One of my favorite books of all time is Marley and Me by Josh Grogan. When I read it the first time I had two dogs of my own who filled my life with funny escapades…a Dalmatian and a Havaton. I wept heart-wrenching tears at all the touching moments of Marley’s life, and I laughed until I cried visualizing the antics described in Grogan’s chronicle.  I was even inspired to write my own tribute to my Dalmatian Shiner.  I thought I knew what it was like to have a dog like Marley.

But I was wrong.

Now…I have my own adventures with a yellow lab puppy.

This is her natural state:

Bella is the definition of perpetual motion. The only time she is still is when she is asleep.  Even in her crate she flops here and flips over there. Then when she is standing still or in a “down stay” position, her tail moves.  She is a joyful dog.

Especially when she’s allowed to play in my daughter’s old sandbox.  I doubt that grass will be growing very much anymore now that she’s discovered how fun it is to wallow in the dirt.

Yum! Sand is tasty.  It provides a little roughage, too!

Bella loves to chew, especially on those things that are not actually toys…such as my fingers, my hair, the couch, the coffee table, the box that the dog toy came in…and

old, discarded bubble bottles.  It was apparently buried in the sand…but she rooted it out and enjoys playing with it before burying it again.

This morning she executed a perfect Marley-esque turn of events.  I wish I had my camera…but then again…I’m very glad I did NOT have my camera.  Let me explain.  As she walked in the door this morning after her morning ablutions, she spied our other dog.  Before I could correct her and distract her she took a flying LUNGE at Lacee.  Lacee took off running for the couch.  Bella lost her footing and slammed into my tripod which — thankfully — did NOT have my camera attached.  Bella ran around the tripod, wrapping her leash around it and then scrambled across the room to try to get to Lacee….dragging the tripod behind her.  Meanwhile I’m holding on to the other end of the leash with one hand and the telephone with the other, yelling, “No!” into the phone and breathing heavily from the exertion!

Currently I am trying to train her to sleep at my feet.  She seems to think that any time out of her crate is play time.  Remember that stage little kids go through when they are exhausted, it is bedtime, but they do everything they can to stay awake?  That’s Bella.  She’ll chew and chew until her eyes close and then will give her head a shake and chew some more.  Scramble up, move two steps away, and flop down again.  Last night she did fall asleep at my feet for the first time EVER.  But we’re not getting a repeat to tonight. She is back in her crate, flipping around in that tiny little space, getting her blanket arranged just so.

She’s a cutie pie.  And a contortionist.

I can’t wait until she’s house trained.  I hate the crate. It looks like a jail. She barely has room in it but when we make it bigger she has accidents in it.  So we’re working on it one day at a time.  From the looks of things, though, SHE doesn’t have a problem with it. :o)  I’d love to let her stay in the kitchen instead, but  visions of Marley eating the WALL gives me pause.  Perhaps we’ll continue using the crate for awhile longer!