Coco and Bella

The adopted Havanese dogs, Coco and Bella, have been in their new home for two months and are making progress on adapting to new people and a new environment. Each has gained almost one pound and both have adapted to their new meal times and special food for small dogs, so progress is being made!

Coco

Coco is still frightened of wearing a leash and seems to associate it with punishment. She is never really comfortable with it on, but she does like walking, and treats everything as something she has never seen before: things like leaves on the ground (WHOOPS! What's that!), grass (Ewww!), and wet earth (Ewww..Ewww!)

She is much more comfortable with us now and does not cower and tremble in fear when we reach down for her and that is a big improvement.

^Coco
She still seems concerned when I look at her for more than a few seconds, something bad is going to happen, so I have to be careful and try not to seem threatening. She is so small, adult people must look like giants to her, and I am convinced that some male in the past has not been gentle with her.

She loves being combed, even though she does not need it since her hair was all cut off after she was rescued. Neglect was responsible for that having to be done because her coat was in a terrible condition. To her, combing seems to be a gentle affection; something else that seems to be new to her.

Coco has a few physical problems; one being an underbite that makes her bottom jaw protrude, and another with her front "elbows" not bending quite right. They seem to have been injured and grew a bit crooked over the years.

Her hobby seems to be sleeping next to me when I sit on the sofa, and next to my feet on the bed at night.

Bella

Bella, Coco's sister, came with her name that means 'beautiful' in Latin.

She is full of energy for an eight year-old, and she and Coco have a complicated, dance-like procedure they go through when beginning to play. They also prefer to take naps together in the same one dog bed instead of being separated in two adjacent, identical beds.

Bella is also afraid of walking on leaves and pine needles. She has developed a fascination with small frogs even if it does hop backwards when she puts her nose on it and it jumps forward.

^{Bella and her new Best Person in the World, Swan.}

Bella loves women and will head for them to get acquainted. She ignores me. The previous owner was a woman who died suddenly, leaving Bella and Coco in the hands of relatives who then passed them on until someone turned them in to a shelter. Bella is trying to readjust to her new one-and-only person. She is doing quite well, too.

Bella's most astonishing achievement has been to learn (or, to remember) how to run! Her life must have prevented that kind of experience until I ran with her on a leash. At first, her feet were not cooperating in developing the correct placement for going fast but she got her groove back, running until she was spending half her time in the air! It was wonderful to see her get it right and begin running faster and faster, tongue hanging out, and trying to leap higher with every bound!

That was a wonderful thing to see happen! When we slowed and stopped, she ran in a circle and barked with pure joy!

When we got home, Bella ran through the house, barking and getting Coco to play chase for the first time...maybe even in dog forever.

finis

^{Photos by me}

Comments from real people are welcomed.

About Me:

• About Me
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My Writing:

• Losing Shirley
• Jules, Freddie and the Monkey Man
• The Foot
• Beans
• Timeline
• The Time Tree
• The Little Lake Without a Name I
• The Little Lake Without a Name II
• Dog Friends – Inza
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Will