"So Long, And Thanks for All the Fish"

Boy, it's hard to write a headline to say so long for a blog about a dog that isn't going to make people panic.

Bella is fine.

Jan is fine.

I am fine.

But I think it's time to admit the blog is not so fine.

All good things and all that...

I started Bringing up Bella as a journal about my crazy, smart (and crazy-smart) scared-y dog. It became so much more than that.

And while I am grateful for the friendships we've made, amazed by all the other pet lovers and bloggers we've discovered and so very humbled by the trust other scared-y dog owners have put in us, I am also more than a little exhausted by the amount of effort it takes to keep "it all" going.

I've made some half-hearted attempts over the last year to reinvigorate things here but the fact is, the time I've devoted to the blog in the past is time now being devoted to Bella et al in the present.

It's also true that I have less to offer the scared-y dog community since, well, since Bella's not quite the scared-y dog she once was. No, she'll never hang out with dogs at the dog park again and yes, walking or driving places with her will always be a lesson in patience and humility, but over the years she has grown into a pretty happy, healthy dog.

Bella has her own special set of issues that we will continue to work with her, her doctors and her behavioral team to address but I need to put my focus back on her, myself and my family. There are only so many hours in a day and I already spend far too many of them in front of this computer.

Photo © Amanda Jones

I will keep the blog online as I know there are people who've found comfort and camaraderie here, but I will not be updating it again. I guess I just needed to say it out loud so I could stop pretending in my head that I was going to get back around to it one day.

As for my original intent of this blog, I've started a private journal to keep Bella's stories for myself. Who knows, maybe someday I'll put them all together to share with the world? And maybe I will drop some pictures here again over the years.

Or maybe, just maybe, I'll inherit oodles of cash from some long lost relative, quit my job, save all the animals and find myself with copious amounts of time to dedicate here again. Hey, it could happen.

In the meantime, I will continue to share stories and pictures on Bella's Facebook page. If you haven't already found us there, I hope you'll take the opportunity to drop in and give us a "Like".

Thank you to everyone who has visited, commented, emailed, Tweeted, Pinned, worked with or sworn at us. It has been a blast and I have loved every minute of it.

"Life is short. Play with your dog."

Wishing you and yours
All the best,
Leslie

(With all due respect and admiration to the wonderful, but sadly late, Douglas Adams, for the post title.)

Journal Entry - January 19th, 2015

Bella played ball with me yesterday.

It wasn't exactly fetch. Sometimes she brought the ball back. More often she picked it up and played with it by herself - swatting and stomping on it with her feet, pushing it with her nose, tossing it in the air allowing for a second catch, and chasing it again when it rolled down the hill.

But she got excited when I did get hold of it, jumping up and down, and watching and waiting in anticipation of it being thrown again.

She is almost 7 year old and I think she has finally figured out that ball is a great game made better when played by two.

It was delightful.