Bella the Houdini Dog

Yesterday I was outside enjoying the sunshine with Ben and Bella when Bella crashed through the fence again. A woman and her border collie were walking by and she got excited. She had been lying down and I could see her from where I was sitting, not far away. The minute she jumped up, ran and started barking I gave chase and yelled "No!" She was through that fence in less than a second. I ran through the house, calling for Casey. Fortunately he hopped on his bike, chased her down, cornered her and she was quickly home and safe. When this happens, Casey starts talking about finding her a new home. He feels that we can't keep her safe and that she's a liability. I love her too much to consider this, and it's my feeling that once you adopt a dog it's forever.

I spent some time yesterday researching, reading message boards, and emailing questions. Laurie from the Great Pyrenees Rescue Association promptly responded. Typical GP behavior, she said. Once they escape, the world is theirs and they "lose the word come from their vocabulary." They gallop like horses and can cover ground quickly. This certainly describes my Bella. She will look me in the eye, give me a doggy grin and run in the opposite direction. Laurie suggested planting bushes along the fence line since we have taught her to respect landscaping boundaries.

In August we are going on a trip to Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. We'll be gone for two weeks, and I don't want to leave Bella in the kennel. We are renting a cabin with my brother and sister-in-law for a week that allows dogs. Casey thinks Bella will escape, get lost, and disappear forever. I feel confident that I can keep that from happening. I have never been a person who cages my animals, except for fencing the yard to keep them safe. I've lost four parakeets out the door because I let them fly free in the house. To me, a life lived free with the risk of escape is better than a life in a cage. In hindsight, I probably should have clipped my parakeets' wings. I had a small bunny that lived in the house and hopped free. He sometimes used the litter box, but I spent a lot of time following him around, cleaning up what my brother called "coco puffs" with a dustbuster. Before I adopted Bella, I had Molly Jones, an old english sheepdog and black lab mix and Margarita, a border collie and australian shepherd mix. They were both fine off leash and could, and did, go anywhere with me. I want this for Bella, too.

I sometimes wonder how much my cancer has affected Bella. In the three years she has been my dog, I have been sick for two of them. She's seen me spend a lot of time in bed. Our initial training was interrupted by my original diagnosis and surgery. She was also traumatized by her previous life and her time spent first at the pound and later at the humane society. I undoubtedly need to get back to spending time training her, every day. Still, her tendency to escape and not respond to the come command is inherent in her breed and may not be fixable.

I love my Bella. Right now she is lying beside my chair, calm and submissive. It's my responsibility to keep her safe, and I intend to do so.

Bella playing with her friend Brodie, the labradoodle:

Namaste, Jill