My little old lady, Bella...
Bella is my dog. She getting fussed over a lot lately because her brother went missing 3 weeks ago. Not a trace of him. No phone calls, no Odie at the shelters, no body lying on the side of the road. Nothing. As morbid as it sounds, if he was no longer of this earth, I would rather find his body. It would be closure. At this stage I'm going through every possibility that exists. From "he's been taken in by a loving family who are not online and don't go out much and don't know to report him to a shelter..." Well, you never know... to "somebody thought he's a pitbull puppy and taken him for a sinister reason" to "dog fighting bait" and even "maybe he's running around a taxi rank eating pap en vleis and getting fat". Fact is... he could be anywhere - dead or alive.
Bella and Odie have been with me since I moved into my house more than 9 years ago. They were 5 week old brother and sister pitbull/ sharpei cross. They looked very much like Sharpei puppie. I didn't know about the pitbull part - only the sharpei. It was only when they (well, Odie more) started looking like pitbulls that I realized. They've been the most adorable, sweet-natured, loyal dogs. At the age of 9 years old, people often ask what type of puppies they are and are shocked to hear how old they are. Bella acts like a little old lady sometimes, but Odie just never got the memo about getting old - always a puppy.... I have had criticism about their weight many times. Even from a lady on a lost pet forum who told me it was a disgrace to see what terrible condition he is in. I certainly told her her fortune and she apologized. I mean, really... Would I be looking for my old dog who I didn't care about if I didn't give a damn about him? It sickens me that people dump or surrender their sick or old dogs. A pet is for life, not a "nice to have" when it suits you.
I must say, Bella has picked up weight. Odie was always the Alpha Male and would often try keep her away from her food. We would often have to stand and watch them eat just so she could eat something. But she's far from fat. The vet told me they never will get fat. It's just not in their genes. In fact, one vet went as far as saying he wished all owners looked after their dogs like I do. They're healthy, their fur is shiny and their teeth and gums in excellent condition!
It's terrible not knowing what happened. Did he slip out the gate when the tenant came home (she was barking when he drove in because I looked out the window)? Did he somehow get into a neighbour's property and die and they were too worried to tell us and buried him? Did someone get into our garden and take him? I'm not sure we'll ever know.
I always thought Bella would be the first to go, and reminded myself I need to prepare myself that it could happen in the near future as they're not so young anymore...
I never expected one my dogs to go missing. And I certainly expected to find Odie in the days that followed his disappearance.
Bella has also always been the dog to get into "situations"...
As a puppy she got stuck between my kitchen window and burglar bars and was wedged in so tight I was convinced I'd have to cut her out.
She has been stuck between my kitchen door and security gate many times. She's a terribly nervous dogs and wind, rain, storms and fireworks cause her to freak out.
She's managed to get out the property during a thunderstorm while we were not at home.
One new years eve I got a call she was running around the neighbourhood. She had got out and was running around scared. I locked her in the garage that night and went back to my sister's. After that vowed to never go out for new years again as when I got back later she had tried to dig out and her legs and paws and nose were raw and bleeding.
We went to drop off rubbish at the dump one day. Gone for an hour at the most. Got back to a bleeding dog. Took her off to the vet (public holiday) and they discovered she had nearly impaled herself - something (to this day we don't know what) had stuck through her neck, into her mouth and out her cheek. Hefty vet bill...
She liked to instigate fights with her brother, generally coming off second best...
The last (or rather, most recent) of her shenanigans ...
Bella and Odie have been with me since I moved into my house more than 9 years ago. They were 5 week old brother and sister pitbull/ sharpei cross. They looked very much like Sharpei puppie. I didn't know about the pitbull part - only the sharpei. It was only when they (well, Odie more) started looking like pitbulls that I realized. They've been the most adorable, sweet-natured, loyal dogs. At the age of 9 years old, people often ask what type of puppies they are and are shocked to hear how old they are. Bella acts like a little old lady sometimes, but Odie just never got the memo about getting old - always a puppy.... I have had criticism about their weight many times. Even from a lady on a lost pet forum who told me it was a disgrace to see what terrible condition he is in. I certainly told her her fortune and she apologized. I mean, really... Would I be looking for my old dog who I didn't care about if I didn't give a damn about him? It sickens me that people dump or surrender their sick or old dogs. A pet is for life, not a "nice to have" when it suits you.
I must say, Bella has picked up weight. Odie was always the Alpha Male and would often try keep her away from her food. We would often have to stand and watch them eat just so she could eat something. But she's far from fat. The vet told me they never will get fat. It's just not in their genes. In fact, one vet went as far as saying he wished all owners looked after their dogs like I do. They're healthy, their fur is shiny and their teeth and gums in excellent condition!
It's terrible not knowing what happened. Did he slip out the gate when the tenant came home (she was barking when he drove in because I looked out the window)? Did he somehow get into a neighbour's property and die and they were too worried to tell us and buried him? Did someone get into our garden and take him? I'm not sure we'll ever know.
I always thought Bella would be the first to go, and reminded myself I need to prepare myself that it could happen in the near future as they're not so young anymore...
I never expected one my dogs to go missing. And I certainly expected to find Odie in the days that followed his disappearance.
Bella has also always been the dog to get into "situations"...
As a puppy she got stuck between my kitchen window and burglar bars and was wedged in so tight I was convinced I'd have to cut her out.
She has been stuck between my kitchen door and security gate many times. She's a terribly nervous dogs and wind, rain, storms and fireworks cause her to freak out.
She's managed to get out the property during a thunderstorm while we were not at home.
One new years eve I got a call she was running around the neighbourhood. She had got out and was running around scared. I locked her in the garage that night and went back to my sister's. After that vowed to never go out for new years again as when I got back later she had tried to dig out and her legs and paws and nose were raw and bleeding.
We went to drop off rubbish at the dump one day. Gone for an hour at the most. Got back to a bleeding dog. Took her off to the vet (public holiday) and they discovered she had nearly impaled herself - something (to this day we don't know what) had stuck through her neck, into her mouth and out her cheek. Hefty vet bill...
She liked to instigate fights with her brother, generally coming off second best...
The last (or rather, most recent) of her shenanigans ...
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