Bella

Bella and her brother, Bert, came into rescue when their elderly mom was unable to care for them (or herself)any longer and went into a nursing home. The siblings had lived the majority (if not all) of their lives with their mom and she had taken very good care of them up until she started forgetting things and started to decline rapidly with her health. Because they had lived with her their whole lives, they had been pretty sheltered and not exposed to other dogs, children or cats. They do not seem to care for other dogs much, especially larger dogs and we don't recommend them for children as they can be a bit nippy(especially Bella) initially. We don't know how they would be with cats as we do not believe that they have ever been around any but they would probably be fine, after proper introductions and socialization to them. They seem to prefer a quiet, calm environment. Bella does warm up pretty quickly to people and is really a sweet girl once she does. We think she would be great companionship for a quiet, calm home. Although they have been together their whole lives, we actually believe that they may do better separated. Bert seems to direct his frustrations and negative energy (he has that little dog syndrome and likes to be the "top" dog) onto Bella at times, which is not fair to Bella. We think she would probably be happier if she didn't have to deal with that. Bella, we noted on her vet records, seems to have a severe thunderstorm fear. We have not seen that here though as we have not had any storms recently. It sounds as though she probably shakes and hides. It does not sound like she becomes destructive during these times. Bella and Bert have utilized pee pads here overnight and have pottied outside during the day. We were told that they were crated at their former home but we have not tried crate training here yet, other than for transport and they did fine in the crate during that time. We feel that Bella will make a wonderful companion in a quiet, calm home. She was born 2/3/2016 so she will be 10 years old soon and deserves a comfortable life for the next half of it. That is what she is used to and we believe she would prefer to go back to that lifestyle. <br/>Bella saw the vet on 10/16/25(with her mom) and was found to be underweight (from mom forgetting to feed them) but no other health issues were noted. We had her chipped and her nails trimmed on 11/17/25. She tested negative for heartworms and has been started on Simparica Trio for flea control and heartworm prevention. She also tested negative on her fecal. Bella weighed 11.2 pounds as of 11/17/25 so she has gained some of the weight back that she had lost in October. Bella has her 3 year rabies and dhpp vaccinations so she won't need to be revaccinated until October of 2028. She also has her bordetella vaccine which is good for a year.<br/>If interested in giving Bella her forever home, please submit your interest and your adoption application via email or text ONLY to 352-215-3260 (phone calls will not be answered or returned from this number). Bella's adoption fee will be $200 to help cover the cost of her vetting and daily care while with us. We will only consider applicants who complete the adoption application and will determine whether the applicant would be a good fit for Bella based on the info provided in the application. If we feel that you will be a good match for her, we will set up a meet and greet appointment with you.

Bella and her brother, Bert, came into rescue when their elderly mom was unable to care for them (or herself)any longer and went into a nursing home. The siblings had lived the majority (if not all) of their lives with their mom and she had taken very good care of them up until she started forgetting things and started to decline rapidly with her health. Because they had lived with her their whole lives, they had been pretty sheltered and not exposed to other dogs, children or cats. They do not seem to care for other dogs much, especially larger dogs and we don't recommend them for children as they can be a bit nippy(especially Bella) initially. We don't know how they would be with cats as we do not believe that they have ever been around any but they would probably be fine, after proper introductions and socialization to them. They seem to prefer a quiet, calm environment. Bella does warm up pretty quickly to people and is really a sweet girl once she does. We think she would be great companionship for a quiet, calm home. A

Bella and her brother, Bert, came into rescue when their elderly mom was unable to care for them (or herself)any longer and went into a nursing home. The siblings had lived the majority (if not all) of their lives with their mom and she had taken very good care of them up until she started forgetting things and started to decline rapidly with her health. Because they had lived with her their whole lives, they had been pretty sheltered and not exposed to other dogs, children or cats. They do not seem to care for other dogs much, especially larger dogs and we don't recommend them for children as they can be a bit nippy(especially Bella) initially. We don't know how they would be with cats as we do not believe that they have ever been around any but they would probably be fine, after proper introductions and socialization to them. They seem to prefer a quiet, calm environment. Bella does warm up pretty quickly to people and is really a sweet girl once she does. We think she would be great companionship for a quiet, calm home. Although they have been together their whole lives, we actually believe that they may do better separated. Bert seems to direct his frustrations and negative energy (he has that little dog syndrome and likes to be the "top" dog) onto Bella at times, which is not fair to Bella. We think she would probably be happier if she didn't have to deal with that. Bella, we noted on her vet records, seems to h