Foxfire Bellatrix of Stargazer, Bella, Belle, or Belle Belle as she is known by her friends, which are many. Bella is one of the "Sweeties." the group of dogs that came out of a terrible puppy mill situation 17 years ago outside of Leavenworth, WA. There were fifty plus puppies that were saved, some were not. There have been a couple reunions over the years, and this will be the last. Bittersweet for the Sweeties. Best dogs ever. I first saw Bella at my friend Gail Robert's home in early January of 2008. Winter in Plain meant several feet of snow on the ground and buildings. Gail has been a rescue angel for decades and there were a couple dozen of these puppy mill pups racing around in her yard in early dark. A carousel of movement and play. Whizzing by, every so often was this bundle of red wooly energy. I fell in love immediately and said that is the one for me. Gail had named her Dora after Dora the Explorer, as one time she had spotted Belle up on her garage roof , accessed by all the snow on the ground. When Dora came home, I changed her name to Bella as in Adorabella and then her fancy name became Foxfire Bellatrix of Stargazer. I had rescued another pup just a couple weeks before and thought the two girls might be friends. LOL The first thing this spicy redhead did upon meeting sweet little Aurora, was sneer at her and growl.They did become friends over a lifetime. Belle had a bad underbite and when she first visited my vet, many teeth had to be pulled and I have always teased my vet about pulling all of Belle's teeth. Bella was never a sled dog. She would get excited when seeing the harness and had about a half mile of full out running, but then would slow to a trot and then a walk. Just not physically put together right for running. She did love to carry a pack and was my hiking pal for years, always out in front of any other dogs, straight on down the trails. Bella has always kept her independence and adventurous personality, generally preferring to be outside. She has always enjoyed vitality and is still a good eater, an indicator of her health. At almost 17 years, she sleeps most of the day, but is interested in what is going on around her, gets up at the sound of the microwave as it heats up a pill pocket, checks out things in the house and wanders about the yard, when I carry her outside. Normally, she would be sporting her wooly coat, now bleached out from years of laying in the direct sunlight, but we shaved her in April, after a scary event, in which she became overheated and stressed. As you can see, these pups had good genetics despite their awful beginning which has helped them be resilient and live long lives. Bella is one of the most special dogs I have ever called mine and I love that at 17 years she is finally receiving her Champion of the Heart Rosette.
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