Bella was very intelligent, and if you asked me, the most intelligent! I will assume she had a broad vocabulary. She (seemed) to know many words, and their meanings. For instance, when I would come home from work, her favorite activity (after going out to relieve herself) was to cuddle. And Bella knew what this meant. “Bella, do you want to cuddle?” And sure enough she would head over to my chair, waiting for me to pick her up, hold her, and rub her belly.

All I would need to do was jiggle my keys, or say “Bella, do you want to go for a ride? Do you want to go bye-bye?” And sure enough, she would beat a path to the back door! Her favorite activity on our car rides was to perch herself on my lap and gaze out the window, and if I was not driving too fast, she liked to hang out the window, breathing in the smells of the neighborhood, and letting the wind blow through her hair.

Often, I would prepare her a day or two in advance of a visit to the vet, or to Petsmart. She knew the name of her groomer, and all I would need to do is ask her if she wanted to see Melanie, and I would remind her that Melanie bathed her, and groomed her as I ran my hands over her belly simulating the noise of a razor. Similarly, I could ask her if she wanted to see Dr. W, and and her friend Lydia, and she would 
get so excited!

Once we arrived at Petsmart, she would always have to stop and see the guinea pigs and the birds first! And, after we left the groomer too! At our Petsmart these smaller pets are on the left side of the main aisle, but it is not like this in all stores. Once, on our way to California, on our way out of Phoenix, we stopped at a Petsmart in a western suburb. When we got inside of the store, she immediately went to the left of the main aisle looking for the guinea pigs and birds, only to be disappointed! They were on the right! However, she did find a hamster-geared toy on an end-cap whose box cover was adorned with a hamster. Sure enough she barked wildly at the “stiff” little, one-dimensional critter!

Dinner time was generally preceded by a Greenie, an appetizer, as it were. She knew the word Greenie, and that is all I would have to say, "Do you want a Greenie?" and she would run to the area of the kitchen where we kept them and wait excitedly! Likewise, she would run when dinner was announced!

More on Bella’s vocabulary later!