Bella's Boxer Shorts

Happy Summer!

Summer has arrived in Portland and, to quote my dear friend Ruby, W00t!! (My Mom made me look up the word W00t in the Urban Dictionary before she let me use it in my blog. Censorship is a drag.)

Anyway, the best part of summer is getting to eat hamburgers and ice cream!!

Okay, I'm not really eating hamburgers and ice cream. But my cousins Brandon and Taylor in New York sent me a summer care package with squeaky toys in fun shapes. Maybe next time they can send some real hamburgers? Pretty please?!

xoxo - Bella

Ode to Norm

This video is bittersweet. Norm (aka Norman or the Brown Hound) is moving to the East Coast with his parents in a few weeks. Norm and I have been together since puppyhood. He welcomed me home on my first day in Portland and we've been best buddies ever since. Norm taught me that it was OK to get my paws wet on the beach, and it was Norm that swam out to get my ball when I was too afraid to go any further.

Norm, to quote the infinite wisdom of Bette Midler, this song is for you:

"Did you ever know that you're my hero, Norm,

and everything I would like to be?

I can fly higher than an eagle

'Cause you are the wind beneath my wings."

Sorry, I have to go now because Mom is laughing so hard that tears are coming out of her eyes and Dad is making fake gagging sounds. They just don't understand true love.

xoxo - Bella

Take Your Dog to Work Day!

Hey everybody, Friday is official Take Your Dog to Work Day...so when your humans are getting ready in the morning, don't forget to beg, bark, whine and drool until they agree to take you along!

Unfortunately, it won't be a very special day for me since Mom and Dad make me work in their office all day, every day. They make me file their paperwork, alphabetize their books, make their coffee and take out their dry cleaning. (Bella's Mom here. Don't believe a word that poor Cinderella says. She spends half her day at doggie daycare and the other half drooling on her pillow.)

NOT TRUE! Here's proof that I work hard for my money:

xoxo - Bella

Scoop It Up or Pay

Watch out everybody, Mom's got it in for Portland's poop-and-run crowd. I swear to dog that I caught her the other morning trying to turn on the sprinkler system in time to soak the cocker spaniel who was going potty on top of her newly planted hydrangeas. She says she wasn't aiming for the dog but rather his highly annoying owner. Dad thinks that hiding out in the basement with binoculars and waiting to turn on the sprinkler system is a little C-R-A-Z-Y. But she's not to be deterred. To validate her craziness, there was an article on the topic in today's New York Times!

Apparently, you can identify someone who isn't going to pick up after his or her dog by the following:

• An irritated expression
• A hurried pace
• Distracted by a cellphone
• The lack of plastic bags
• Oblivious to the dog's whereabouts (the dog being offleash, of course)

So for God's sake, and the sake of Mom's sanity, please pick up after your pooch. I really don't want to have to visit her at the funny farm.

xoxo - Bella

Calendar Girl

It's Trivia Time!!

Question One: Who sings the 1960 song "Calendar Girl"?

Question Two: Who is Miss June in the 2008 Puppy Calendar by Lang?

Need some hints? Well, the first rhymes with "Steel Moussaka" and the second is a blogging boxer from Portland, Oregon. Maybe a picture will help:

Have you guessed? The first is Neil Sedaka and the second is.....YOURS TRULY! At least I got one of the sunny summer months instead of something rainy and dreary like January or February. My Mom likes the picture because I was only a few months old and hadn't grown into my ears or my feet yet. Back then I was still able to stick my head through the slats on the front porch. I wanted to recreate the scene, but Dad said that we would need WD-40 to get my big pumpkin head out again. All I can say to that is that it takes a pumpkin head to know a pumpkin head.

Happy June! xoxo - Bella

It's a Boxer Bonanza!

When I'm not busy working as Director of Goodwill (D.O.G) for the company that my parents run, I spend time hanging out with my pals at Dogs In the City. It's where all the cool dogs go to play...however, I'm lobbying for a name change. I think it should be called Boxers in the City.



These are my buddies Sparky, Violet and Daphne. We make a pretty good lookin' crew, don't you think?? (You better agree or I'll reach through the screen and slobber you with my freakishly long tongue!)

xoxo,
Bella

It's Belly Rub Wednesday!

xoxo - Bella

Take Me to the Moon

One of my favorite places is the vet's office--even when they give me a booster shot in the butt. I've discovered that wiggling my nub just a little bit makes everybody swoon, from the ladies at the front desk to the veterinarian technicians and even Dr. Johnson himself. As a result, I get lots and lots of cookies.

However, yesterday's visit was a letdown. They made me get up onto the scale which showed 60 pounds. Heavens! How did that happen? Dr. Johnson proclaimed me "at the upper end of the range" and that Mom should make sure that I didn't gain any more weight. Since then, the cookie supply has been in serious decline.

I don't really understand why 60 pounds is such a big deal so I did some research:

• 60 pounds is equivalent to the weight of 1,000 disposable coffee cups
• Janet Jackson lost 60 pounds in 4 months
• Somewhere in Florida somebody is missing 60 pounds of pot
• And, best of all, 60 pounds on Earth is equivalent to 9.9 pounds on the moon.

I better go call NASA. Maybe they'll take me on their next space voyage to the moon. Do you think they sell snackies up there? If not, maybe I'll check to see if Aire Ruby will take reservations.

xoxo - Bella

Working 9 to 5

Hey Everybody,

Sorry that I haven't been updating my blog, or stopping by to say "hi" on your blogs, but I've been crazy busy. I guess that's what happens when you are a professional career woman. Yup, that's right, I got a promotion! As a bit of background, my Mom and Dad run their own public relations and marketing agency. When I was a puppy, they didn't expect me to do anything besides look cute. But now that I'm two years old, they said it was time to "apply myself." So, I've been working real hard answering the phones, filing paperwork, and even reclassifying all the books in the bookshelf. Check it out:

I guess my hard work paid off, because I've just been named "Director of Goodwill" (D.O.G) and I even earned a place on our company's brand new website. Unfortunately, I didn't get any business cards but my Mom says it would be a bit pretentious to hand out business cards at the dog park. I think she's wrong, but I'll let it drop for now.

Anyway, now I know what people mean about "work/life balance".....but I'll try to do better with my updates.

xoxo - Bella

The Wednesday Blahs

This is me, sulking. I just found out that there are "no dogs allowed" at the upcoming Rose City Classic. What kind of dog show doesn't allow dogs? I think I should be allowed into the ring. I could demonstrate my pillow-destroying techniques, for example. Give those fancy little show dogs something to talk about, that's what I'd do. Instead, I'm stuck going to the common dog park where I'm chased by an amorous little Jack Russell. Please, dude. I don't date guys who are shorter than I am.

xoxo,
Bella