missing bella.

Our yellow lab, Bella, is so special and will always have a place in my heart. One week ago we had to put her down, and let me tell you, it's been hard! The boys are still too young to understand, but my husband and I miss her dearly. I have never experienced such sadness. In my mind, and in my heart, Bella was NOT just a dog. I have never met an animal where I truly believed they had a soul. And let me tell you, Bella has a soul. This was such a difficult decision for us that our vet actually came to our house to have her put down. Bella hated going to the vet and we just couldn't do that drive. We wanted her in our home and in our arms. While I don't regret this decision, it was very difficult to witness her passing. Maybe if we had more time to prepare we would have handled the news better, but we took her in on a Friday because she was limping and the vet wanted to put her down that day. Her bones were completely infected with cancer and were so brittle they could break at any moment. We were not ready to put her down that day. We brought her home to spend three more days with this amazing creature. We had to be so careful because she was so fragile but I enjoyed the cuddle time we had together. During the weekend I watched movies at night on the living room room floor curled up with Bella and I painted a canvas that hangs in our office which reminded me of Bella. In fact, I hadn't picked up a paintbrush in probably two years, but I felt this time was appropriate. On Monday Jon took off work and the boys went to my parents for the night. The vet came over late in the afternoon. Jon and I embraced each other for most of the day, went to a late dinner, drank wine and cried.

Bella
October 16, 1998 - March 23, 2009