Bella Bella, Buddha, Sweet Pea, Boo Boo, Lovebug, Peanut. These are just a handful of the nicknames Bella commanded. And she answered to them all! I met friends for dinner the other night who were quite familiar, and fond of, Miss Bella (see, there is another)!

We reminisced about her, and how sweet she was. It was comforting to talk about her with friends who knew her well. On the other hand, my neighbor, who claims her dog, Blake (not his real name; need to protect the innocent), pulls in the direction of my house whenever she walks him, as he was so fond of Bella. Yeah, right. It was more like she was Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched.  She is the busy-body of the neighborhood, and gets her nose in everyone's business. Whenever she stops by she rings the doorbell incessantly, as if I cannot hear it the first time she rings!

"Mrs. Kravitz" did not know Bella had passed, so when she stopped by the other night, I had to share the news with her. She started bawling, literally crying crocodile tears!  She expressed her condolences, and I had to go through the pancreatitis story once again. Then politely excused myself, as my sister was on the phone (not really, but she is 2000 miles away, so it is plausible).

My sister on the other hand, who has a deep-seeded fear of dogs, loved Bella, as if she were truly a niece. She brought presents for her when she came to visit, and sent a card when she passed. We cried together, and talked about my Bella on that awful day in April.

The people who did know Bella personally, have all had differing reactions to her passing. The practice manager at the vet's office, gets weepy every time we chat. Not to mention the vet, practice manager and tech all cried when I (they) euthanized her. I could not, and still cannot step inside the vet's office so I wrote notes of gratitude to them when Boo Boo passed. I also could not go to Petsmart so I wrote a note to the groomers to share my sad news with them.

Talking is good, as is writing. I am enjoying writing this blog, as much as I hope you like reading it. One of Bella's uncles suggested the other night I consider writing as more than a hobby. Maybe it is something to think about...hmm, Cynthia Hersh, author, coming up next on the Today Show, after this commercial break. It has a nice ring to it!

So, Honey Bunny, this one is for you!