How I got Bella

When we lost Coco to bone cancer, I thought I would never be able to get over it. I was only seven years old at the time, so I didn’t really understand what was happening. But when Coco went to the veterinarian and never came back, I knew she was gone for good. I was heartbroken that day; I felt like I lost a part of me inside.

My mom thought for a long time and finally, with careful thought, decided to bring my brother and I to the pound to adopt two kittens. She thought the house was too quiet without a dog or any animals in it.  I wanted another dog, but I knew that my mom and dad were not ready for another dog so soon. So I put the thought out of my head and enjoyed getting kittens. After both Joey and I picked out our tiny, almost newborn, kittens, I asked my mom if I could go take a quick look at the dogs. My mom said yes, but she reassured me that we were NOT getting a dog. I agreed sorrowfully but still went into the cramped room full of barking dogs.

As I walked in, one dog in particular caught my eye, a rottweiler, the same breed as Coco. I continued to go around the room full of dogs, big and small, but I didn’t forget about that rottweiler. After I finished going around the room, I went back to that first dog, the rottweiler. I instantly fell in love with her and ran up to the cage that she was in. Bella licked my face through the cold metal crate that she had been living in for the past day or two. I was in shock. I never met a friendlier dog in my life! I ran out of the cramped room like I was running to the finish line of a marathon. All I could think about was telling my mom; maybe then she would change her mind about getting a dog.

I begged my mom to come at least have one quick look at Bella, but she refused, so I kept begging her until she finally gave in. When she went to look at Bella, I knew she loved her right away. We asked a worker at the pound if Bella could be adopted yet, but unfortunately, she was just brought in, so we went home, disappointed. I couldn’t sleep that night; I was thinking about how scared Bella must have been, all alone inside that cold metal crate. 

The next day we were back at the pound adopting Bella. I wasn’t surprised that my mom wanted to adopt her. After all, Bella did lick my face the first time she met me, so in some ways it was like a sign. By the time we got Bella into our car, packed up all her things, and payed for her, it was about three o’clock. We wanted to get Bella back to our house so she could smell around and get used to everything because we wanted her to feel safe in her new home.

When my mom thought Bella was used to our house, I started to play with her. I took her out into our backyard and started throwing an average size tennis ball for her. After Bella got tired of playing with the tennis ball, I wanted to teach her tricks. I spent about a whole hour trying to get Bella to roll over; she rolled over once but never again. So I gave up on teaching her to roll over and started petting her. I never knew a dog's fur could be so silky and velvety in my life; Bella’s fur felt like I was stroking a cloud! I continued to pet Bella and her soft fur until it was time to eat dinner. I ate dinner as fast as I could that night because I wanted to play with Bella some more before I went to bed. While I played with Bella, I thought about Coco. I missed her, but I knew that I had to move on and not get upset about it. All I needed to think about now was my new dog, Bella. She was family, and that was it.

Ever since that day, Bella has been part of our family. Bella is now six years old, and she is still healthy and a great dog to everyone! Bella is a HUGE part of my family because almost everyone in my family has grown up with a dog or has a dog now. Bella will continue to be a great part of my family until it’s her time to go too.

-Hannah  Webber