Why Hello Bella!

Bella came into our rescue a few weeks ago.

Angela had been hanging onto her until I got back from vacation. She made herself at home here pretty quickly. She and Bug played the second day, running around the yard and having a great time. I haven't seen the same activity since. Bug mostly yells at her, even if she's just standing there. If they do start to play a little and Hanzie tries to get involved there ends up being arguments. Hanzie just doesn't know how to play with two dogs at the same time. Barking ensues, he gets protective of Bug and then I'm breaking them up after they've all sworn at each other a few times. I have to keep telling them that I'm the only one that is allowed bad language.

She is a sweet girl, easy to have here, happy, and independent. When she was at Angela's she took a liking to her husband and would jump up on his lap often and have some cuddle time. She likes to play with her toys and to fetch balls. She's great with kids and cats. What more could you ask for in a dog? 

Bella's story: An ad was placed on Craigslist giving her away free. Whenever people see these ads, they send an alert to us. Angela called the woman that owned Bella and had a few different conversations with her. Bella's tear glands do not function properly, therefore, she makes little if any natural tears, depending on which eye we are talking about. Due to the severe dry eye, she has lost some sight. The owner said that they get all gooped up and although she has medication for her, "what's the sense in applying it if they are goopy all the time anyway?" Apparently this woman was also overwhelmed with many other things in her life and it seemed Bella was the last in line for proper care. She was often kept outside on a lead attached to a tree. Bella likes to walk in circles for comfort and we are thinking it's because she is used to tree circling. 

Angela said that it was like Bella's eyes were glued shut from the secretions. She brought her to the ophthalmologist for the right medications and instructions for application. Within a few days her eyes were clearer and then brighter. She is to revisit the ophthalmologist again in two months. Right now she is on a 3x a day eye medication protocol that we are hoping will go down to 2x a day. They still get a bit goo, mostly in the left eye, but it's so minor in comparison. Bella is not thrilled to have her eyes dabbed at 3 times a day, but it is something that must be done and I've gotten it down to a rhythm with her. 

Angela has been in touch with and having conversations with 3 different foster moms that volunteer for the Blind Dog Alliance. We are hoping they will take her because we feel that she will have a better chance for a quicker adoption because they hit a specific market. When people come to us they are looking for a 'no medical issue' dog. If she is taken by them, it opens up a spot for us to take in an adoptable dog that might otherwise be cast aside. We are the only Miniature Schnauzer rescue in New England and currently have only two foster homes, each having limited space. Barbara, our MA foster mom has Harley in her care and he is diabetic. Normally that is not a big issue, but it's been hard in the rescue community to adopt out healthy dogs with the way the economy has been, adopting a special needs dog is even more difficult. Harley has been with us for quite some time and I imagine will continue to be. 

In the meantime, as we wait to hear if the Blind Dog Alliance has space available, Bella will be here with my crew getting spoiled like the rest of them and experiencing camp this coming weekend.