Bella Lu Bella Lu Bella Lu Bellalujah...Bella the dog

Bella Lu, my parents dog, passed away this morning. My mom called yesterday morning and said that Bella had been up all night vomiting and she was taking her to the vet. She got the meds necessary for the time being but Bella just kept getting worse. By 530pm, my mom called and said that she needed to take Bella to an emergency vet. She was on the deck and wouldn't get up.

My mom and I took her there unsure as to what was going to happen. She ended being hospitalized and around 530am my mom got a call that sweet Bella was in kidney failure and they needed to know what to do. I picked up my mom and we went and said goodbye. My mom and I were able to hold her during and it was quite beautiful. The older I get and the more experienced I become with death, the more I realize that it isn't the worst thing in the world, in fact it can be quite beautiful when the time is right and love is surrounding the one passing. As she took what was probably her last breath I told her to go find her daddy and forever run at the dog park.

My parents got Bella right before I came home from the summer between my junior and senior year of college. I kind of hated the dog at first. She barked a lot, got a lot of attention from my parents and was just kind of needy. As the summer went on, my love for her grew. I had a hard summer. Many friendships I thought were strong began to fall apart, I was betrayed and stabbed in the back by one of my closest friends and I experienced something really painful while visiting friends back in Manhattan. Bella became a support to me. She would cuddle with me on the couch, sleep on my bed with me and let me talk to her about how hurt I was, how I didn't know if I wanted to go back to school and how I just wanted to find my place in the world. I really grew to become attached to that dog.

Bella has been in our family for the past 11 years. She was with my parents through rough patches with my brother. She was with my dad when he got laid off from his job and kept him company at the dog park many a nights. They became quite the dog park people, my dad knew everyone by name and really formed relationships with them. Bella was there when my dad got diagnosed with cancer. The night my dad died, my mom sent Bella back home with her parents. Later, when we talked about the exact timing of my dad's death we learned that Bella began howling at the window at that exact time. It was as though my dad's spirit passed by her telling her he would see her again.

It is interesting to me how much an animal becomes a part of your family. I have my own two dogs, Charlie and McGhee. And while most days they drive me absolutely crazy, I can't imagine my life without them. Henry calls them his best friends. Tannie and McGehee stare at each other- nose to nose and they both cuddle with us while we sleep. They are our family and a part of who we are.

Life will certainly be different without Bella Lu but I know with every ounce of my heart she is running through the dog park with my dad, rolling in the grass and eating as many treats as possible.

Until we meet again sweet girl.