When thinking of this weeks topic, my dog Bella was yelling at me in her native language, high pitched bark. That’s when it hit me, the story of how I got Bella. I never thought I would get another dog until my current pup passed. Dexter is a funny guy, he doesn’t love other dogs and he’s best as a solo dog, or so I thought. But he bonded with Bella right away, the two are true siblings! Working with dogs everyday as a manager of a multi unit grooming salon, I see a lot of neglect cases and it breaks my heart. But, I find pride in my work and being able to help make dogs feel better on the daily.

The story of Bella would not have happened if there wasn’t a story of Hank. This will be short, simple, sweet, I get very emotional when I talk about Hank, one day he will have his own blog post. Hank was my soul dog, he truly was. He wasn’t even my dog per-say, he was my sisters dog but I loved him like my own. Because of him, I found my goal in life, my passion, saving dogs.

My dream is to open up a rescue where I help rehabilitate dogs that might not be given a chance otherwise. I know all dogs can be saved and I want to be the one to save them. Bella is the first step to that. I couldn’t save Hank, but I saved Bella.

The story of Bella is a crazy one. I was sitting on my laptop at work early morning and my work phone goes off. I cringe thinking it may be another call out but the text I got was not what I was expecting. A former employee, that I recently…. fired… texted me asking if I knew anyone who would want a dog. I was curious, I inquired more and she sent me this photo:

I knew from the picture this dog was neglected but I did not know how badly yet. As a groomer, you can see the matting even if the picture is blurry. She informed me she had fleas she couldn’t get rid of and as soon as I saw her photo, I knew, I had to save her. It was not a question for me, it was more of a to-do list. What do I have to do to get this dog today?

The rest of the day kind of happened in the blink of an eye. I was still working, running a muli unit salon and trying to keep everything running smoothly. During my lunch break I went to the girls house, got the dog and (paid… yes I paid) for her. I knew she wouldn’t give me the dog for free and this dog needed a new home desperately. I will never forget when I first held her in my arms. She had open sores all over her body. Her coat was matted to the skin and her eyes would barely open. I knew she needed help and needed it fast.

I put her in my car and let out a small cry. I felt so much for this tiny dog whom I only just met. I knew I could make her feel better and I had to try in whatever means necessary. I called my vet and they got her in after work. I rushed her back to the salon where me and my groomer shaved her down and thats when we truly saw how bad it was. Not only was she covered with fleas but she was infested, this type of thing doesn’t happen overnight. She also had such bad skin sores. Here is a video of her as i was bahting her for the first time.

After several baths, I carried on my shift, checking on her every little bit of time. I already knew she was going to be my best friend, my next soul dog.

After work, I took her to the vet and it was a long road ahead. I was given medication for her skin and double ear infection, medicated shampoo and she got all her vaccines over again just incase because I had no records of her. She wasn’t spayed either which I am currently working on getting done.

The following weeks, I was very routine with her. She’d come to work with me and I slowly nursed her back to health. She had a whole wardrobe of shirts since her skin was so bad but now she doesn’t have to wear any unless she wants! Watching her grown into who she is now is the most joy I have ever felt. Here are some photos of her now. All of her hair grew back, she has flea free and her skin is soooo much better. She is my best friend. A lot of work had to be done and a lot of money was spent but every penny was worth it so she gets to live her best life possible.

To me, this is what life is all about and I am forever grateful I get to be Bella’s Mom <3

The Story Of How I Rescued Bella Bean!

My Writing Process