match.dog 12. fun things to bark about

match.dog "HOW I MET MY TRUE LOVE"

love stories about real dogs + their humans

By Laura Montville – Portsmouth, NH

“Bella,” “BB,” “B-Girl,” “Belsy,” “Bella Marie” (when she’s gotten into something) and “My Girl,” an almost 13-year-old black Labradoodle, came into our lives 5 years ago when she was 8 years old. We are her third and forever home! All that we know about Bella’s first home was that she lived in Newburyport for the first 5 years of her life, has a brother named Brody and was a bit, well a lot, overweight at 92 pounds! Her second home, a large family with three children had to give her up when two of the children’s needs became more than they could manage with a dog that also needed love and care.

But they loved her and also managed to get the extra weight off her. So, one night while my husband Paul was coaching our daughter Jade’s softball game, he was approached by a friend who asked if we would be interested. We had just lost our black Lab Rainy, our son Ari’s true love, to heartbreaking cancer. It had only been a couple of months, but it felt like it was meant to be. So, after meeting and falling in love…we said YES!

Our previous two black Labs, Augie and Rainy, gave us a lot of experience with the Labrador part of her (or so we thought)…swimming, retrieving the ball, sticks, etc. So, imagine our surprise when we learned that our girl did not like the water, didn’t like to get her paws wet and handled a tennis ball in a very awkward way! We are also pretty certain that she had never been to the beach before. She loves it now and still does to this day.

Bella is so special to us. She is not our active Labrador. She is our oversized lap dog, chill dog, our love dog; the dog that connected our newly blended family with two teenagers together through our love for her. Somehow, she manages to allow each one of us to feel like she is our own very special dog; but she is happiest when she is with all of us…in the car going for a ride with her head out the window in the breeze, or just in the yard nearby us and yes, of course, snuggled on the couch watching movies with us.

Other things we learned about Bella are that she is a stealth food thief! Stealth! She learned how to open my desk drawer and find my dark chocolate! Yes, the deadly-for-dogs dark chocolate! She has eaten more than any dog should have and survived! Lots of trips to the vet, mind you. I also once caught her with her two front paws on the stove licking out of the pan. No wonder she had gained all that weight! And training? Well, she has successfully trained us to find and buy every treat, just the right bone, given at just the right time of each day! Don’t worry…she still has her slim figure and is quite the beauty queen. And she is just everything to us!

Laura Montville is an Organization Development Consultant with over 15 years of experience in the areas of Leadership & Organization development. The focus of her work includes executive coaching, team & group development and organization-wide assessment & problem solving with corporate, non-profit & familyowned businesses. (Email: LauraMontville@gmail.com)

Banana the Lobster Joyce Belecher of Sustanence Herbs

Randy & Swirl Training in Oregon

fun things to bark ABOUT

A Daily Dose of Wellness

Meet Swirl the Guide Dog We featured Randy Pierce in the April/May issue, highlighting all that he’s accomplished both personally and professionally living without eyesight. Due to COVID, he was without a guide dog for many months. We’re so happy to announce that he now has “Swirl,” a Labrador from Guide Dogs for the Blind. Following are a few thoughts Randy shared with us about his new companion. and city experiences, culminating in a flight home to NH and my (our) recent commencement address for the University of NH graduates on May 23! Seven simple guide commands take you anywhere in the world but only with an intense depth of compassionate caring and attentive dedication to each other’s needs and individual quirks as we learn the lessons of life together. Our rescue dog Nama loves her new little brother. They really are getting along. The hard part is my needing to limit their playtime “I’m absolutely elated to share the ever-growing bond of work, play and love between me and my new guide dog Swirl. We met on May 10 as the intensive training program immersed us both in a program designed to teach, test and practice the communication and skills we would need for him to guide my totally blind to support his training and our bonding properly. The goal is for me to be the primary play partner to ensure his focus is that working for me is the inspired and fun part of our lives. That said, Nama and Swirl already love, care and attend each other in beautiful ways.” (2020VisionQuest.org) (GuideDogs.com) steps through all the possible challenges a wide-open world might provide….from our training grounds on the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus in Oregon, through many rural

Banana the Lobster

winter a lobsterman on the coast of Maine was shocked by a rare site when he found a yellow lobster in his trap! The yellow color comes from a pigment in the lobster's shell, and the odds of catching one are about one in 30 million, according to the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine. The lobster, fondly named Banana, found its new home at the Marine Science Center at The University of New England’s Biddeford campus.

A Daily Dose of Wellness With our pets’ health being a top priority, there is a small batch manufacturer of handcrafted organic pet supplements located in Kittery that is worth checking out. I came across Sustenance Herbs recently when nutritionist Dawn Price, owner of The Natural Dog in Newburyport, recommended their “CWB – Once Daily” for my dog. CWB stands for “complete wellbeing,” and the packaging states, “Your dog’s complete daily dose of wellness!” This non-

Pen Pal Pets

Marty at Mount Washington. Photo by Ryan Knapp Associated Press

Nimbus - Photo by Mount Washington Observatory

Covid Sniffing Pups

GMO blend of herbs provides daily detoxification and supports an overall healthy immune system and digestion. Founder Joyce Belcher is a Certified Herbalist specializing in work with animals. The company, founded in 2008, is a member of the National Animal Supplement Council and offers organic products for dogs, cats, horses and sheep. Sustenance Herbs are available online or pick up locally at Just Dogs in NBPT.

(SustenanceHerbs.com) (Just Dogs, 37 Pleasant Street at the Rte. 1 traffic circle)

Pen Pal Pets

Looking for something new to do with your kids this summer? How about honing their writing skills with a pen pal from the Rescue League of New Hampshire? Their ongoing “Writing to Rescues” program is fun and rewarding for all! Simply select a pet from their “Adoption” page and then mail or email a letter to that pet. They respond to all letters complete with a PAWtograph! This is a great way for children to express love, kindness and caring to special 4-legged creatures… and make a new friend! Visit their website for details. (RescueLeague.org/events) A PURR-fect name and welcome home Nimbus! (ConwayHumane.org) (MountWashington.org)

New Top Cat The Mount Washington Observatory, located at the top of the tallest mountain in the Northeast, has had a resident cat for years and years to keep mice at bay and be a 4-legged companion to visitors. Marty, their cat of 12 years, died last November. His successor, Nimbus, arrived at the top of the summit in April. A native of Oklahoma, he found his way to his new mountain-top home via the Conway Area Humane Society. Since he is all gray, they named him after the nimbus cloud (a large gray rain cloud). Covid Sniffing Pups People around the world are training dogs to detect Covid-19. Preliminary studies have found dogs can detect the virus, possibly at a better rate than rapid antigen testing. According to researchers at a university in Bangkok, their team of trained Labradors accurately sniffed out the virus 96.2% of the time in controlled settings. This isn’t surprising as dogs’ noses have 300 million scent receptors, compared with humans’ 5 or 6 million. Similar studies in other countries had lower, but still promising results. “For dogs, the smell is obvious, just like grilled meat for us,” one researcher explained. The wisdom of canines is amazing.