Bella's Boxer Shorts

A Trip to DogTown

So, you know how I'm writing a book and interviewing lots of cool people? Well, a few weeks ago I chatted with Mimi Ausland. Mimi's the 12-year old who started www.freekibble.com to help feed hungry shelter animals (click on the button at the top of my blog, answer the trivia question of the day, and ten pieces of kibble get donated to hungry cats and dogs. You don't even have to get the right answer! How cool is that?!?)

Anyway, I love Mimi and if I ever get to meet her in person, I will jump up and cover her with slobbery boxer kisses and nobody can stop me. Hmmmmm, what was the point here? Oh, I know...Mimi told me that she spent her Spring Break at a place called the Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. I had never heard of it before, but I learned even more when the National Geographic Society sent me a copy of their new book, DogTown: Tales of Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Redemption, and asked if I would do a canine review.

I said "sure," and found out that DogTown is the Best Friends' shelter in Utah that gives rescued dogs a second chance at life. Some of the dogs come from puppy mills and hoarders, and many have been traumatized and abused.

One dog named Georgia even came from the dog fighting operation run by Michael Vick, or as I like to call him, Michael Ick.

Well, I have to tell you that some of the stories are hard to read. My eyes got all watery and I had to hide out in my crate for a while, pretending that I had "seasonal allergies." But overall, it's a real heart warmer and I'm giving it two paws up (which is my highest rating, since I can't really balance myself on three paws and four paws would mean that I've learned how to levitate, in which case the first thing I would do is to levitate myself up onto the kitchen counter).

Tell your humans to get a copy for Christmas. It is available wherever books are sold, including Amazon (and hopefully my own best seller will be up there soon!).

xoxo - Bella

P.S. Mom wants everybody to know that a portion of the proceeds from the book will benefit the Best Friends Animal Society, which is a 4-star charity according to Charity Navigator.

A Call for Soccer Balls

Adam Bacher is a very talented guy here in Portland who also does cool humanitarian work in Rwanda. In fact, he's leaving for Africa again on November 8th and he's trying to collect 100 soccer balls to take with him to give to the kids of Rwanda. The balls don't have to be new, either....so if you have some that are gathering dust in your garage and want to donate them, send me an e-mail and I will give you the details. (If you're in Portland, Adam can pick them up; otherwise you can deflate them and mail them to him, but hurry---Adam is leaving in just two weeks.)

I wish that I could go along because I am a VERY good soccer player...

xoxo - Bella

Give a Dog a Bone (GADAB)

Well, Mom and Dad made good on their threat to pull the plug on cable television which means NO MORE T.V.!! Now that the shock has worn off, I have to admit that I don't miss it very much. The morning and evening news, especially, were always filled with doom and gloom.

So, with a little more time on my hands, I decided to look for some "good news" stories instead. That's why last week I did an interview with Corinne Dowling, who is the founder of Give a Dog a Bone (GADAB). GADAB is quality of life program for long-term shelter dogs that are being held at San Francisco's Animal Care & Control (i.e., the city's municipal shelter).

Corinne has been at it for the last 10 years, and since then she and her volunteers have helped over 2,400 dogs have a better life while they are in the shelter. Some of them, unfortunately, are there for up to a year, while their owners sort out all types of legal issues. It's really emotional work, and the recession has made it harder than ever to raise funds, so I'm trying to get the word out to all my dog friends and blogging buddies.

You also have to check out GADAB's "Dog Tails" blog. There are lots of personal stories about the dogs in the program (like this little cutie, Pacino, a Chihuahua who was found wandering the streets with a rubber band around his muzzle. Fortunately, Pacino's story has a happy ending).

So check it out!
xoxo - Bella

The Grass Is Always Greener...

...on my side of the fence!

That said, my hope is that ALL dogs have green grass to enjoy. Starting today, 85 American Eskimo dogs (out of 400) rescued from a huge puppy mill operation in Kennewick, Washington, are available for adoption at the Oregon Humane Society. Click here to read more about this case, and then celebrate the news that the Oregon State Senate passed the Puppy Protection Act (HB 2470) which makes this type of operation illegal here in Oregon (where the grass is always very, very green!).

xoxo - Bella

Oregon: Banish Puppy Mills

A quick shout to my fellow Oregonians: Help push the Oregon puppy mill bill across the finish line by calling and e-mailing your state senator today.

It's easy: just clicking on this link from the Humane Society of the United States.

