Bella

I remember the day we found Bella at a Pet Smart. Hunter and I were getting food for our standard poodle and there, in the center of the store, was an area set up with puppies awaiting adoption. I didn't hesitate to ask if we could hold the tiny one, all chestnut brown except for the black on the tip of her tail. Her mama was there and made an impression on me since she was able to jump two feet off the ground effortlessly. Apparently, this is a trait of Italian Greyhounds.

As Hunter sat with this puppy in his lap we plotted. He was nine and had already planted the seeds for this a few months before. During our annual Christmas gathering at Aunt Jackie's house, Hunter's cousin brought her teacup chihuahua and he just fell in love. He knew I was a pushover but his other mom, Toni.... would take a bit more convincing. He also knew that if Toni had a half glass of wine she was far less resistant to his desires.

So, after champagne was served he brought up the idea of adding another, little, dog to the family. She was in a good mood and said, "that might be alright, I guess." Seizing the moment, Hunter said, "Would you mind putting that in writing?" and he quickly produced a piece of paper and a pen so that she could scrawl a note in her illegible left-handed cursive. He tucked it away and changed the conversation.

We talked with the adoption team, learned that this beautiful championship greyhound had been impregnated by a chihuahua and her owners had given her up pregnant. We discussed caring for the dog (though I knew it would fall on me) and then knew we had to call Toni. I dialed her number and handed Hunter the phone. He was excited yet had an uncanny sense of how to approach this for the best result. He knew that I was the yes mom and Toni was the no mom... and over the years each of us had to find our way to a middle ground.

"Mom? Remember that little piece of paper you signed on Christmas about getting a little dog? Well.... we found the perfect dog! You're going to love her. I want to call her Bella Rose. Ok?" She asked him to hand the phone to me and I could tell she felt cornered, but not being one to go back on her word, she said, with some reluctance, "Ok, if you both think this is the right dog."

And with that, the sweetest, most loving little dog entered our lives. Hunter adored her but wasn't one to love caring for her, so training and feeding fell to me as the accomplice. In 2015 our sweet standard poodle, Chana, passed away. We got her when Hunter was four months old and they grew up together.

After getting divorced in 2012, the dogs went back and forth with Hunter so he would have their presence and support at both houses. Then, he went off to college and I had Bella full time along with my soul dog, Lambo, a fierce and sweet Maltipoo I found at a bus stop all matted and afraid. In June of 2020, my dear Lambo died in my arms. In August Hunter died. Bella remains. She is attentive, comes close when I'm crying, and sleeps under the covers curled into my belly. Her presence is a comfort, a memory, a reminder of what was and what is