Bella

  My name is Bella (formerly known as Frannie), and I am just tickled "PINK" to tell you the story of my life so far. You see, I was born sort of "different" and was taken to a shelter where I might have been put to sleep. But thanks to Carolina Basset Hound Rescue (CBHR for short), I'm still here.

My first meeting with rescue was when two ladies came to the shelter to look at me. I had no idea who they were. They seemed nice enough, and then they whisked me off in their car to the vet man. He took pictures, and I heard a big discussion. I could tell it was important. They were saying that I had a birth defect and that I had no joints in my back legs. Then I heard them say, "Let's give her a chance."

Two days later, a lady came to get me and took me to a house. She put me in crate stacked on top of another crate, and then a lot of other dogs came and sniffed me. I was out in the yard when her roommate came home, and she acted like I was the best thing since butter on bread. She loved on me and kissed me, and tears welled up in her eyes. I only weighed four pounds.

After a few days, the two ladies let me play with the other dogs. Eleanor especially loved me, and she wanted to play for hours. I would run as fast as I could to keep up with her and the rest of the pack. I grew stronger by the day.

I had a few obstacles along the way, including a mild case of the dreaded kennel cough and ringworm. I had to take these pills and have these icky baths. Then fall came, and it was time for me to get the ol' uterus out, because pet overpopulation is a serious problem. I weighed in at 14 pounds, so I was big enough, but I could tell that the "moms" were worried. When they brought me home, they thought I would be more comfortable in my crate, but I kept whimpering. Mom pushed a pill down my throat and I went to sleep. In a few days I was back out playing.

I had my own blog, and a lot of people asked about adopting me. I knew the moms wanted to keep me, but they said, "She needs to go to a place where she can get more attention than she can get here." I did not know that I would be moving, but they must have been preparing me. I got a bath and had my ears cleaned. They put me in the car, and I went on a long ride. I arrived at the house of a lady named Ann. She seemed a little surprised by my looks at first, but it did not take long for her to fall madly in love with me. I thought the place was fine, and I met her other dogs. I was five months old and weighed 24 pounds.

I am very happy now. I get to do a lot of things. (Ann took me to obedience school, YUCK.) I walk in the neighborhood with the other dogs and her people friends, and I go to meet-and-greets. I got to march in the St Patrick's Day parade on Hilton Head Island. Ann has a wagon for me, but sometimes I just want to strut my stuff.

I met this lady at the parade, and she asked me to tell my story in her magazine. I feel real special. My life that started off at a shelter where I was listed as a stray and could have been killed because I'm not "perfect," has turned to gold, thanks to the people at CBHR. I will be one year old in June, and for my birthday, I want to grow up to be a therapy dog and help others overcome obstacles like I have. I want to show humans what being "challenged" is about and how if dogs and cats can accept being different, people can too!