Just wanted to send you a Mia Bella update; she is doing super well!  She will generally come when called in the house now, and often approaches of her own volition.  At treat time, she will often mimic the other two and sit for her treat, but this is not consistent.  She loves old people and young children, a size and softness of voice thing.  She has found her voice and has a lovely deep bark.  She doesn't use it frequently but will use it to indicate when she wants out. 

We still have pee accidents during the day, but I don't want to crate her in daytime as she's frantic to get out of her crate in the morning.  It's a bit like she's afraid she'll never get out.  Other than running w/her buddies in the field by the house, she doesn't stray far from my side when we are out.  She tends to panic and come looking for me if we are outside and I get out of sight, and will come running. She def. knows who her momma is ... lol! 

Bella took a long roadtrip back east w/me and the others, and was super in the car and at rest stops!  It is a delight to see her coming into herself; a huge change from the scared wee pooch of Nov/April.  Hope you enjoy the pics; they aren't the greatest quality, but I wanted to try to give you a sense of her now!  I have just taken a couple of videos of her playing/running in the field; I will send another way.  She's still not quite got the concept of toys yet, but otherwise life is good!
 

Update November '13

This weekend Momma celebrated my birthday!  I wasn't sure what that was all about, but evidently since we don't know my real birthday, we're celebrating the day I came to live at my "forever home".  Boy, its been quite a year.  When I first came home with Momma a year ago, I was absolutely terrified.  I didn't know where I was or what was going on.  Granted, it was warm, and there were snuggles and food and walks, but I just wasn't sure.  So, when Momma opened the front door to grab my leash so we could go for a walk, I zipped out past her feet and I was off on my winter adventure. 

I stayed around the neighborhood for a while, and even saw Momma one day but I was too scared to go to her.  She looked and sounded familiar, but I just wasn't sure.  So I meandered about and ended up about 5kms from home where someone found me living in thier hedge in late April.  I'm not going to say too much about what a tough time I had on the lamb, but I crossed some very busy streets and it was a very cold winter.  Suffice to say, I looked and felt pretty rough by the time the Ottawa By-Law guys caught me living in a nice lady's hedge! 

Momma was away on holidays when I turned up, so my Auntie's Nadia and Athena came and picked me up at the Ottawa Humane Society.  We went back to Auntie Athena's and I met my new pals, Zoe and Lili.  I got a couple of baths, in between barfing everywhere because I was so nervous, and then I started to settle in a bit.  Lots of people and doggies at Auntie Athena's!  Momma came and picked me, Zoe and Lili (my new buddies) up a couple of days later.  By that time, I'd started to relax a bit. 

I remembered Momma's smell and her voice, and the house when we got home.  Now there were great doggie smells everywhere too!  Momma kept me close to her the first few days, carrying me around a lot and letting me sleep in her bed.  I had to start going to bed in my crate after I peed in Momma's bed a couple of times.  I knew Zoe and Lili didn't do that but I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to do.  I was a bit shy of coming to Momma at first, but she'd scoop me up and give me hugs and snuggles anyway. 

I snuck out of the backyard a few times, but surprised Momma by coming right back and being there waiting for her when she came back from looking for me.  I know now when she says 'Bella, back' or 'Bella, home' that we are going home and indoors where it's warm and dry!  Why would I want to be anywhere else?  My crate freaks me out; it reminds me of "before".  So Momma now has the crate door permanently open.  I still pee inside the house sometimes, but Momma doesn't want to segregate me from my buddies, so she uses doggie gates in the doorways at night and when she is out during the day to restrict our access to the rugs. 

My favorite spot in the whole house is snuggled up on Momma's bed, but we're only allowed to sleep overnight on the bed on weekends.  I go into my crate at bedtime with a treat, but as soon as I'm done the treat, I jump up on the sofa next to my crate and make a nest of the quilt there.  We spend time almost every day running in the fields by my house.  There are lots of other doggies there, but I am still a bit shy to play with them.  I love running with Lili and Zoe, but I always check over my shoulder for Momma, and she's always waiting for me with a treat. 

I know now that if I come when Momma calls my name, she'll give me lots of treats and snuggles, but I've figured out that if I sit, I get even more!  I still don't quite get the toys thing, but that's okay because Lili hoards them all anyway :).  I've taken a couple of road trips to the east coast, met lots of new people (I like little people and older people best!), and I even got to fly with Momma on an airplane.  I cried a bit at first, but Momma talked to me when the plane took off and I was fine!  I don't get carsick
anymore because I trust Momma not to leave me anywhere.  I found my voice after a month or so home, and I have a lovely deep bark.  I bark at visitors from upstairs, because I'm still pretty shy that way! 

Here are some pictures of me; two from when I first came home in April, and the rest from this past weekend when we went for our field walk!  Momma takes me out off leash now because she's confident that I know where home is!  I hope you can find all the other doggies their forever homes that are as warm and loving as where I am, especially with winter coming!

xo Mia Bella

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