Look At Me Now!!

Bella had her first trip to the groomer last week. She looks like a little stuffed toy, doesn't she.


On other news, the two sisters from the posting below have found their forever home and will be going on Saturday.

All is well.

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Bella's Kittens Need Homes

That title sounds odd, doesn't it, considering Bella is a Shih-Tzu. But if you saw the posting (with video) below you know that Bella has "adopted" these two kittens. She guards over them and protects them from any perceived danger....real or imagined. She's a riot. So what better place to put these two babies than on Bella's blog!

Meet Lucy & Ami. Believe it or not, they're sisters!
Lucy is a lynx point Siamese mix. Ami is a black& gray tabby.
They were just dropping off to sleep when I shot this.

They were born May 22nd and lost their mother after only five days. They've been in foster care ever since and are bottle fed. Being just 4 weeks old they're still not interested in eating on their own. They're growing & coming along beautifully and now use the litter box.

If you're looking for stripes, Ami is the one. She's slightly smaller than her sister.




Lucy's coloring is interesting; gray underneath and on her legs, tail and ears.

If you have any questions let me know
mycarolina@carolina.rr.com

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Bella and the Kittens

I took in two orphaned kittens when they were just six days old. They're now 4 weeks old. I bottle feed them and am hoping that soon they'll start eating. Guess who loves them? Bella! She "guards" them, won't let any other pet near them, gives them baths and lets them do anything they want.

Bella: No Longer Up for Adoption

Update: she's no longer looking for a home. She's staying with me. I just couldn't uproot her and put her through a major, total change.

A great home came along a few weeks ago. My concern was what would it do to Bella making the change. She'd adjust but I was afraid some of her spark would go out. After living her whole life in an above-ground wire cage she was finally experiencing a real life; a dog's life.

She's happy, playful, healthy (amazing what good food will do) and is very easy to live with. She's not a big barker either. How nice is that! When she "smiles" you can see her gums where her teeth either fell out or were pulled during her dental but that doesn't bother her a bit. She still chews on bones & toys and eats with no trouble at all.

Please, when you or anyone you know is considering adding a dog to your home, stay away from "puppy stores". Most get their stock from puppy mills, just like where Bella was rescued from. They're purely money making operations without a care in the world for the well-being of the dogs. Bella is one of the lucky few. If it hadn't been for caring neighbors phoning in to animal control about the abuse she and the others would still be there.

Check your local shelters. You'd be amazed how many purebred dogs end up in shelters waiting for someone to take them home.

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Bella is up for adoption

It's hard to imagine Bella leaving but I know when that perfect home comes along I'll be okay with it. She'll have to be adopted out to a home in the Charlotte area. The reason is that whoever adopts Bella will have to come here to meet her first. It might even take two visits.

I need for Bella to know and be familiar with whoever is going to adopt her. Prior to coming here Bella's life was one of pure hell; utter neglect. She was fed enough to keep her alive and breeding. Now she's rehabilitated. She's house trained, loves her toys, chews on bones, gets along well with other pets and is a very happy girl. My home is all she knows.

It would be a huge betrayal to just hand her over to someone she doesn't know. To say it would confuse her is an understatement. I won't do that to her.

If you or anyone you know is interested in adopting Bella, feel free to send me an email. Click here: Bella

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Update on Bella

She didn't go to the home that we thought she would. So she's still with me. Not that I mind; she's turned out to be a great dog. Once she had the 5 rotten teeth pulled she had a noticeable change in her personality. Makes sense when you think about it. I can only imagine the discomfort she was in. Now she's actually peppy, plays with my dog and overall is a happy, sweet girl.

Here's what she looks like now. She always keeps her toys with her.

Quite a change from the frightened, shell of a dog that came here 3 months ago.

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Final Update

I've been remiss in not keeping this blog up to date and for that I apologize. Now to give you the news on Bella and the puppies.

The two little boys went together to a great home. The girls also went to great homes. One little girl, now named Lucy, went to a home with a resident dog so she'll never be without a playmate. The last puppy, now named Daisy, has been adopted into a home with another small dog. Daisy goes to work every day with her new mom and is good as gold all day long. What a life!

Today Bella was spayed. She also got a dental and had to have 5 teeth pulled. We weighed her at the vet's office: 14 pounds. When I first got her, 3 months ago, she weighed 11 pounds and that was two weeks before she had her puppies. When I think about the horrid conditions she came from and the utter lack of care, it's really a wonder any of her puppies made it.

We can only imagine Bella's fate had animal control not confiscated her and all the others on that cold, winter day in December. How long could she go on breeding in her malnourished state with rotten teeth? Please don't hesitate to discourage people from buying puppies from fancy pet stores. Those dogs are bred solely for profit without a care in the world for the animal's well-being.

