Bella's Story
 

I joined in the thread and asked the foster mom, Gail, some questions, the first of which was...is Bella white. You see, deafness is more common in white dogs. Some breeds such as bull terriers or Dalmatians have a high incidence of deafness. We compared notes and with some rudimentary testing and a trip to the vet, it was determined that Bella was indeed severely hearing impaired.

I stayed in contact with Gail, Bella's foster mom, for a week or two and was very pleased to hear that Bella had found her forever home.

After several months, I noticed another post on Greytalk. It broke my heart. Bella had bounced. Her new adoptive family had difficulty communicating with her and found it impossible to deal with the high energy of a two year old greyhound who was unable to hear their commands. She went back to live as a foster with Gail.

Bella had a bad habit. She was a counter surfer. If something was left on the counter, she felt it was fair game. A quick grab and the bounty was hers. Gail's husband went to remove the treasure out of her mouth on evening and Bella lashed out. She didn't bite him. It was a warning. But it frightened Gail because she has a four year old daughter. Bella was placed in a kennel in a vet's office. Gail emailed me about her difficult decision--she was heartbroken but she had to consider the safety of her small child.

Bella sat in that kennel at the vet's office for almost five weeks. No one wanted her. The adoption group was beginning to consider the costs of kenneling Bella and recognized that they could help many greyhounds with the funds that were being expended on one.
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Perhaps I have a soft spot for deaf greyhounds--there just aren't that many of them out there--and we happen to be partial to one of them. I can't explain why Bella became so important to me. Bella was displaying behaviors that I had lived through with Wild Thang (our nickname for Lefty). They were behaviors that we overcame with patience and love and most importantly, communication. You see, we taught Lefty sign language. He understands. He communicates. He loves. I knew that Bella just needed a chance.

Now the problem....Bella was in Louisiana. The South and Southeast have many, many dog tracks. As a result, they have many, many dogs to place.....too many. The wonderful volunteers work tirelessly to get as many greyhounds into homes as possible. They are faced with difficult decisions that I couldn't bear to have to deal with. I admire them. I admire their dedication. I admire their hard work and the love they have for the retired racing greyhounds they place into loving homes.

I appealed to everyone I knew to help me help Bella. Some people were very supportive and encouraged us to get Bella up here so that we could find her a good home. Unfortunately, my pleas were also met with apathy. Bella is just one dog.

Luckily, a young man in Louisiana stepped up to give Bella her next forever home.....once again I was relieved. Bella was safe. Bella had a chance to thrive.

A couple of months passed but a week or so ago, another dreaded email. Bella's new adopter had decided go back to school and couldn't keep her. Bella was bouncing again.

Gail and I conversed a lot over the last several days. My husband and I started to talk about adopting Bella. After a lot of soul searching, we decided that we were as well equipped as anyone to deal with a deaf greyhound. We told Gail and her group in Louisiana that if we can get her up here.....Jan (my husband) and I would give Bella her forever home.

That's were we are now. We are finalizing plans to get Bella over the 2700 miles that separate her from her new home.

Jan and I didn't plan on another dog. Our house is already full with three dogs, Eulogy (our sweet little female greyhound), Ozzie (our very vocal german shepherd) and of course, Lefty. It almost feels as though we have become unexpectedly "pregnant". We are expecting a new family member. I'm getting strange food cravings and Jan is dealing with my expectant mood swings. lol

We are grateful for our wonderful friends at NOGAP for their support and encouragement. We are thankful to an incredible group of people on Greytalk.com for their offers of assistance and warm words. We are thankful for the offers of financial assistance to help with Bella's transport. I am so amazed that the story of Bella, the little deaf greyhound, has touched so many hearts.

If you feel you would like to help in any way, please email me at gr8xracer@yahoo.com.

Bella has arrived safe and sound in Washington State.  She was greeted at the airport by her new family.  They will be continuing to update all of us on her progress and we will be sharing it on a separate page,
"A New Beginning". 

NOGAP periodically holds auctions and is always taking donations to specifically help with dogs in need, like Bella.  You can donate using the paypal button below.  Any excess monies will be put into our "Bella Fund" to help with other dogs in need.