Fielder’s Choice

It’s been a year this month since Pam and I added another member to the family.

To say Bella, our miniature Schnauzer, has fit right in at our house would be an understatement. In fact, after a year, she almost rules the place. At least she thinks so.

Bella eats well, sleeps well and plays well. She’s totally spoiled.

We feed her regular dog food. But somewhat weirdly, she only eats it when we’re watching and she doesn’t eat it directly out of the bowl.

She gets a few pieces out of the bowl, walks near where we’re standing or seated, drops the food in the floor and then eats. She repeats the process until she’s full.

And another part of the eating well is a bit of table food, too. No doubt, her favorite is pancakes.

We have those every Saturday, and she anxiously waits beside Pam’s kitchen chair, until we’re finished, knowing that she’s next.

But that’s not all. Bella pretty much gets a mixture of whatever we eat, be it when we’re at home for breakfast, lunch or dinner. She’s patient, but anxious, too, whether’s it’s steak, chicken, hamburger, bacon, whatever.

She’s well fed, but that doesn’t hamper her agility. The 11year-old still jumps into and out of chairs, and even makes the high jump into our bed and back down, too.

We’d tried doggy steps, but they didn’t work.

And running around the front yard is a favorite of her pastimes, too, plus leaping the monkey grass.

Bella sleeps well. During the day, while we’re at work, it’s typically on the couch or Erin’s new Papasan chair. Pam even has a monitor where she can check on her via her cell phone.

When I’m at home, watching TV, she doses off in my lap. And when it’s time for Pam and I to retire for the night, she’s right up there in the bed with us – and snoring, almost as loudly as myself.

Bella had previously spend 10 years with a family in Alabama. When we got her, through a Schnauzer rescue group in North Mississippi, we also got her favorite toy, a tiny stuffed monkey. Bella loves that monkey, We toss it down the hall. She retrieves it quickly in her mouth and starts shaking it rapidly – making it squeak and squeak some more.

She has many other toys we’ve purchased for her, but that somewhat worn-out monkey is no doubt her top toy. We even picked up a similar monkey for her on a recent road trip, but it’s not “the monkey.” I guess we have to try to find one with the same squeak.

Bella has become much more protective of her territory. She’s not particularly fond of visits by other dogs. And she certainly lets Pam and I know when anyone else comes anywhere close to the house.

She loves it when we get home. She’s always waiting at the garage door. She barks and barks and dances and dances. We have to reach down and rub her and calm her down.

The tiny, 12-pound dog has come a long way since we drove her to her new home a year ago as she trembled in fright in Pam’s arms.

Bella is a blessing for the Burlesons, even when she wakes me up too early in the mornings with a lick of the face.