashlight, I like to think that Bella is dressed in costume as the Cone Ranger. Accordingly, here’s a video of her in “costume” for your Halloween enjoyment (especially since I already shared my favorite Halloween song on Saturday). I’d recommend watching this one with the sound on to get the full benefit of the soundtrack. Poor Cone Ranger – life on Coney Island is full of challenges.
Hi-Yo, Salamander! Away!
Seriously, she was so full of energy last week (when I shot this footage) that her crazy was at an all time high. We’ve managed to institute some “cone breaks” into her schedule, which seems to help. While supervised, she seems to – mostly – be leaving her incision alone. She’s still all coned up at night and when home alone, however. I don’t trust her that much yet.
Hope you have a great Halloween!
It’s time for the big reveal. What will Bella be for Halloween?
To be honest, I don’t have the heart to make Bella wear a Halloween costume when she’s already stuck in a cone. (She’s not a huge fan of being dressed up even when she’s in a good mood.)
However, the new cone appears to have a silver lining… literally. This weekend, we discovered that the cone has some reflective qualities. As a result, photos taken with a flash end up like this:
Poor Coney Island. The insults never stop coming… I even got some of this snazzy flashlight action on video:
What’s your pet’s Halloween costume this year?
UPDATE: I just got a call from the vet – Bella’s lump was benign! Yay!
UPDATE 2: It’s a Halloween Parade Blog Hop from afFURmation!
Bella has a new cone (the Comfy Cone). She seems to prefer this one to the plastic monstrosity she was wearing on Saturday. Her navigation has improved. It also makes drinking easier and appears to make sleeping more comfortable.
On a related note, I think Bella has been deploying her cone to score maximum sympathy points. Last night, those points were awarded in the form of chicken. The cone has really upped her game in the begging department.
Bella would like to register a complaint. She has decided that “Cone of Shame” is not really an accurate name for this torture device. It’s more like a Cone of Extreme Annoyance.
I think I’m currently on her List. She keeps running into things and giving me dirty looks.
So far, she’s doing okay, other than the fact that she’s obviously annoyed. She currently has so many pills that I’m beginning to think she needs one of those pill caddies, however. (Antibiotics and pain meds plus her usual thyroid medicine.)
Looks like I’ll be having a lazy day of watching TV so that I can hang out with her and keep her from overdoing it. Could be worse…
A momentary semi-serious interlude ahead…
Last night, I returned home to find a very unhappy Bella. We had a thunderstorm while I was at work – a fairly loud one. Bella’s storm phobia appears to have skyrocketed to a whole new level lately – I found paw prints on the dining room table, the dining room chairs… and other evidence of absolute and overwhelming fear. My poor girl.
Initially, I was worried that she may have hurt herself, but she seemed okay. While I cleaned up the dining room, she had dinner and seemed relaxed. So although it had been a rough afternoon, things seemed to be returning to normal.
Unfortunately, more storms were on the way. So, I loaded Bella into her Storm Defender Cape, and we headed upstairs to hang out with some music on in hopes of keeping fear at bay. (As an aside, the Storm Defender Cape seems to work sometimes, but I ordered the Thundershirt last night in order to see if it will work better. I need to try something different in light of her escalating fear. I’ll keep you posted.)
Anyway, as I sat upstairs, sipping my second glass of wine on an empty stomach (it was one of those days, capped off by the dining room incident), iTunes decided to play “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders. It seemed like a good song to sing to Bella – I blame the wine for this assessment. (Although I cannot carry a tune in a paper sack, I love to sing.)
As I serenaded my receptive pup with this song, it struck me just how perfectly some of these lyrics described how I was feeling. I know it’s technically a love song, but stick with me here for a second. For example, take the following lyrics:
That’s the kind of unconditional love that our animals deserve. (Honestly, it’s the kind of unconditional love that some people in our lives deserve too, but that’s a discussion for another day.)
When a dog is fearful or reactive, some people get angry at the dog. That’s hard for me to take… for all that we treat them like our children, dogs are not just little people in fur suits. They’re dogs, and it’s our responsibility to try to understand where they are coming from rather than ascribing human reason and emotions to their actions. It’s natural to be upset when your dog messes something up, but it’s essential to put things into perspective. How you react to to something like this is within your control – you can choose how to handle it. Fearful dogs don’t need to be blamed… they need love and a person who will do their best to help them through this difficult time.
Although sometimes she destroys things, messes up the house, or generally makes life difficult, I am fiercely protective of my girl. I’ll do whatever it takes to help her through the rough times. I’ve been fortunate in the past to have people do the same for me, and I hope I’ll be that fortunate again should the need arise.
Deep thoughts about dogs inspired by a 1994 power ballad. That’s just how I roll.
Hmmm… perhaps it would be a direct-to-DVD movie instead? Bella doesn’t have a large ego, so I’m sure she wouldn’t expect her first flick to go straight to the big screen… anyway, you may be wondering what I’m rambling about right now.
Although I got sidetracked thinking about the format, I’m trying to decide what human celeb would play Bella in a movie. Where did that random query come from? The lovely Kahuna K9 (a new blog I discovered today through my blogging pals at Rescued Insanity, Kol’s Notes and Something Wagging This Way Comes) has invited bloggers to answer that question. So, it’s time to cast Bella’s doppleganger…
After much consideration, I’ve decided to give the role to Kristen Schaal. (Loved her in Flight of the Conchords and still love her when she pops up on The Daily Show or anywhere else.) I think her performance as Mel on FOTC was the key to winning this role… there’s something about her slightly goofy, happy nature with an edge that just says Bella to me. Do you agree?
Any thoughts on who should be Kristen’s understudy? (Bella’s movie just morphed into a play, I guess.)
I have a special treat for you today. We’re going to visit the lair of a mysterious animal known as the Cave Dog. Not too close… we don’t want to spook the magnificent creature. However, if we move slowly, we may be able to catch a glimpse of this cozy canine.
The Cave Dog’s origins are a mystery. Rumor has it that the Cave Dog will hide under anything. At night, the Cave Dog usually falls asleep in its chosen den… after a few hours, one can hear the Cave Dog shuffling out of the cave. This nightly migration from cave to dog bed is a phenomenon that pupologists cannot explain. Only the Cave Dog knows the reasons behind this puzzling pattern.
If you know where to look, you may be able to find a Cave Dog under a sofa, table, or bed. Although the Cave Dog gravitates to these locations, the beast is not stealthy. The observant naturalist can usually spot an errant foot or tail, which will give away the creature’s location. On occasion, the Cave Dog will even leave its head exposed.
Alas, the Cave Dog’s habitat is under attack. When a new bed replaced the old, the Cave Dog could no longer fit underneath it. Although the Cave Dog has managed to squeeze underneath the new landmark in a fit of thunderstorm-induced panic, the habitat is no longer ideal. (Humans are so inconsiderate.) Fortunately, our team of Cave Dog conservationists has constructed a new habitat for the reclusive pooch. By draping an afghan over a conveniently located bench at the foot of the bed, we have created a new den of privacy. The Cave Dog has adjusted well to the new habitat and appears to be quite content.
Now, you’re in for a real treat… we’ve managed to get a photo inside the Cave Dog’s lair!
Believe it or not, the Cave Dog was fairly hospitable and gave us a slurp before we departed. Nature never fails to surprise.
