Hi, Pet Buddies! This week I met a lovely little Yorkie, Isabella (Bella), and her BFF and step-sister Lilly (yep, also a Yorkie). They’re so small and delicate they both could pretty much fit into one of those big wooden salad bowls.
They wanted to tell me about the special party they had with their humans, Will and Christiana, in honor of Bella’s Sweet 16 Birthday (112 dog years!)
Bella and Lilly’s Mom came to the door with Lilly snuggled under her arm. Right off the bat I could tell she was a totally outgoing, really happy pooch. She’s 10 (in people years) but seems like a pupster.
“Hi, Mr. Bonzo!” she said, getting so wiggly that her Mom set her down on the floor. Smiling that Yorkie smile, she said, “I’m Lilly. This is mine and Bella’s Mom. Our Dad is coming back soon. Bella’s snoozing. She’s really old. She’s the best big sister EVER! C’mon, I’ll show you, but you have to be VERY quiet.” She headed toward the sun porch, lowering her voice and tippy-pawing.
I hadn’t actually had a chance to say anything yet, anyhow, so I just followed her, tippy-pawing, too. Bella was snoozing in the sun, curled up inside her cozy carrier, with her stuffed pig and giraffe. She woke up when her Mom picked her up and said, real gently, “Bella, this is Mr. Bonzo. Remember, he’s going to write a story about you and your party in his column!”
Bella blinked. “Welcome, Mr. Bonzo. You must forgive me. I don’t get around much these days. I’m not a young sprout like you anymore.”
“Yes Ma’am, Miss Bella. I’m honored to meet you,” I said. We all sat down in the living room, with Bella on her Mom’s lap and Lilly everywhere else. Just then, their Dad walked in. In a flash, Lilly had rushed over to greet him.
“Do I need to mention Lilly’s a Daddy’s Girl?” Bella smiled. “Lilly, come back here. We want to tell Mr. Bonzo about my lovely party.”
“Oh, right,” said Lilly, jumping back onto her Mom’s lap.
By way of introduction, Bella said, “I’ve been with my Mom ever since she got me, up in Virginia, when I was no more than a little puff of fur, so long ago. We lived in Roanoke and had lots of adventures; then Mom was transferred down here in 2011.” She paused. “These days, I don’t go places much. I love my home and my family and my vet, Dr. Stewart, and my puppysitter, Sonia. And just being in the sunshine with my pig and giraffe, in my own little bed. Lovely meeting you, Young Fellow. Now It’s time for a little snooze,” and Bella padded back to her comfy carrier.
“I can’t wait to hear about the party,” I said to Lilly.
“Mom and Dad wanted it to be extra special so Mom phoned this place called The Tides. It’s a ‘restaurant’,” Mom told us. “That’s where they bring you food and you don’t have to do anything, just eat it. Mom made, um, she made something, oh for Lassie’s Sakes, I can’t remember, hold on, I gotta ask Bella,” and she zipped out to the porch, then zipped back.
“Bella says Mom made a ‘reservation.’ I don’t know what she made it out of, I never actually saw it, but, anyway, we got to go for a ride to this nice building, with outdoor space. The lights made Bella’s and my coats look gold and shiny. And there was this special table just for us – Mom and Dad and me and Bella. And we had party hats. Bella didn’t like hers too much but I liked mine. The humans at the other tables thought we were so cute, which we were. And you wouldn’t beLIEVE the yummy food. Cuz it was a special occasion, we got teeny bits of Mom and Dad’s steak and chicken and vegetables. My total favorite was the cornbread. It was the best thing I ever ate in my whole life. And THEN, Nana Angela arrived with surprise Birthday Puppycakes just for us and a birthday card for Bella. Grampa John sent his love.
“I got to sit in a people chair at the table the whole time. Bella sat in Mom’s lap then in her carrier so she could nap if she wanted to. We all got – oh, poo, I forgot, wait a minute.” Off she went to ask Bella, then returned. “Beverages! Bella says we got beverages, which is actually just stuff to drink. Me and Bella had water and Mom and Dad had some red stuff. Then everybody sang happy birthday to Bella. It was so cool.”
“Thanks so much for sharing Bella’s birthday story,” I said, getting up to leave. “Give my best to Miss Bella.”
Heading home, I was thinking about what a happy life Miss Bella had, with her humans and her adoring little sister. What more could a dog want than a loving forever family, and a comfy spot to snooze in the sun.