Hella Bella

 I can’t believe we’ve had our puppy Bella for 7 weeks now, and I have yet to post all of the incredible milestones she has achieved. As she recently turned 14 weeks old, there’s quite a bit thats been going on.

Please allow me to share some of our observations and experiences.

Ahem.

* Bella is a monster. At 8 weeks old, she weighed in at 11.5 pounds. At 12 weeks, she weighed in at 23.3 pounds. So, she’s doubled in weight. (I KNOW, man. I KNOW.)

* Bella is a canine garbage disposal. She will eat anything and everything she can fit into her mouth (shoes, blankets, underwear, socks, coats, mittens, stuffed animals, anything PLASTIC, rugs, towels… you get the point) and sometimes try to even eat the things she can’t get into her mouth (such as my coffee table).

* Bella’s stomach and intestines are finicky bitches. While they do not object to the enormous amount of STUFF that she decides to ingest, they decide to revolt and stage a coup when we switch to a different dog food. They protest by having Bella shart and vomit at any given time.

* We have created a spoiled puppy. Bella sleeps in our bed, sprawled out as much as possible, right smack dab in the middle of our king-sized bed.

* Bella’s greatest achievement at the Petco puppy class we’ve enrolled her in was that she became the first dog in her class to whiz on the floor while the trainer was talking. (And my husband would like all of you to know that Petco does NOT have very absorbent paper towels.)

* Bella has got the stinkiest farts I have ever witnessed in my life. Mostly silent, but always deadly. Like wake me up from a dead sleep deadly. Like clear the room deadly.

* Bella has decided that the best place to poop when she goes outside is now in the neighbors landscaping mulch. And the worst part? She KNOWS I get mad at her so she runs as fast as she can to poop in that spot before I can catch her.

* Bella is a complete and total Mama’s girl. Like I can’t leave a room without her following me. I WUV HER.

* Bella has actually been deemed a “very calm lab” by the vet because they don’t have to get three people to hold her down while they give her shots.

* Bella has not figured out she is big enough to jump on the furniture, but she has learned that she is big enough to reach anything sitting close to the edge of the kitchen counter or the kitchen table. Lord help me.

* Bella has learned to stand by the back door when she needs to go outside. However, if you make her wait too long, she retaliates by pooping in your shoe.

* When our Jack Russell Terrier, Izzie, (a SPAYED FEMALE by the way) decides to perform her daily humping ritual,   Bella thankfully has learned to take off running in the other direction.

* Bella has not had any accidents in the house in WEEKS. Unless we count the whole pooping in the shoe thing. That was a few weeks ago.

* Bella has not only learned where the doggie treat jar is kept, but now knows to sit down and wait patiently by the kitchen cupboard until someone is smart enough to get her one. 

* Last but not least, Bella was paying very close attention when we watched the movie “Marley & Me” a couple weeks ago. I may have even seen her with a notebook and pen, taking notes.  (Or she could have possibly been eating them as her afternoon snack.) 

My Bella, Bella Boo, My little Boobala… I love ya.