Bella has a family waiting for her. It will probably be next weekend and she'll go to her new home to live a life of comfort, great food and LOTS of love. Bella will have the life she deserves.

Here's Another Video

It took me a while but I finally got another video uploaded. In this one Bella wanted to chew her bone while one of the pups wanted to play with her. The other three were out of their bed playing. They're so cute now, tails wag all the time and they're starting to play with their toys.
The video is a bit dark & yellowish because it was taken at night.

It's Show Time

Two of the puppies started on solid food today. I took a video and after much trial & error managed to get it on-line so you could see it.
At first I put the food in a tiny saucer in the ex-pen. Bella walked over and the heck with maternal instinct, babies first etc. She dove in and ate all their food. So I put the two babies in the utility sink and tried again.
In the video are Vinnie and Rose. The other two aren't interested yet.

It's Time To Eat.......Well, Almost

The puppies are all doing well and gaining weight. Not tons of weight but a slow steady gain and that's good. Knowing Bella doesn't have a lot of milk, tonight I decided to offer formula in a tiny saucer to the pups. What a mess!

Here's Rose, the larger of the two girls:


She was sort of laying down, almost like if she were nursing:

Aren't her colors beautiful.

Then she tried it with one foot in the bowl and tried to lick it off the paper towel:


Rose had the most interest of the four pups. The boys, Vinnie and Paulie, just took a tiny bit.
Anna had a few laps too. Here's a picture I took of her this evening. Her coloring is a bit darker than Rose's. You can already see the hair growing up & fanning out above her nose.


To me they look like pure Shih-Tzu. I don't see anything else in them. Of course the only way to know for sure is a DNA test. Regardless, they're darling.

Last night at 1:45 I was awakened along with the entire house. I heard a puppy crying and knew immediately what had happened. One of the pups had crawled out of the bed, got "stranded" and had a fit. When I went into the kitchen Bella was just sitting there watching. She's pretty small and maybe the puppies are too big for her to pick up. So I put the puppy back to bed and then put myself back to bed!

This evening I saw a funny thing. Bella was outside of the bed when one of the puppies crawled right up to the edge of it. Bella went over and sort of pushed the puppy back. Pup turned around and stayed in bed. They're so cute and Bella is so good with them.

That's all for now. Hope you liked the new pictures.

Update on Bella & Pups

The puppies are now 16 days old. Eyes are open, ears up and they crawl around. Their time is spent eating and sleeping. They're still too young to play.

We have good news. One of the little girls has an approved home so is spoken for. Her new mom hasn't decided which girl. She wants to see what their personalities are. "Aunt Kelly" is very excited too. Plus there's Lilly who will be the sister/buddy/best dog friend for this lucky puppy. It's a great home.

Bella isn't producing enough milk so I supplement the pups with tube feedings. The minute they're 4 weeks old I'll start offering them food. They look good though and are healthy. No problems at all other than not enough milk from Bella.

Here's a picture I took of Bella today. She likes to take a break from the puppies and now feels comfortable enough to wander the house.
Sorry for the blur in the photo. She was moving or maybe it was that I didn't hold the camera still enough. I think she looks so much better than when she first came here. She's no longer worried or afraid. I guess you could say she's at home and has left the past behind.

Eyes Are Starting To Open

This morning when I picked up the smallest puppy to weigh her I looked at her face and there she was staring back at me! Her eyes had opened. I was so surprised. She now has a name: Anna. She's the smallest of the four.

By this evening the other girl, Rose, was starting to open her eyes. They boys? Well, maybe tomorrow.

Here's Anna. If you look closely you can see her open eyes. The fur around her eyes is dark and of course her eyes are too so it's kind of hard to see them. Her ears are still topsy-turvy: one up, one down. Isn't she cute.


Good night!

New Pictures

It's easy getting a picture of Bella. The puppies are another matter. They squirm but somehow I managed to get two of the boys and two of the girls.

First, here's Bella with her pups. I keep trying to trim the hair that grows up and covers part of her eyes but she's not having any of that.


Now, the boys:
You'll notice their ears are starting to drop. They're 11 days old now and right on schedule. In a couple days we should see their eyes open.



The girls:



Today two of them are up to a pound in weight. Actually one weighed 17 ounces. They're healthy as can be and doing great.

Keep checking back.....

The Puppies Continue To Gain Weight

Yay! Today they're 8 days old and doing great. This morning the smallest pup weighed exactly 11 ounces. The largest came in at 13.3 ounces. I weigh them twice a day on a digital kitchen scale. Weight gain is a key indicator of how they're doing. By keeping a close eye on it should things start going in the wrong direction I'll be right on top of it.

