In Loving Memory Of Bella
Bella and Lisa
Life often takes unexpected turns, and Bella's journey is a testament to the twists of fate that sometimes lead to the most heartwarming outcomes. Rescued by California GSP Rescue, Bella arrived in their care with fragile health and a history of challenges but was eventually nursed back to health and adopted. While separations can be harsh on pets, Bella's story unfolded differently, ultimately proving to be a tale of resilience and newfound love. Lisa, Bella's devoted owner, shares her heartfelt memorial, a touching tribute to the extraordinary bond they shared.
“I have started writing this update so many times, and each time didn’t know where to begin. Bella was my heart dog. Plain and simple.
She showed up on my doorstep with my ex. He adopted her several years ago from your organization and when we rekindled a previous relationship, he was a package deal. What I didn’t know at the time was the amount of PTSD and trauma that he had suffered in the Navy over the years we were apart, and he was not the same person. Bella was his “support animal” but in actuality she was terrified of him. She would sit on her bed and shake and cower when he entered a room. The relationship didn’t last long and ended when he lunged at Bella with his hands around her throat and I knew that I couldn’t leave Bella with him. So we set off on a journey together 9 years ago and she absolutely became the love of my life.
Bella was the most gentle, easygoing, lovable soul dog. She and I traveled to over 15 states together (and Canada!) in my job. She would travel with me and make friends at daycares across the country, spend the night in the best hotels on the bed next to me, and eat outside at restaurants always with her own special treats off the menu. She was the best “road dog” and loved going to the beach – so when it was time for vacation –that’s what we did – drive 10 hours to the beach so she could play in the ocean, or sit on the sand and just stare into the waves like she was meditating. We sometimes would switch it up and go to the mountains, where she would sit and stare out into the sunset across the forest like she was searching for peace or maybe for the answers to life’s questions.
I couldn’t even decide what photos to send of Bella – there are literally thousands. I would take pictures of her on all of our journeys…and she would have her own photo shoots with photographers for different seasons or occasions. She had tubs of clothes – sweaters, coats, costumes – her favorite being one when she dressed up in a jean jacket and blond wig for Madonna in the 1990’s --- the blue eye shadow lingered on her white fur for days after Halloween! She had photo shoots in some of the best hotels in the country in Christmas dresses… she always saw Santa (multiple locations each year) and the Easter Bunny. Several trips to DC included photos at all of the monuments, sunset boat rides, you name it. She drove with me 6 hours each way to my graduation to get my doctorate – I didn’t want to go without her. She would tolerate dog events all over the Midwest – Halloween parties, summer luaus, dog festivals of any kind. She would go to pumpkin patches and apple orchards and tolerate photo shoots. In fact, she would see me raise my cell phone up to take a picture and would immediately sit and pose – first looking off to the side and then looking right at the camera. Roadtrips were planned not only around dog parks for her to try out, but also landmarks and fun photo opportunities along the way – she was well-versed in the quick pullovers to jump out of the car and take a pic and back in the car.
She never barked unless she wanted you to throw her tennis ball or share whatever snack you were eating. She didn’t know a stranger – I don’t even know if she knew how to growl because she never did to me, children, other animals or anyone else. For a dog that clearly had a rough start and was clearly abused by her last adopter, she was soulfully trusting. I never saw her shake again when it became her and I. She was so well-trained and never ever had an accident in the house until this summer when her health failed her, and never destroyed anything of mine and could be trusted in the house. She was rarely left alone though – she went on every errand with me, and if Bella wasn’t welcome – I didn’t go. I was fortunate to work from home and Bella literally laid at my feet (in one of her many dog beds), and was known as my “Chief Wellness Officer” – and a frequent visitor on Zoom by popular request from my colleagues.
Bella beat the odds to the point that her vet never knew exactly what to think about her. She had a rough road in those nine years – she had several teeth removed right away because they were broken and damaged from her previous life, immediately got canine flu and kennel cough, had two bumps surgically removed from a leg that ended up being non-cancerous, but even that surgery required us staying at a hotel for 6 days because she couldn’t do steps and at that time I lived on the 3rd floor. She quickly became the favorite guest of the hotel with housekeeping, maintenance and even the manager coming to visit her and bring treats. In August 2021 a vet suspected she had mammary cancer and advised I put her to sleep. The worst was in December 2021. She wasn’t feeling well and the vet found that she what she believed was a hemangiosarcoma. One vet told me to take her home and she would die in the next few days from bleeding, but in the meantime, we gave her as many medications to help stop internal bleeding. Then a second vet said she was confident she could remove Bella’s spleen so on Christmas Eve 2021 she underwent surgery to remove the spleen, one of her mammary glands (turns out it was NOT cancer), and several lymph nodes. The vet said that hemangiosarcomas are almost always malignant in which case I would have only bought her a little more time. Turns out – it was benign! After her splenectomy, she had so many lumps and bumps everywhere because her body couldn’t fight them off – but that’s ok – I just became as knowledgeable as possible about how to take care of her and we managed. No matter the cost, it was worth it….even a little more time was worth any amount of money I could pay. She was my family.