Muchas Gracias!!

xoxo - Bella

C'mon, People, Pay Up!

I just read that the Multnomah County animal shelter may have to go from being open four days a week instead of six, which means that fewer animals will be adopted or returned to their owners. It’s a bummer, but it’s the only way the shelter will have enough money in its budget to keep other services going, like its accredited animal hospital and an on-site veterinarian that is there to help injured strays 24 hours a day.

What really bugs me is that most dog & cat owners in Multnomah County ignore the annual pet registration fee—which ranges from $8 a year (for a fixed cat) to $30 a year (for an unfixed dog). Only 25% of the county’s dogs and 7% of the county’s cats are registered. That’s a joke, especially considering that Portland and its environs are known as one of the most “pet-friendly” cities in the country. Too bad that pet owners aren’t paying their fair share for important animal services.

Want 8 good reasons to license your pet? Click here to find out why. Heck, it’s even free for the first 60 days!!

xoxo - Bella

Becoming a Pet Partner

My tummy started acting up again recently and I felt reeeeaaaallly bad. I don't know about you, but when I get sick I need lots of extra loving. When I was a puppy, I'd curl up into a ball on Mom's lap. Now that I'm bigger, I build a fort with my blankets and hide out until I feel better. Here's a picture of me with my stuffie, Mr. Monkey:

Having Mr. Monkey around made me feel a lot better, which is why I'm going to try to get certified as one of Delta Society's Pet Partners (along with my Mom, 'cuz somebody needs to hold the leash). That way, we can go to places like hospitals and nursing homes and make people feel better. Mom just went to one of their informational sessions and they're trying to grow the program, especially here in the Portland area (which is where the program started; how cool is that?).

If you're interested, Mom wants you to know that there are two information sessions coming up again soon (on April 9 and May 14). You'll get to meet some of the other pet partner teams and hear their warm and fuzzy stories.

Click on this link to get the details or send an email to JenniferM@DeltaSociety.org.

xoxo - Bella

Party Like It's 2009

Hmmmmmm, I wonder why Dad has a headache this morning. Could it be that he and Mom had the nerve to leave me home on Election Night so they could party with their friends? (Check out the evidence below. My Dad's the tall one holding two near-empty beers.)

On another note, I want to give a big shout-out to all my friends in California who passed Proposition 2 with an overwhelming majority. Click here to find out what this means for farm animals. Hip, hip hooray!!

In Peace for Humans & Animals - Bella

Will Vote for Snackies...

To All My Blogging Buddies,

If your humans haven't voted yet, now's the time to pull out all your tricks. Give 'em the "sad eyes." Whine and drool until they come home wearing an "I Voted" sticker. Yank the leash out of their hands and drag them to the nearest polling place. After all, if dogs can blog...how freakin' hard is it to GO AND VOTE?

And, if they need further incentive, bribe them with snackies! No, not of the liver snap variety, but rather the Starbucks, Krispy Kreme and Ben & Jerry's variety. Here's the scoop:

• Participating Krispy Kreme stores will offer one free star-shaped doughnut with red, white and blue sprinkles to each customer wearing an "I Voted" sticker.

• Ben & Jerry's ice cream stores are celebrating democracy with free ice cream between 5 and 8 p.m.

• Starbucks nationwide will be giving out FREE cups of tall coffee to anyone who voted. Just go in and say, "I Voted."

So without further ado, nip your humans in the butt and get them out on Election Day!!

xoxo - Bella

Happy (Quiet) Fourth!

Happy Fourth of July!

Isn't it great to live in a country where everyone, included blogging Boxers, can speak their minds? Especially in an election year, it's a great time to celebrate freedom of choice. However, I'm not sure that should include being able to launch fireworks off your front porch. I don't know about your neighborhood, but my normally quiet street has turned into a hillbilly fiesta. It's like all the rednecks got drunk on Pabst Blue Ribbon and loaded up on illegal fireworks and now they'll spend the next week shooting them off in the street. 

I'm not the only person who thinks this is stupid. Seventy-three percent of Oregonians with pets don't find neighborhood fireworks amusing, and for many war veterans the noise is downright scary. Check out this blog post from The Oregonian's pet columnist Deborah Wood. According to Deborah, July Fourth is the No. 1 day of the year for lost pets because they panic at the noise and run away.

I hope that all my blogging buddies are enjoying the holiday and that they stay safe-and-sound.

xoxo - Bella