Bella is also doing great. She spends most of her time in the bed with her babies. When she wants to go out for her business she gets out of the bed and waits for me to come in the room. When she sees me she wags her tail & gets all excited. Considering her background I didn't know when she'd be house-trained. Would it take forever? No. Last week she finally "got it" and no longer does her business in the pen.

Today when Bella was outside she broke into a run; I mean a real loping run. I had the thought that I bet this is the first time she's ever been able to do that. When you're stuck living 24/7 in a wire cage exercise is no more than a distant dream. She's finding out that life can be good.

To be continued.......

Four Little Puppies Doing Very Well

Bella's four remaining puppies are doing well. Now that her milk has come in she's able to take care of their nutrition. That lets me off the hook. They didn't like the bottle and were very fussy about it. So for 3 days I was tube feeding all four to supplement what they got from Bella. All has gone according to plan........and prayers.

The coloring of the puppies is very pretty. They're white with brown. A couple have darker browns, the other two have lighter shades of brown. They're darling and getting pudgy. Their weights range from 10 - 11+ ounces now.

If Bella isn't laying with them they huddle.


To be continued......

R.I.P. Tony & Mella

Yes, we lost them both. Late last night within minutes of each other they both passed. It was apparent yesterday afternoon that these two puppies were not doing well. All was done that could be done but sometimes a higher power has the final word. They will be missed and at least we know they were loved and never spent a minute in a puppy mill.

First thing this morning I had Bella and the four remaining puppies at the vet's office. Needless to say, losing two at the same time spooked me so I wanted all the others checked out asap.

Bella is now on medication to help her produce more milk. In the meantime I'm supplementing all four puppies with the bottle. This evening "Aunt Maria" came over to help give Bella and the puppies fluids. IV fluids are given under the skin. This will keep them all well hydrated until Bella is producing more milk. Bella is very good about getting fluids. The puppies are another story. They're healthy & vigorous and would never stay still while getting poked with a needle.

I have to name these puppies. Maybe tomorrow.

Proud Mother

Her she is with her babies. There are only five babies in this picture. It was taken when Tony was getting his bottle.

"Aunt Maria" came by today with toys for Bella and the puppies. For now, the ones for the puppies are put up. In about a month, they'll be old enough to play with them.

I was noticing another puppy getting fussy while nursing. It's a girl with coloring similar to Tony's. She's now getting bottle fed to supplement her nursing. Her name is Carmella; we call her Mella for short.

The Runt

The runt is now called Tony Soprano. Compared to the others he's so tiny maybe this will help convince him he really is big and strong. A tough guy!

At birth he weighed 5.1 ounces, this morning 4.4 ounces. I expected a bit of weight loss but that's too much. I made up the goat's milk formula I use for bottle babies and started supplementing him. He took right from the bottle and drank 4.5 cc, nearly a teaspoon. Yeh! Then I gave some to Bella and she loved it.

Here's Tony:

He's so cute and tiny.

The others haven't been named yet because yours truly is having trouble telling them apart. I can sort of figure it out seeing as there are 3 girls and 3 boys. If they were all the same sex I'd be sunk.

All is well. Keep checking back.

The Puppies Arrived!

At 6:10 this morning the first one came along. By 9:20 all six were born.
The picture will crack you up. You'll see why:


Not a tan puppy in sight! I kept thinking "the next one" will be tan but Mother Nature had other ideas. Regardless, they're darling.

All are doing well. The runt weighed 5.1 ounces, the largest pup 7.5. Most came in around 7 ounces.

To be continued later when I've had some rest.

Bella Chimes In

Look at me. Do I look worried?

There I was chewing my bone, looked up and there was the camera. I'm fine. Sooner or later the puppies will arrive. I'll surprise everyone.

I was told "Aunt Maria" was asking about me and the puppies. To think I've gone from nobody in the world caring about me to having an aunt. What a life!

Keep checking back.

Food Fit For A King....Or A Queen

No puppies yet but the time is drawing near. Her temperature at noon was 97.9 She won't touch dog food yet looks hungry. This morning she wouldn't even get out of her bed until 10am. I was getting concerned so gave her some Ben & Jerry's vanilla ice cream. She loved it. The ice cream gives her liquids, protein and calcium. A hit!

By lunch she still wouldn't eat any dog food so I made her a scrambled egg with cheese. She ate. Again, loved it. Then she wanted to go out so we walked around the yard for about 15 minutes. When she finally sat down we went back inside.

Later this afternoon she had that hungry look to her. I tried a couple of dog treats which she normally loves. Wouldn't touch them. So I looked in the freezer and there were two fillet mignons that a friend gave me. Yes Debbie, I gave one to the dog; medium rare. Bella was out of her bed sniffing before that steak was even off the stove. She ate every bit. I would have taken a picture but it was gone before I had a chance to grab the camera.

