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Our Eccentric Dog: A Guardian for Our Child
by Samantha L. Finley
Updated: Sep. 6, 2016
Originally Published: April 29, 2015
Allow me to introduce Bella, my clever, stunning (and honestly, quite beautiful) 21-pound mixed breed.
One Saturday morning a few years back, I was enjoying a lazy morning in bed with her—she was a tiny puppy, nestled against me. Outside, birds chirped merrily while sunlight streamed through the curtains. Suddenly, the bedroom door creaked open, and my then-boyfriend barged in, humorously raising his hand as if wielding a knife, channeling his inner Anthony Perkins from Psycho.
In response, Bella leaped up, straddled my neck, and faced him with a fierce bark. It was her first time barking, and she sounded like a full-grown Doberman. Her growls soon faded once she recognized him. That’s when the unmistakable odor hit us: three feet of liquid dog feces splattered across the wall.
“You’re cleaning that up,” I instructed, getting out of bed.
I felt conflicted about the whole situation. On one hand, I was proud of Bella for demonstrating her protective instincts. On the other hand, she had been so startled that she had literally lost control. After a few days, I put the incident behind me. Bella had her quirks, such as being timid around unfamiliar faces, but they seemed more like personality traits than issues. Besides, she was sharp and eager to learn. After mastering basic commands, we taught her to fetch and even play Frisbee like a champ. I also trained her to roll over, play dead, and to climb into a large tote bag that initially terrified her—another odd quirk—so I could take her into stores.
Despite her intelligence, by the time my daughter, Lily, arrived nearly two years later, Bella had developed quite a list of eccentricities. She was scared of dumpsters, canopies, and flags, and at dog parks, she preferred obsessively chasing her Frisbee over socializing with other dogs.
However, her years of anxiety had transformed into a somewhat aggressive protectiveness, which manifested as barking and lunging when meeting new people. She barked at familiar faces too—neighbors, friends, and even family members. While we could handle it, Bella’s behavior was intimidating to newcomers and children, making her seem rather unfriendly. My partner, Mark, and I invested years trying to train her to stop this behavior, yet she steadfastly ignored the simple command of “Quiet!”
As Bella continued her vocal crusade, our daughter, now 5, entered a phase of being terrified of monsters and the dark. The peaceful bedtime routine we once enjoyed, which included occasional streaming TV and the odd romantic interlude, was gone.
We found ourselves perplexed, juggling the stress from two small beings in our home. One day, Mark remarked, “Do you know Lily has been asking why she has to sleep alone when we all sleep together … even Bella?” He had a point; it was an evident injustice. With a sigh, he proposed, “What if we let Bella sleep with her?”
The first night, we braced for a fight. However, when we called Bella in, she curled up in her dog bed without hesitation, as if she understood that her new responsibility was to protect Lily. Both Lily and Bella slept soundly through the night for over six months, restoring our evening tranquility.
That was until just a couple of weeks ago. Minutes after we closed Lily’s door one night, Bella began to whine, scratch at the door, and emit high-pitched yelps.
“Mommy! Daddy!” Lily called out. “Bella is keeping me awake.” We exchanged knowing glances.
“We understand, sweetie. Bella is just going through some … issues.” In essence, we felt overwhelmed. Exhausted from work and parenting, we were at our wits’ end.
Then, out of the blue, Mark had a brilliant idea. At bedtime, he told Lily, “If Bella gets out of her bed and scratches at the door tonight, I want you to firmly tell her to go back to bed and stay.”
“But she won’t listen to me,” Lily replied doubtfully.
“She will if you’re assertive,” I added.
“Okayyy,” she agreed, though clearly not convinced.
Minutes later, Mark and I settled in the living room, sipping our drinks while watching a show, nervously awaiting Bella’s antics. When they began, we leaned into the monitor, holding our breath. Then we heard it—Lily’s voice, adorable yet assertive.
“Bella, go to your bed. Go to your bed.” A pause followed. “Stay.”
And Bella complied.
We are still puzzled about what triggered Bella’s recent episode. Living with her is a continual blend of chaos and comfort. Ultimately, I realized that Bella was not just protecting Lily; she needed reassurance in return. Who would have imagined that our dog required a sense of security from our child too?
This article was originally published on April 29, 2015. For more insights, you might explore this resource on pregnancy and home insemination or check out this useful guide on at-home insemination kits from an authority on the subject. Additionally, you can find more stories on our related blog post.
Summary
This article narrates the amusing and heartwarming relationship between a protective dog named Bella and her young owner, Lily. Bella’s protective instincts led her to bark at strangers and display anxious behaviors, which were eventually mitigated by her newfound role as Lily’s nighttime guardian. The family learned to navigate the complexities of life with a quirky dog and a spirited child, discovering that their bond was mutual, with both needing reassurance from one another.