Tinkerbell ... or StinkerBelle??

After a few months of listening to how all of your puppies are, how smart they are, how good they are, how wonderful they are ... get ready. Tinklebelle, aka Belle-button, aka Bellisima is sooo good, sooo smart, sooo wonderful. Even Paisley thinks so ... yes, that's a surprise. They spend what seems like hours playing together, rolling each other around, chewing on each other's neck, etc. Belle is actually a pretty tough little girl and keeps coming back for more.

So, she arrived Tuesday afternoon, and I had her scheduled for a vet check with Jodi on Wednesday. On Tuesday evening, I sat with her on the floor and gave her a total-body puppy massage. In a few spots, my fingers felt some smallish, hard bumps. Hmmm, unsure what these might be, I planned to have Jodi take a look. I shrieked when she said, "they're ticks". TICKS! Eeeeeek! I've never seen a tick in my life and certainly hadn't hoped to see one on my little baby Stinkerbelle. Jodi sprayed them with alcohol or something and plucked them out with fine tweezers. Brave little Belle didn't even squirm. Such a good girl. Lots of treats from Jodi and the girls and she left the clinic still thinking that the vet's office was okay. Everything else checked out fine, heart, teeth, etc. Current weight is just over 17 lb. She's currently eating a pound a day of chicken and beef, and has enjoyed a nice meaty beef rib bone in her crate in the afternoon. It's amazing to watch her tear the meat from bone.

Ruckus came out to visit yesterday and he suddenly looked so HUGE next to Belle. They really do grow so fast.

Happy Trails ... Theresa

My turn this time

Well, she's here. After many hours in transit, from Boston to Houston, and Houston to Calgary, Belle arrived yesterday afternoon. She was shipped via Continental Airlines PetSafe Program and was very well taken care of. If the need ever arises to ship a dog/puppy, their service is highly recommended. We were able to track the precious cargo on-line and even speak to the agents and kennel staff in Houston where we were updated ... she was playing in the kennel, had eaten, pottied, etc. etc. All the things nervous mommies want to hear, and we knew she was in good hands.

When they brought the crate out to me, all I saw was that gorgeous little face pressed against the door. When I opened the door, it was like an explosion of blue merle as this little tornado spun about the cargo office, visiting everyone, jumping, kissing, jumping some more ... totally unfazed by all the people and noise, forklifts, etc., not to mention her last 18 hours in transit.

I put her collar and leash on and took her outside at the cargo bay where she had about a half hour peepee and a doodle, then loaded into the van for the trip home to Strathmore. Once here, she was greeted very "robustly" by Paisley (actually more obnoxious than robust), but the two girls have instantly become friends. Paisley is thrilled with the new squeaky toy Mom bought her, and Belle thinks this is a pretty darn fun place to be. She's already counter-surfed a few times and is very good at escaping from the kitchen and launching herself onto the sofa and up onto the top of the sofa. Hmmmm, could there be agility in this little girl's future? She's immediately gone onto raw food and is eating with great gusto.

She seems to have absolutely NO fear of anything. Confidence isn't even an issue, she's so bold. Not submissive at all to any of the other dogs and seems to have just blended right in.

There's one thing, though, that I don't really like about this puppy -- she's still on Massachusetts time and her 7:30 a.m. was only 5:30 a.m. for me. We'll have to work on fixing that real quick!

Happy Trails ... Theresa