It’s two years since Bella came to live with us and she has come on leaps and bounds so I thought it was time to do an update. Here’s my first post about when we first brought Bella home. I remember reading a post about a rescue breeders dog that sounded just like Bella and the owner said it took about two years for his dog to finally come out of her shell and I think that’s about right.

When she came to us she wouldn’t come in the main house (we had to take her round the house on a lead wherever we went for a couple of weeks ) she only ate when we were in bed and didn’t ‘do’ treats at all. She didn’t like doorways or gateways or walking close to us if our legs were crossed. She had never been lead walked or come across traffic. She shrank back with any sudden movement and certainly wouldn’t approach for a fuss. So yes officially she was a rehome, but in reality she was a rescue!

This was Bella in November 2023…

She is still timid and can startle herself very easily, but she has so much more confidence than when she arrived. She will eat when we’re around now but still backs off if we approach her. She is much happier and more confident outside such as on walks, she loves what we call her freedom runs and zoomies. Yesterday she was very happy as her favourite puddle finally returned to the old cricket pitch. She spent five minutes having zoomies into the water!

Inside our home she has her safe spots, the sofa in the conservatory is hers, but she also has a corner in my sewing room, another in my OH’s office. She still needs encouragement to join us on an evening in the lounge.

When she first arrived I said we would have cracked it with her when she lay on her back and wriggled. This summer she finally did just that on the lawn in the garden, even allowing us to do belly rubs. She still wouldn’t do it in the home but that’s huge progress.

In the last couple of months she has finally started taking treats from our hands, she’s better at this outside on walks, needing a lot of encouragement at home and even then she sometimes just won’t take it.

She is greatwalking both on and off the lead when I hold the lead up she sits and waits for me to walk up and put it on. She seems to understand when I put the lead on due to a potentially unfriendly dog as she sits for it to be removed as soon as we pass them! She doesn’t pull on the lead any more, or at least she doesn’t with me, she seems to understand that with me (due to balance issues) she mustn’t pull.

She is a gorgeous dog with a very gentle personality, we are hoping to get a puppy in the summer as we think that having a friend will bring her out of her shell even more.