Bella, a gorgeous, sweet-natured cattle dog, joined us in February 2022 at age 15. Her person had suffered a series of pandemic and post-pandemic traumas, including covid, which hit her hard in the early months before vaccinations; meningitis that hospitalized her; loss of her job during the pandemic shutdowns; and a T-bone crash into her vehicle that totaled her car. She was floundering and had no family to step in to help. Feeling overwhelmed, she just needed to know that the dog she loved would be safe, and reached out to us.
Bella is a curious, watchful, confident girl (without, it appears, the edge that can sometimes accompany her breed, though she is protective of her space) who enjoys lying about in the sunshine on the front deck. She’s an independent girl who doesn’t spread affection casually, but when she loves she loves deeply.
She likes to be the first at the gate to greet visitors and runs the fenceline, barking, when they depart. These are evidently tasks that she considers her jobs, and it’s important to her to be able to do those jobs well.