Last week, my family and I attended our annual Joni and Friends Family Retreat, at the Shawnee State Park Resort. We got the awesome opportunity to take Belle with us. And she did AMAZING. She loved the attention from the 315 people that were there, and she was spoiled to the max. One couple told us that their son totally surprised them when he went up to pet Belle, because he's never done that before. That shows the true power of a dog! The past three years we've gone, I've been "Dylan's sister", but this year, I was "the girl with the dog" or "Belle's owner". Anytime she wasn't with me, I got asked where she was and why she wasn't with me. Some people liked her more than others, but everyone knew who she was! I had lots of people ask us if they could take a picture of us, so that they could remember her throughout the next year, until they more than likely see her again next year.

  There usually are other dogs there, but they are service dogs, and therefore we cannot pet them. People loved Belle, because they could pet her all day, every day. I think it really helped with her training and my training as well. I figured out the signs of when she was tired, when people did something she didn't like, and when she needed to go back to the room and get away from all the commotion. She learned how to cope with lots of people petting her, and kids and adults with disabilities petting her in ways she's never been pet before. One little girl grabbed her ear, and she just looked at me. A lot of dogs would bite or snap because of that, but not Belle! 

  I really hope to get her tested soon! Once I do, my project will be complete... 

Belle's first visit!

 Yesterday, Belle and I went to Westview Manor with Sharon Pooler and my project advisor, Kristina. She did a great job. The residents absolutely loved her, and one of them even slipped her a little hamburger from her dinner (after asking, of course). She was extremely well-behaved, and even when food was 5 inches from her nose, she payed more attention to the people than the food. She was a little headstrong on the leash, but it was a brand new place so I'm not surprised. We were only there for an hour, but it definitely gave me what I needed to know about training her.
 We also went to RKO. The store lets dogs in, and all the employees stopped to say hi to her. She was wonderful! Other customers started talking to us about their dogs, and one little boy petted her for at least 5 minutes. She got a bright pink harness.
 After we were done in Wooster, we went to the Dari-Ette with a few of my friends (we needed to discuss some fundraisers for our Atlanta mission trip this summer). She was amazing! She barked a few times after it got dark, but I think it was because she couldn't clearly see who people were. She didn't try to run away, and she always responded to my commands. And she enjoyed the cheeseburger and ice cream I shared too :)

New Donation Site! (click here)

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Children's Chat @ Dalton United Methodist Church with Belle

Belley's first vet visit!

Belley went to the vet today! She got a shot, and we were told she's pretty healthy. They also told us she's between 5 and 7 years old, not 4 as we were told.
She's starting to smell a little bit better, but.. The smell is still there. We gave her a bath yesterday, and I've been Febreze-ing her (yep, really) once or twice a day. It seems to be helping.. We got some skunk-off from the vet, so hopefully that will help. It's going to need to get warm again though, so we can give her another bath.

Week 4!

There is never a dull moment with Belley around.. She is unbelievably clumsy, shes curious, and she's super spoiled. Of course she is, shes my dog! Friday morning, I was (once again) sick, and guess who got sprayed by a skunk? Yep, Belley. My entire house smells like skunk. She stinks. My clothes stink. My entire family stinks. Like I said, never a dull moment. :) Regardless, I love her and I'm soooo glad I have her. Shes adorable, she makes me laugh, she makes me happy. She keeps me company and takes up 90% of my bed at night. She gives me her puppy dog eyes when I leave and gets really excited when she knows I'm home. She's going to make a perfect therapy dog. I met with Sharon on Tuesday, and I got a lot of new information. It was helpful. Hopefully I'll be seeing her again soon.

2 weeks.. Has it really been that short?

 I honestly don't even remember only having one dog. Belley has fit in so well with my family, and myself. She has blended herself right in with my life, and she even makes it easier for me to get up in the morning. My other dog gets along with her now, and my cats are coming around. Belley and i have our routine: she sleeps with me, then in the morning I get up and let her in. After i get dressed, I let her back in, then do my hair and stuff while she sits and watches. Then I head out to the kitchen to feed her and myself. When I leave, I always say bye. When I get home after school, I yell "Belley!" and hear her come from whatever part of the house she's in, which is usually my bedroom. I let her out. Sometimes we go play outside, sometimes we don't. I feed her around 8, and then before I go to bed I let her out again. She leaves me a tiny strip of bed to sleep on, and we make it work. Then we wake up, and do it all over again.
 She is so sweet, and I love her to death. <3