Bella
Name Bella
Gender Female
Age ~9 years old (As of 3/14/2024)
Breed Thai Ridgeback
Weight 45lbs.
Dog She does pretty well especially with small dogs, she's curious and excited, but stimulated at first. Bigger dogs, if they get up in her space, she'll get snappy but they are like warning "air snaps". If they leave her alone, she leaves them alone. She is a "follower" not really a leader and does especially well with calm, secure dogs who she can look to for cues. Especially good for helping Bella trust people - meaning if you go to pet the other dog, Bella will want to come over for pets too. She has exposure to other dogs when the house sitter brings her dogs over, and does fine - we keep the "guest" dog separated when the human is at work, but that's just an abundance of caution.
Cat Good with cats
Kids Small kids would probably make her tense. Older, like late teens would be fine if they are calm/not too rambunctious.
Crate-trained N/A
Housebroken Yes
Leash Yes. She can be a little nervous when you approach her to put her harness on, but we can show her new person how to do this successfully. We don't really walk her because of her physical disability, but sometimes she needs to be leashed like to go to the vet, etc. We have a few pointers for how to pick her up to get her in the car - she can be a little jumpy on that front.
Behavioral Bella still carries some tension and wariness about people due to her history of abuse before arriving in our home. So, behaviorally, she can get growly or "act out" when people around her are loud/scary/rambunctious or sneak up on her. She hates being startled. So for example, if she's eating, we don't walk up behind her where she's vulnerable. She doesn't like being touched unexpectedly, or touched on top of her head, on her belly, or on her rump, unless she is calm/relaxed (like snuggling in bed with us). These behavior issues are pretty easily managed, by talking to her (to avoid startling her), being mindful of how you are moving around her so you don't appear threatening, and generally just being patient and calm. Her other habit is she will chew up her dog bed if she's bored or left alone all day. We've managed this by purchasing a tuff bed from K9 Ballistics.
Location Fostered in Sacramento, CA
Bella was rescued off the highway in Taipei in January 2018. She was feral and had to be sedated to capture her. Her collar was embedded and she showed signs of severe abuse. After getting her embedded collar removed, she spent almost a year in foster learning that people are not going to hurt her any more. She learned to tolerate touch and getting her harness on. Bella came to her home in November 2018. Since then she has really opened up and learned how to trust her new family, she even approaches them to demand affection, and has learned to sit, learned the words “cookie” and “touch”. She is treat motivated, but she can be a bit picky about food. Because of her history, they have had to be VERY patient and study/respect her boundaries.
Bella is very smart. She is cheeky, playful, and sweet when she trusts you. She is not a very active dog and would be great in a calm home. She is not a dog for someone who wants a running or hiking partner, she is a couch potato. Because of her history, she can also be wary of strangers and can express her fear by snarling/growling, in which case we just try to sweet-talk her and soothe her. Bella likes to be petted and given affection on her terms, and when she wants it, she can be quite demanding in a very cute way by coming over and nuzzling her nose under your hand. She doesn’t like when people come up behind her, tower over her, or extend their hand to pet her on top of her head (you need to squat down to her level and extend your hand palm-side up and let her approach). Generally, her adopter should treat her carefully, like she’s been abused, because she was. She just needs a patient and gentle touch.
In 2021, she was diagnosed with bilateral Achilles tendon ruptures (both legs) and underwent surgery. The vet said these injuries were old, probably from before she was rescued. Her home did their best to rehabilitate her over the next year, but unfortunately, the injury reappeared in 2023 and while the vet was able to treat her with some injections, Bella now permanently wears custom fiberglass orthotics on both back legs. These orthotics require her home to handle her about once a week to take them off, examine her legs for “hot spots”, and change the foam padding (there are 2 sets that we swap back and forth). We have tips for handling her to do this care and can provide a tutorial to her new family. She does very well and is very happy in her “boots.”
A single story home would be best for her, although she easily manages a small number of stairs, like to go out in the backyard or go up and down from the porch. She is an inside dog and wouldn’t do well in a home where she was left outside a lot. Overall, while Bella is not for someone who wants a “cuddly” lap dog, she is one of the best pets and she is totally worth the effort. The ideal home would be: an adult home (2 or more people or a single person who has access to help for orthotic changes), a secure non-reactive dog-sibling for Bella to follow for cues/trust, a home where the people work remotely part-time or are retired, a single-story home (no steep apartment stairs!), and a home with a backyard for Bella to lay out in the sun and relax. She doesn’t require long walks or a lot of exercise. A home with a person who understands dog behavior and would be savvy with Bella’s triggers would be ideal. Bella is patiently waiting!
