Bella

​Our dear 2018 Alumna Bella has passed away and her mom Melissa told Bella’s story so well:
 
“Bella was my first addition to my home from the SEGSP rescue.  She was a 9-year-old that apparently came from an abusive situation and needed a fresh start.  She was my 2nd GSP but presented a lot of challenges as it was my first time integrating a new alpha dog into my pack.  She was skittish, scared of people and felt the need to make her presence known.  Everyone at the rescue was great and taught me that structure, routine, and discipline are the finest form of love for a rescue...especially the ones that don't understand that humans are good.  
 
Bella went from being scared of all strangers, showing very little personality and having to be the center of attention, to being an incredible dog!  She always had this stoic face as if to say, "bet you'll never guess what I'm thinking!"  She loved her walks, chasing rabbits and our 2 albino squirrels in my neighborhood and our cuddles on the couch.  She also loved secretly hunting for food in my house while I was gone.  She was very possessive of me but in a good way.  I was her person.  She got to go a lot of places in her 5 years with me and she sure loved her car rides hanging her head out the window.  
 
She taught me so much in her time with me.  She taught me that great relationships take time to build and that you never know the situation someone came from.  But most importantly, she taught me to never quit on someone.  My friends were all desperate to win her over and some took longer to do it than others.  But as Bella got comfortable with me and in my home, my tribe pulled back her callused layers one at a time and we all got to see the sweet girl behind that mysterious face.  Seeing Bella confident, enjoying life, relaxed and excited about the small joys is one of my proudest moments as a dog owner. 
 
The ladies at the rescue told me that the hardest ones to break will be the ones that truly break your heart.  Saturday my heart broke.  She was diagnosed with 2 tumors on Friday and Saturday I had to say goodbye.  It all happened so fast I still can't believe it.  Someday I will see that the speed of her illness was a blessing to both of us, but I'm not there yet.  I still look for her when I walk in the door and as I move about my house.  The silence is deafening.  Making her eggs every morning, coming up with our next new weekly adventure and taking pride in the role I got to play in her life every day, was something I will cherish forever.  
 
Bella was complicated but we got each other.  And Livie and Roddy found a way to show Bella that being part of a pack is a good thing.  Roddy especially brought a side out of Bella I could only have hoped was there.  Roddy taught Bella that life is fun and that she didn't have to be so serious all the time.  It was so special to see the bond they formed in the last 2 years.  They were my pack, and I was their leader...now they are in heaven together along with my precious Livie and Britt.”
 
 
“And I'd choose you, in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you.” Kiersten White