Finally, in June 2023 she started to have such bad arthritis she couldn’t walk well at all and it quickly went downhill. Despite MRIs and trying to figure out what was causing her problems with balance and walking, she eventually stopped being able to even get up from her bed on her own. So we adapted – we got a harness and a wagon and could help her up and still manage to her to the beach and several other road trips this summer and make sure her needs were always tended too.
I also had a happy ending in the past four years when I met a wonderful person who was not a dog person but was a self-pronounced “Bella person”. She quickly wrapped him around her paw and he grew to love her more than he imagined. As a pilot, he would often fly us to destinations for day trips and this summer we did “Takeoff Tuesdays” with Bella. We knew our time with her was growing to an end – and we would fly her in a small plane with her stretched out across the back seat and looking out the window – to enjoy day trips to places like Put in Bay, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana for lunch. She would ride in her wagon and still love the adventure and time with her people. I was getting married on September 7th and picked a pet-friendly place so that she could be part of my wedding – I should also add – during my time with Bella I lost both of my parents and had no other family – she was my family… my best friend… my purpose so I didn’t want to do anything without, especially something so important. But by the beginning of August a voice told me that she wouldn’t make it that long – I saw her lose weight despite making her meals and treats everyday and I saw her glint in her eyes start to slowly dim. My girls sugar face got whiter and whiter that she was almost unrecognizable from earlier pictures. So, I contacted a photographer from the Tilly Project to do a special photo shoot with my girl at home – I wore my wedding dress and had pictures with her.
On August 15, I took her to the vet because I wanted to make sure she wasn’t in pain. The vet didn’t believe she was in any pain but told me she thought that was the day to put her to sleep. She left the room to give me a minute, and my fiancé saw a treat jar. The two of them had bonded of the love of snacks over the years and so he said “Look Bella – there is a snack” and she immediately rallied…so much so that when the vet came back in she was speechless. She said Bella is so strong-willed and always defies the odds – so who was she to decide that was the day… Bella had clearly decided it was not. So we took her home and took her for walks in the wagon and loved on her for the next five days. On August 20th, a lazy Sunday summer day, I just spent the entire morning holding her and loving on her and thanking her for being my best friend. She barked and wanted to go outside and once we did she went to her favorite spot in the yard and fell over struggling to breathe. I gathered her in my arms and sat in the grass and held my girl as she took her last breath in the shade of her favorite tree. Her last selfless gift was to not have me make the difficult decision to put her to sleep – she did it on her own terms and when she had nothing left to give.
On September 7th I still married and Bella was there in spirit… the photos from our forget me not photo session were there, along with a beautiful pearl and crystal collar bought just for the occasion. I think the thing that broke my heart even more was that the seamstress who altered my dress knew how special Bella was to me, and made a “wedding dress” just for her to wear, designed exactly like mine, and made into a harness just like Bella had to wear everyday. I never got to even put it on her – it was finished too late.
Even five weeks later, I still can’t process and believe Bella is gone. I miss her everyday and can’t bring myself to move her beds or her bowls. I’m at peace with the fact that I know without a doubt she had a great life when we met, and I can’t even being to explain how much she gave me. I was never alone with her in my life– even driving in the car now is hard because she isn’t in her backseat bed along for the ride. I haven’t eaten an entire meal by myself in I don’t know how long because everything was shared with her. It gives me peace that I had the extra gift of nearly 19 months with her when everyone else was ready to give up on her… two more Christmases, many more trips to the beach just for her, lots more snuggles and kisses, and it really made me want to do something special with her every single day. Even watching her age and grow weary, she still gave love in return and was such a strong girl and I am so grateful that I was able to hold her, comfort her and give her kisses as she died and tell her how very loved she was.
Thank you for not giving up on Bella…. I don’t know the whole story of her rescue and wish I did, but when I see the pictures from her on your page it is so bittersweet – I wish I knew her life story but part of me is glad I don’t and that I only know where our love story began. I wish she didn’t have to suffer to get to that point and I wish I had come into her life when she was younger and because she deserved nothing less than an amazing life. But I hope that my love and the memories helped her forget the hard parts – I know that she certainly has helped me do that in my own life.
I wish I could send a million pictures of her – they are all my favorite but here are some…..
With love and gratitude for all you do,
Lisa –Chiles aka Bella, Bella Boo, Belly, Lovebug, Sweet Girl, Bella Marie’s momma”
Let's take a moment to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Lisa for generously sharing Bella's touching story. Her unwavering love and dedication gave Bella the life she deserved and needed, and their bond serves as a poignant reminder of the extraordinary connections that can be forged through adoption. Stories like Bella's remind us of the profound impact we can have when we open our hearts to rescue animals