I figure after her earlier life of total neglect a bit of pampering won't hurt a thing. And, good nutrition can only help Bella and the puppies.

It WILL be tonight, right?

Keep checking back.

Bella Has A New Bed

I realized the green bed she had wouldn't be big enough for all the puppies......when they finally arrive. A phone call to a couple rescue group members and voila, problem solved. One good thing about being part of a large group is that there's always someone who has what you need.

Marie brought over the bottom to a large carrying crate. It's perfect and Bella loves it. Have a look:


We're all thinking tonight should be the night. She is soooo big and getting uncomfortable, her temperature is down and she's lost interest in food.

Keep checking back for updates.

A Note From Bella

It won't be long. I'm big as a horse, or is it a house? I now waddle around and even one step to go outdoors is a big deal but somehow I manage to clear it.

I had a new experience. My mom gave me something I'd never seen before. It smelled divine, was big and looked like I could eat it. I had no idea what it was but boy was I excited. My tail even made those new movements that it never used to do. I heard my mom call it "wagging" and it made her very happy. She got her camera:


It's a BONE! A real bone with marrow and lots of good things on it to chew. I had the time of my life.

Oh, in that picture you can see how big I am. Today I'm not eating much food and have started scratching my blankets. I'm getting ready.

To be continued......

Donations Are Down

A huge thank you to those who have donated. Your help means more than you know. It makes it possible for us to keep rescuing homeless pets.

A sure sign of the economy is when our donations are down. And they are down. Please know that no amount is too small. Every $10 adds up. Even $5. It all helps.

When we take in homeless animals whether from a puppy mill or from a shelter where the pet is scheduled to be put to sleep or an owner has decided to give up their pet, we get all the vetting done before the pet is put up for adoption. All of it gets done. Your donations help to make this possible.

Bella has rotted teeth in the back of her mouth. After her puppies, when she's spayed she'll also get a dental.

None of the dogs that came from that puppy mill had received an ounce of care until they arrived at the UC shelter. None. One of the dogs had a huge hernia, another an eye problem, most of them have neglected teeth. Bella is due to have 6 puppies; there will be expenses involved with that.
All the dogs taken in, including the puppies to come, will receive whatever they need for their health. Your donations go directly to the pets care.

What do these things cost?
Rotting teeth: $500
Puppy care: $800
Free from a puppy mill & into a loving home: Priceless!

I'll post an update tomorrow.

There Will Be 6 Puppies!

Here's her x-ray. If you look real closely in the bottom right you'll see white lines. That's a puppy! You can make out the spine & head. And there's 5 more. We counted them all.

The vet gave her prenatal vitamins. Bella did great while at the vet's office. She wandered around on her leash checking things out. Must be quite a treat for her after spending her entire life in a wire cage. Those days are over!

Updates will continue.

Bella's Story

Bella is a rescue dog who came from a puppy mill. The conditions were so horrific that the Union County, NC animal control confiscated all the dogs at the end of December, 2008. In total, 27 dogs were taken and kept at the county shelter until the court made it's ruling on January 16th. Two of the dogs died from illness and one was being fostered by a shelter staff member. That left 24 dogs needing rescue.

After the judge gave custody to the county the dogs were given to a non-profit 501c3 organization.

Bella, a 4 year old Shih-Tzu, is pregnant. This is how she looked the first night I had her:

She'd arrived at the shelter so full of matts they had to call in a groomer to shave them off. There was no other way to clean her up.

You're probably wondering why she had a bandage on her leg. So was I. She had a gash on the back of her leg with puss so the following day I took her to the vet. After examining it the vet said she needed to go into surgery to have it cleaned out and stitched up.
This is how it looked once the vet got in there:

That's not the worst part either. The vet phoned after surgery to tell me she found Super Glue deep inside the wound! A puppy miller would do this instead of paying to take the dog to the vet. She was started on antibiotics and sent home.

It took four days before Bella wagged her tail. She was totally unsocialized and every time I'd touch her she'd nearly jump out of her skin. She's in a low ex-pen in the kitchen and that's become her safe haven.


She's sweet as they come and despite being so frightened she's never shown a hint of aggression. She loves her bed with her soft blankets. The "home" she had previously consisted of an above-ground wire cage with no bedding, no blankets; nothing at all for comfort.

Bella is coming along with her house training. It took over a week but now when I ask her if she wants to go out she'll come to the gate of the ex-pen.
Tomorrow it's back to the vet to have the stitches taken out. We'll also get an x-ray for a puppy count.

Until tomorrow........