Farewell Beautiful Bella, Aug 17/05-July 23/16

We drove 3 hours in a snowstorm to adopt Bella from a schnauzer breeder who had intended to keep her but found her to be a little too big to be show quality.  As she slid towards us on her tummy, it was obvious that Bella was a gentle soul.

We adopted Bella the year I became a mother.  The intention was for her to grow up with Lily, the daughter we had adopted from China in 2005.  She accepted her mission as Lily's animal guardian from the start, barking for attention when Lil got into mischief, and later trying to pull her from the pool whenever Lily was water bound.  Bella was a faithful companion to all of us, calmly overseeing the chaos that occurs around here on a regular basis.

Bella was the first dog that I walked every day.  It was without a doubt her favourite activity, and when I awoke each morning she would be standing outside my door as if to say "Is it time yet?"
She could be trusted off leash or with the kids holding her leash, which is unusual for a schnauzer. Once Sophie joined the pack, Bella once again became the protector, squealing loudly on our walks if another dog and suspicious person approached us.

Bella had a love hate relationship with Sophie who tried to assert dominance from the time she walked into our house.  She would tolerate quite a lot of talk back from Sophie but when she had her fill, Sophie knew it was time to fall in line.

Bella had a half sister Dixie, who came to stay with us one week years ago.  Dixie was terrified of hardwood floors and would skid around like she was on ice.  Within a few days, Bella got the memo and decided she also was unable to walk without skidding on our house floors,  which are entirely covered with hardwood.  This of course included the stairs where she would sit, ponder and complain for several minutes before charging up or down them.

As is standard for the breed, Bella was also a champion ratter.  If there was a rat in the yard, it was sent to meet its maker within seconds of Bella spotting it.  Only once did she make the mistake of approaching a skunk, and she flew back through the entire house before we realized what had happened.  It was a long time and a lot of lysol spray before any of us could forget that incident!

Bella could look and sound ferocious to strangers approaching the house, but the minute they were let in, they were familiar and the standard excited yelps and jumping were provided to welcome anyone to our home.  When we left the house in the morning for work and school, the "lonely dog howl" could be heard, reminding us that we were abandoning her, and to not forget to come home.

For the last few weeks of Bella's life, she seemed to be slowing down.  We had record temperatures and we were all feeling a little sluggish, so we didn't think much of it.  Tony and I had a retirement dinner to attend out of town and we found a lovely sitter to stay with the kids and pups.  24 hours.  All was well when we left.

Upon our return, Bella and Sophie greeted us with exuberance, and a few seconds later our beautiful Bella fell and had a seizure.  Over the course of the next two hours, she suffered heart failure and died.  Having never lost an animal companion suddenly, I was completely distraught, feeling badly that if we hadn't gone away, I might have seen the signs.  Lily was unconsolable having lost her first pet and loyal friend.

On the way home from the vet hospital on the night she died, "Stairway to Heaven" came on the radio and played twice without any commentary or explanation.  While our hearts were broken, we were a little hopeful that our Bella (best ever lovely little animal) was sending us a message that she finally made it up the stairs and found herself in a place worthy of her gentle spirit.

Happy Tails sweet girl.  We love you and will miss you forever.