Bella is a beautiful 14-year-old Crossbreed (perhaps Collie x Terrier) who came into rescue because a change in her family meant that Bella was being left for very long hours. She is in an Oldies Club foster home in Rhyl, Denbighshire, waiting for someone to offer her a forever home.
A good girl in foster: Lovely Bella settled at her foster home within a few days and has been a Very Good Girl.
Enjoy this little video of Bella having a chat with her foster carer:
Can be left for 2-3 hours: Bella is fine when left for up to 3 hours in the company of her foster carer’s dogs, but she wouldn’t be happy to live with full-time workers. She loves to be with her people and she deserves only the very best.
Very good with dogs: Bella lives very happily with her foster carer’s dogs and she is also very good with dogs she meets out and about.
Not used to cats: Bella isn’t used to living with cats, so although she doesn’t seem to pay them much attention if she sees them on walks, we will be looking for a cat-free home for Bella.
Good with older children: Bella used to have children visit her former home, and she is good with children she meets out and about. If there are resident children in Bella’s new home, they will need to be aged about 10+ so that they will allow her space and let her enjoy quiet time when she wants it.
Enjoys gentle walks: Bella walks at a slow pace and is very easy on the lead. She must only be walked on a harness, as putting the lead on her collar makes her cough. She hasn’t been let off lead while in foster as her recall isn’t too good if she sees another dog or if there’s an interesting scent to investigate. She currently has two 30-minute walks per day, but these are at a slow pace as she likes to sniff. She is happy to walk for up to an hour, at her own pace.
Good in the car: Yes, she is!
Bella’s favourite pastimes: Adorable Bella enjoys nibbling a soft toy or the edge of her pillow. We were told by her previous owner that she needs to have something to suck/nibble on, otherwise she will nibble at her feet instead. It’s thought that, when a puppy, Bella was taken away from her mum too soon, which can result in this ongoing need to suck/nibble. Poor baby Bella! Other favourite pastimes for Bella are a gentle game of fetch with her ball, and she loves to simply be with her human, watching you to see where you are. Bella loves food and she is being fed raw food by her foster carer, which has settled her tummy.
Bella’s ideal home: She would be happy to live with a retired person or couple who will take her for interesting, gentle walks for 30 – 60 minutes at a time. She will also enjoy going for outings with you.
Health notes: Bella is neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. When she gets excited or exerts herself, particularly in hot weather, Bella has a raspy sound to her breathing and she sometimes coughs. She must not be walked with the lead on her collar as this also makes her cough (which can be a sign of an issue with the larynx). At her vet check, Bella’s heart sounded fine, her chest was clear, and her blood test results were excellent for a dog of her age. The vet didn’t recommend sedating Bella to take x-rays to further investigate the raspiness, due to the risk of sedation in an older dog. We also wouldn’t want to put Bella through complex surgery unless vital, so it was decided to continue to monitor Bella, only walk her on a harness, and make sure she doesn’t over-exert herself. Bella has a couple of tiny warts on her eyelids that don’t bother her. She also has a number of fatty lumps on her chest that are nothing to worry about. She is not on any medication. Bella was a superstar at the vets, proudly giving a paw to the vet, and she thoroughly charmed the staff!
More from Bella’s foster carer: “Loving and playful Bella loves to be with her humans and also loves treats! She is a happy little soul who simply loves everyone. At the pet park, Bella showed herself to be a social butterfly, and she enjoyed her puppuccino!”
If you would like to offer Bella a permanent home, please read our Adoption Procedures for information about the adoption process. You can then contact an Oldies Club Rehoming Coordinator as follows:
Email: rehome@oldies.org.uk for an application form.
Or phone 0844 586 8656, leaving a message including your email address, and we’ll email an application form.
Bella can be rehomed anywhere on the UK mainland – the closer to her foster home the better – subject to a satisfactory home visit. Note that you will be required to travel to the foster home to collect her.
If you would love to offer a home to an oldie but your circumstances aren’t suitable, perhaps you would be kind enough to sponsor one of the special oldies we are caring for that, due to health problems, are unlikely to be offered a permanent home.