Pre and Post surgery

These photos were taken this morning before my surgery. See, I've finally gotten bigger than Sprinkles!! I outweigh her by 4 lbs too!



My surgery went well from what the vet told my daddy. I went there at 8:30 and Daddy picked me up at 5:30. I haven't tried to jump up on the bed or rough-house Sprinkles since I've been home. I have gotten alot of treats which I'm thankful for because I was starved earlier today. When daddy picked me up, I peed all over the vet's floor from excitement that they came back for me. Jaelyn is hanging out with me on the floor while the rest of the family is snuggling in bed. I'm not suppose to lick my incision too much while it heals. If I do, they have to put some kind of cone thing on me. That doesn't sound attractive. I get 1 pain pill a day, which is suppose to last all day. I have to take antibiotics twice a day too for about a week. I don't like to take pills so mommy gives it to me with a treat. Overall, it went ok and I'm feeling alright.

"Spay or Neuter Your Pets"--Bob Barker

Now, I know that it's important not to get overpopulated but do you really think that this photo is true? Over a 6 year time frame, if the litters of these 2 dogs would never be spayed or neutered, there would be approx 67,000 dogs running around the world! All because two dogs fell in love! Aww! That's sweet. But Friday I have to go under the knife and lose all my hopes and dreams for offspring. No 2am feedings for this girl! No sleepless nights. No having to teach the ropes that I'm still learning to 8 little bratty puppies. So overall, it's probably for the best.

Here's what we know so far. Friday morning I'm not allowed to eat or drink anything. I have to arrive at the vet's office at 8am and stay until 4:30 or so. I have to stay low key and not chew on my incision. I don't think that will be a problem! I may lick it to death but definitely I won't sharpen any teeth on it. I get sent home on pain pills I think and maybe antibiotics. I will spend alot of time in my crate so my mommy is making sure my special blanket and bed are super clean and comfy. Keeping a 5 month old puppy down is going to be hard and not to mention, a little mean. I just hope I heal fast so I get back to the finer things in life, like eating bark, digging holes, and driving Sprinkles crazy.

On the prowl...

(This is NOT a photo of Bella and Sprinkles)

Today Sprinkles took me on a field trip. The back gate was left open by some appraiser guy and to our surprise, we were free! I was a little scared so I stayed with my rebelous sister, Sprinks (that's her street name.) Sprinks told me were we heading to the bayou to hang out and find us some male tail. Since I'm getting "fixed" next Friday, I thought, why not find me a quick boyfriend. Much to our dismay, our neighbor, the one I scratched in the eye, came and picked us up and brought us home. So I'm still boyfriend-less and never been kissed. So much for one last (or first in my case) fling.

Oh NO!

I peed on Mommy's bed last night. I am grounded from getting up there now. Why can't I control my bladder???

I killed all my stuffed animal toys and they are now in the garbage grave yard. Why are my teeth so deadly?

I am on the prowl for open chip bags, bowls of popcorn, and anything that is on the floor that could potentionally be good to eat. Why am I such a carb junkie?

I bring in rocks, mulch, and mud into the house. Why am I so outdoorsy?

I try to help pick up laundry, shoes, and anything else on the floor. Why am I such a neat freak at times?

BECAUSE I'M A BIG DUMB LAB!! That's why!

"I can sing!"

I found my voice and I must say that I should try out for American Idol-Doggie Style. Ever heard of it? Nah, I just made it up. But Simon might like that title! Anyways, I have learned that I have a voice. I especially like to sing at Sprinkles or when I'm outside. Sometimes in the evening if I see something move in the shadows, I will sing to make sure everyone can enjoy my song. Some call it barking, I call it singing. Some call it annoying. I call it exquisite. I have a "cake" life. I get spoiled. I get scratched on the belly and behind the ears whenever I want. I get to sleep on an overstuffed pillow. I have it made in the shade! Why on earth wouldn't I want others to enjoy my sound of praises? Just as a baby cries, a dog must bark. It's our way of being heard and an expression of a need maybe not being met. It's a way for us to protect ourselves and our loved families. It's a talent for some, like myself, even though I'm a little ashamed to admit that I'm female and I'm a tenor. Either way, I promise to use my talent to make this world a little more enjoyable for all who share it with me. I promise.

I have a few new friends!

