Yesterday, we adopted a new dog.  Bella is a chow mix, 4 years old, and medium-sized, about 35 pounds.  Howard had been monitoring the Save a Dog and Petfinder sites, looking for a chow mix (that’s what Lily was) or another kind of furry dog.  We found her at the Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover, NH.  Bella came from Indiana, where her owner surrendered her because she couldn’t care for her.  (Her original name was Reese, but when she didn’t seem to respond to it, we felt OK about renaming her.)

So far, so good. Bella’s less aloof that we expected, almost clingy.  She seems to have a preference for me!  She is very curious about everything, investigating the house, the yard, and the neighborhood.  She seems to like riding in the car; at least, she jumps right in, no coaxing required.  She’s been very friendly with the dogs and people she has met on her first few walks with us.  We have some work to do, but it seems like a good match.