From Junk Yard Dog to Couch Potato

Bella is as sweet as she can be and such a happy girl.  She doesn't just walk, she prances.  She is always smiling.  I know it sounds weird, but I swear to it.  She is an itty bitty thing, weighing in at a mere 26lbs.  Granted, she is way too skinny, but even when she reaches a healthy weight she will be abnormally small.  Her peanut size has earned her the nickname "Midgy."  Perhaps she was the runt or maybe she didn't get enough nourishment in the time of her life that she was suppose to be growing and developing.  I am also quite sure that she has already had a litter, so that didn't help her either.  The pregnancy and nursing likely drained her body even further.  Puppies shouldn't have puppies!  She must not have been more than 8 months old when she gave birth.  I know they lived at least for a while, but I doubt anyone even saw the pups.  I can only hope that someone stumbled upon them and brought them to safety.  From what I have been told about the area she came from, odds are they weren't so lucky.   

See how skinny!

Every bone in her body sticks out.

Coming from a junk yard, Bella has never known the luxury of inside.  Like so many before her, she shied from entering the house.  Unlike some of the others however, it took her only hours to become totally comfortable being a house dog.  The couch is her preferred place to be.  We will even find her there all by herself, when the rest of us are outside.  I imagine she figures that she has spent enough of her life in the elements and is now quite content to leave them behind. 

Of course she got a nice, long, warm bath and I bought her a shiny new pink collar with jewels. She looked so proud when I put it on her. She was sick of being dirty! She likes to fancy!

So far, she has been such an easy dog.  I was expecting worse, given her history.  She understands to potty outside, does fine in a crate, rides calmly in the car, and sleeps quietly through the night.  All of these things were a pleasant surprise.  She already has all of the skills to be a great family member.  She just needs a little fine tuning.  Of course she has never had any training and the leash is totally foreign to her, but that kind of training is the easy part.  She is very eager to please and seems smart so I think she will learn quickly. 

Her physical issues are my main concern at this point.  Although she was de-wormed at the shelter, she still has tapeworms, which are causing her some GI upset (not fun for either one of us).  The meds I ordered should be here today.  I'm going to bring her in to my vet and get another heart worm test done, just to be sure that the shelter didn't make a mistake saying she was positive.  Fingers crossed that they did!  We need to get her healthy soon as she is proving to be miss popularity.  Once we got some new pictures of Bella on Petfinder, THREE applications came in on her the very first day!  I am shocked, but very glad that people can look past her imperfections.  I kind of thought she was a dog a person would have to meet to truly appreciate.  I guess I was wrong about little Midgy!

Pint sized!

There's that smile!