Sweet Belle

Belle
October 3, 2004 - March 25, 2014

Two weeks ago, we were forced to make the hardest decision of our lives and say goodbye to our girl.

She was home, where she was comfortable with the people who love her, snuggled up in her bed with her blanket and her toy.  She went peacefully.  She was ready.

I can honestly tell you that the nine and a half years we spent with this dog, were the best years of our lives.  She made us laugh on a daily basis, whether it was her inability to catch anything you threw to her, or watching her shake her toy around like she was the toughest dog in the world.  She was funny.

I may be a little biased, but she was the best dog.  Ever.

Belle loved everyone she came in contact with, dogs and humans alike.  She was great with little kids, and didn't have a mean bone in her body.  Sure, she would bark or growl here and there, but it never lasted more than a few seconds before she was excited about whoever was on the other side of the door.  You always knew when she was happy, too, because her nubbin would wag like crazy.

She loved car rides and spending time outside basking in the sun.  Every morning when we left for work, we made sure the window was open for her to look out at the world.   She was so curious about the cars and people passing by.  She was always just so happy.

As much as my heart aches, I know that she is at peace.  I just miss her so much.

We love you sweet girl.

Basking

Belle takes her toys very seriously. They are her babies.

She absolutely loves to sit outside in the sunshine and enjoy its warmth. Since we are fully taking advantage of the fact that there is still no hint of snow in sight at our house, she gets to spend time outside when Brett is home between classes. Today, she snuck her baby out with her so that it could enjoy the sun, too.

If only she could talk

Yesterday was a rough one for our puppy.

We took her to the vet on Saturday for a check up, and to inquire about having her teeth cleaned. We knew that there would probably be a few other minor things that we would also need to consider, and so we had set aside some money so that we would be prepared to take care of our girl. When we got to the vet, some of our suspicions were confirmed and a few others were brought to our attention.

In the last year or so, we have noticed a skin tag sprouting from her side and a small lump growing on her back. We have been a bit concerned about them, so that was one of the things that we brought up and asked about the possibility of having them both removed. The Vet agreed with us that it would be easier to do everything all at one time, while she was under anesthesia for the teeth cleaning, than having her go through two separate procedures with anesthesia both times. The other things that the Vet addressed, that would also need to be taken care of while she was under were a broken tooth that would need extracting, and some overgrowth of her gums that would need to be lasered off. Apparently this is common in Boxers.

Yesterday was the day she went in to have all of these things taken care of. Brett did the dirty work and dropped her off in the morning while I was at work. I knew that I would have fallen apart if I had been there, because of the fact that I am an emotional basket case who always sees the worst in any situation. He is my hero. He even took her to Petsmart and bought her a new toy to take with her to keep her company while she was there. I still ended up crying like a baby from work when he sent me a picture of her in the car on the way there. Just the thought of her being scared to be there alone with strangers made me sad.

I left work early so that we'd both be able to go pick her up together after she was done. When I walked in the door, and she wasn't there to greet me, I nearly lost my shit all over again. That is one of the highlights of my day. I can't imagine how sad life must be for people without dogs. 

We finally got the call that we could come pick her up, but the girl told us that the Vet wanted to discuss her blood work before we could take her home. It turned out to be fine, just a small matter of needing to lower the amount of protein in her diet, but I was worried the whole way there to face the impending doom of being told that there was something seriously wrong with her. (remember, I always expect the worst from situations) When they finally brought her out to us, she seemed a lot happier than I would have expected her to be, and her nubbin (that's what we call her tail, or lack thereof) even wiggled a bit. The spot where they removed the lump from her back had been dramatically shaven to give them room to work, and now looks like this:



When we finally got her home, she was still a little loopy from all of the drugs and in pain. My heart was broken. She couldn't fall asleep, so she just laid on the couch whining. We did our best to comfort her, but nothing seemed to help.

This morning Brett says that she seems much happier which, in turn, makes me much happier. Hopefully this will be the last of her surgical adventures, but at least now she will have a cool scar to show off.

A Change

Last night I took Belle for a run.  Outside.  As in, not inside on my elliptical, but outside in the sunshine.  With no snow on the ground.  It was glorious.  Well, as glorious as running can be when you are out of shape and struggling for breath.

I am not a good runner, but I have decided that I would much rather run outside and be in pain than be inside on my elliptical.  It's just too boring.  At least running outside gives me things to look at and keep me entertained.

I am really hoping that March brings the spring along with it, and I can continue running outside. I am really looking forward to it.

She Loves Us

Most dogs wouldn't sit still long enough to let you put a hat on their head, let alone sit there with it on while you run and grab your camera and then let you snap a picture.  Belle is a dog that will do whatever she's told, and we take full advantage of her patience.  She may not always look like she's happy about it, but deep down I'm sure that this is one of her favorite things about having us as her humans.  