Know what these are? Ear mites! Yes, I have ear bugs. My mommy noticed I was having bloody ears and that I was shaking my ears and scratching alot. So when I went for my rabies shot and my 3rd round of puppy vaccines yesterday, the vet confirmed it. Not sure how long they have been there or who I got them from. I've only been around Phyliss once and Angel maybe 3-4 times. So we are treating Sprinkles too just to be safe. On my way to the vet yesterday, I got car sick and barfed all over. I felt bad about it so I tried to clean it up myself by eating it but then barfed it up again. Sorry Mommy! My brother Avery is home with us today and was yesterday too. He is sick. We thought it was his ears too. Maybe mites like me? But humans can't get them and it's strep throat instead. One of new favorite toys is this:
It is very fun to kick and chase around the living room. Plus it makes noise when those yellow pieces are inside. I wish there were treats inside. That would make it more fun!

Week 18

I'm 29 lbs at 18 weeks. Not much new to report except that I'm still growing, still chewing, still digging, still eating rocks. Life it good! I love my new home and family!

Sprinkles had a birthday!

Happy Birthday to Sprinkles! Her and Jaelyn share a birthday since they are the same age and Mommy doesn't really know when Sprinkles real birthday is. In dog years, she is 63 yrs old! Guess that's why she doesn't like to play as much as I do. Guess that's why she likes to nap alot and scolds me when I get out of control. She's OLD! Mommy lit the candles for her to blow out but she was scared of the fire so Jaelyn, Braden, and Evan helped. She got to eat a piece of cake but I didn't. Not fair! Mommy said it was because I barfed in my crate the night before from eating too many new rawhides and Old Roy bones. I got a nasty tummy ache and lost my cookies, no pun intended. They are also changing our dog food to the regular adult formula because Mommy is sick of me eating the "senior" formula of Sprinkles, and Sprinkles eating my "puppy" formula. So we get to eat the same thing. We still have 2 separate bowls but I usually end up eating both, twice a day. I was a pig in a former life I think. Sprinkles is the only one that gets table scraps. Don't get me wrong, I beg just like a good dog would but they don't give in. They say I'm too little to get all that junk right now. What they don't know is that when they aren't looking, I steal popcorn, crackers, and best of all crayons! Yum Yum! Delicious! Jaelyn might be my favorite human to play with but Evan is my favorite human to beg for food from. He usually feeds me something new and tasty. I'm down to only peeing in the house every 3 days or so now. I'm getting there. Just when Mommy thinks, "Bella hasn't peed in the house for a while", then I do it so she doesn't forget I'm still just a puppy.

Week 17

Well, I did it! I accomplished my goal in 17 short weeks and I'm now approximately the same weight as my sister Sprinkles. I hit 27lbs, 2 ozs! As you can see, I'm getting very comfortable being in her space (or crate) and she's getting more tolerant of me, unless she is really sleepy. Then, she's just a real bitch. I was playing with mommy with my tug of war toy and had to stop tonight because my mouth started to bleed. Boy does that taste gross. My mommy looked on the carpet and found a very, very small piece of a tooth. I wasn't interested in her sticking her fingers in my mouth to search for the source of the bleed or to see what tooth came out, after all, it's flu season and you never know what germs are floating around on human hands! I think my sister is going to take the tooth as a trophy or something to school tomorrow. She has a loose tooth too and wants to lose it while at school so she gets a cool little tooth shaped box to keep it in. I think that's crazy. I just eat my teeth that fall out. I eat rocks. I eat sticks. I even tried to eat Evan's new train track today. I'm getting really good at picking up after my humans. Socks, shoes, combs, whatever I bring them, they say, "Not your toy, Bella!" Can't they see I'm just being helpful and trying to earn my allowance too? Mommy is still home with me after having her surgery and she's doing really well. I'm trying to be good about NOT peeing in the house but I still have accidents every few days. Just depends how much attention I am getting. I have learned that if I go outside and come in and sit like a pretty girl, I almost always win a special treat from the "candy" jar. One more thing that I almost forgot! I have learned to jump up and balance on top of the cooler that is kept outside by the kitchen window, so I can get a better peak inside. I know they know that I'm out there! I can see them looking at me! So since they don't always respond to my "knocks" at the back door, I have started tapping on the window. There's this screen though that is getting in my way so I am trying to remove it with my long finger nails. Speaking of finger nails, mine seem to grow so long, so sharp, so fast. I scratched the neighbor lady in the eye a few days ago. Opps! My bad! So that's it for this busy week! Time to go eat some more. I have more growing to do! Chow! (Get it? Chow??!!! Funny!)