#87 - Belle, The Yorkie Baby

The little Yorkie we rescued is so precious! My daughter, Stefie, has taken this dog under her nurturing wings and helped the dog to find a loving home where she can be adored.

On Monday, Stefie took the Yorkie to the veterinarian for her shots and a check-up.

The following day, Tuesday, Stefie took the Yorkie to the groomers for her make-over! We dropped "Belle" off at the groomers, then Stefie and I went to Target for a couple of hours. We spent an inordinate amount of time looking at DVD's, CD's and Books. Stefie and I love to read. There were too many books we both wanted, so we had to move out of that section.

It's amazing that we two gals can browse, and browse, and browse, and have so much fun while spending only $20.00 at check-out...a Shirley Temple classic movie collection with 4 DVD's, a Coke to share, a Snickers bar for Stefie to snack on, a spiral notebook for Stefie, Advil PM for us insomniacs, and one tube of eye-liner. Man, we are crazy shoppers! And it took us two hours to pick out those few items, but we had a ton of fun looking around as the pick-up time for Belle approached.

We picked up Belle from the groomers. When we first walked in the door and saw her new look, we were puddles of mush. She was more cute than we imagined she could be. Her face received what is called a "puppy cut," but the rest of her body was so matted from the neglect she had experienced that they said it could not be brushed out, so she needed to have her entire body shaved. Stefie had told the groomer to do what was necessary for Belle to experience the least amount of pain.

So, she is a brand new little doggie. The vet said she was still in her puppy stage, only about two years old at the max and her anxiety level has already been greatly reduced since she's been with us this first week.

The groomer said that she did not believe the dog had ever been groomed properly. She certainly had not been taken care of and we could not brush out the matted hair since it was in such severe knots. So, we're thankful that she is free of the tangles. In fact, she's better able to move around and be her happy self because the hair is no longer pulling tightly against her skin.

Belle sleeps with Stefie every night. When Stefie goes to her college classes, Belle runs around the house looking for her in a little panic. Then, she'll come settle down beside me. In such a fast period of time, Belle has become extremely attached to Stefie, and I am so thrilled.

Yorkie's are the perfect dog for people with allergies because these dogs shed minimally. That means that this dog can indeed go upstairs to her bedroom that is carpeted and this dog can sleep on Stefie's bed because there will not be a pile of hair left behind when the dog jumps down. It is so wonderful to be able to snuggle with a little dog and not get a nose full of dog hair.

On Wednesday, since Stefie was on a roll with taking care of her new dog, she went to Petsmart and bought her a squeaky toy and a Pink-Blinged-Out dog tag. This dog is set!

Stefie gave her the squeaky toy to play with and she went to town "killing" it. Deputy Dave, me and Stefie stood there laughing hysterically as we watched Belle frantically chomping down on the toy so that it made quick, rapid bursts of squeaking sounds that we didn't believe was possible to make.

http://youtu.be/-KOyCMogA38

Howdy has been sure to display his status as "A" dog, but he's been BEYOND patient with Belle and is even playing with her every day. They make quite a pair --- the huge Australian Shepherd and the little Yorkie taking turns play biting each other's neck. Howdy will lie down and let her play bite his neck and she can barely get a grip because of the huge mane of hair around his neck. It's quite comical.

When I sit on the sofa and Belle tries to sit next to me, Howdy jumps up and puts his ENTIRE body against mine to block me from the Yorkie being able to get to me. I'm part of his sheep, so he's still trying to figure out how to share me. Often, I just have to remind him about who the REAL "A" dog in this house during the day...it's Mama.

Anyway, she is a bundle of adorable sweetness. I'm so glad Belle is here with us, even though I didn't want any more dogs...she is loved, happy and secure. She's now a part of our family and she's Stefie's little baby. And, I must say, having Belle for her baby is much better than one that requires diapers and formula, so all is wonderful here at the house!