My heart is breaking. Bella died yesterday, Oct. 8, 2013. She was about 12 years old and silly and playful and very loving.

She never met a person she didn't like - and was a natural at pet therapy. She had to retire a couple of years ago when her back got too painful for her to go through the nursing home. She had enjoyed going for many years and when she stopped wanting to go, I knew it was time for her to retire.

Bella was goofy - I used to think I should have changed her name to Lucy after we got her. We drove across the state to meet her and bring her home after I saw her on Petfinder. She was about a year old then and must not have ridden in cars much. She thought the way to ride in the car was on top of my ex-husband's head while he was driving.

I had to teach her not to get on the furniture at my house - the foster people had allowed it so she didn't want to give it up. I thought she finally understood, then one day while we were outside, I looked in through the slider and saw her on the back of the couch - crouching just like the cats. Goofball!

Sometime later, she tried to imitate Maxie (one of my cats) again. Max liked to sit in the window sill next to the screen when the window was open. One day I saw Bella trying to climb into the windowsill next to the screen, just like Maxie!

That's Gertie with her head on Bella's tummy after Bella had some surgery in her "armpit." Bella wore the t-shirt so she wouldn't try to chew her stitches out.



Bella slept on her back - whether she was on the floor or a cushion - or sometimes - on my bed. She had done that since she was rescued at 8 weeks old. She stopped a couple of months ago when she started getting some very tender lumps on her spine.

She also had a rare form of hepatitis and some severe arthritis. I tried to give her a long and happy life. I feel like I failed by letting her go too soon.