I love her.

{Halloween}

{Hannah Montana}

{Bellerina}

{Amy Winehouse}

{Karate Kid}

{Bret Michaels}

{Tupac}

Belle's new buddy

Meet Fern. She's the newest member of our household. When we moved in with Kristi and Jerry, their family fell in love with Belle. So when they started talking about the possibility of getting a puppy, a boxer was their first choice. Today they found her. Isn't she cute?

Why You Need A Phone With A Camera

So that moments like these don't pass you by!

1- Trying to cheer my mom up right before her open heart surgery
2- Brett in the awesome froggy goggles that we found at Big 5
3- Dinner at Chile's on Halloween
4- Brett in the pimp glasses that we found at the Halloween store
5- Our kitchen cabinets (minus the doors) right after Brett installed them
6- The Golden Gate Bridge (did you really have to ask?)
7- Shay modeling her 80's day outfit (she wore it to work!) HOT!!
8- Belle in a pretty necklace
9- Brett's ankle swelling up like a balloon 20 minutes after he sprained it

First Snow

We woke up this morning to snow. I have to admit, at first it didn't really bother me too bad. It was pretty outside, and Belle was excited. She loves the snow! Here are a few pictures:

Usually the first few times it snows for the year I'm alright with it, and then after about three days I'm praying for sunshine. Not today though. I am SO ready for winter to be over, and it hasn't even been snowing for a full day yet. Here's why:

IT TOOK ME TWO HOURS TO GET TO WORK TODAY!!!!

Sorry for yelling at you, but I just can't help it right now. It usually only takes me 35 minutes to get to work. I know that this is just the beginning of a horrible snow season, and that can only mean one thing for me....horrible commutes in and out of Utah county on a daily basis.

That is all.

Sneak Peek.....

We were going to wait to tell you what we chose for our Halloween costumes, but Belle begged us to let her give you a sneak peek. Since she's a princess and she ALWAYS gets her way, we gave in.......

We Never Thought This Day Would Come....

On Sunday afternoon we decided we would take Belle to the park and see if she would play in the stream....I know what you are thinking "Belle? Play in the water....yeah right!" But we had never tried it, and we've lived by that park for almost two years now. So we thought what 'what the hell, let's just see what happens'.

As soon as Brett through her ball, she jumped right in! She didn't want to play with her ball or her rope bone, so Brett decided to break off a stick and see if she would chase it.....it was her favorite! We were probably there for an hour, and she was in the water most of the time. She even met a friend while she was playing, another dog named Abby, and they had fun! Don't believe me? See for yourself~

Breakthrough!

As most of you already know, our dog is not good at acting like a dog at all. She is afraid of the water, If she had it her way she would never sleep without a pillow, she refuses to play fetch, won't play tug of war, and the worst part of all is....she is afraid of catching a ball. Most of the time when you throw a ball for her to catch she will just close her eyes and let it hit her. Brett has been working with her to try and get her to do more 'dog like' activities, and this weekend we finally got some improvement on the catching situation. So here are some action shots of the event.....we're so proud!

 

Miniature Horses

There is a family in our neighborhood that has miniature horses in their back yard, we discovered them in the spring while we were on a bike ride. We have taken Belle over to see them a few times, and we decided to go over there again last night....this time I brought the camera. She is so funny to watch with the horses, we are convinced that she thinks she is one of them. She gets her head in the fence and licks their noses, it's hilarious! Sometimes when she is licking them they will nip at her tongue, good thing she has fast reflexes. She hasn't actually been bitten yet, so let's hope she stays lucky. =)

We are so lucky to have such an adorable dog! Isn't she funny?

All Is Well

Everything went very well with Brett's surgeries on Wednesday! They got all of the necessary repairs made, and he is well on his way to a healthy body......any bets on how long that will last? =)
Before they took him into the operating room they made him right 'YES' on the parts that needed to be fixed, I guess doctors get confused easily and don't want a lawsuit:


Here he is anxiously awaiting the Anesthesiologist's arrival:

Since he's been home he has actually been following the rules surprisingly well (for Brett anyway) He is using a wheelchair that we borrowed from my grandparents to get around the house, and stays laying down with both legs elevated most of the time. Belle is really good at keeping him company:



Here is a funny picture we took of Belle! This is the kind of idea you get when you are on heavy pain killers, she's a good sport:

Thanks to everyone for all of your support, and a special thanks to Mom, Gwen, and Lloyd for being at the hospital with me to keep me sane.....I don't know how many more of these surgeries I can wait through. So hopefully Brett will have learned his lesson this time......but really, who am I kidding?