Prince(ss) of Darkness

We named her Bellatrix. She goes by Bella. I've added the nickname Bells to which I frequently use and I have noticed that Chassie will sometimes call her that as well. And then there was the short lived Pooper- that was fitting. I've also used Nutzo quite frequently to describe her and her actions. And just the other day, I decided on Bellzebub. Yes, that is in reference to Beelzebub of the Satan variety.

I hope this nickname of hers will not last and I can move on to a new one, maybe with a nicer connotation. She has, in Chassie's words, been a "terror" these last couple of days. At first, I said "terror" was the wrong word. Now, I'm just not sure. It started when she tore open MooMoo. MooMoo is a cow that has five squeakers and is about two feet of the stuffing free material. She was quickly becoming the go to replacement for Bucky the Beaver. It held up pretty well until she went at it and put a hole in its nose. That happened Friday night. Since then it's been a whirlwind of activity that has culminated in her chewing through her collar. We had noticed she was attempting to put her tags (rabies and ID) in her mouth and chewing on them, so we had been taking her collar off except when she went outside. I forgot to take the collar off when I put her in her crate on Monday morning. Monday afternoon Chassie found her collar chewed completely through.

Then there was Tuesday night. There's a normal schedule for the evening. You all have it, it may vary by a few minutes here and there, but for the most part you know what's going to happen through the evening. Bella and I have a schedule as well. She's in her "playpen" when I get home around seven o'clock and stays there until sometime between eight and eight thirty. She's figured out that when she's in her "playpen" it's quiet time. She'll nap or chew one of her toys. After I walk Draco (most days), I take Bella downstairs and we hang out. She has free-reign of the main room in the basement. I expect her to get her energy out. Let's just say her energy never left her. She's a puppy so I expect chewing, I expect to call her out of the corner, I expect her to get into things she's not supposed to. Even in the basement, where we've tried to "puppy proof" things, she still has those opportunities. It gnaws on you when it's constant. That's what Tuesday was like.

Then the final straw...

 I took her outside twice within ten minutes after she sat by the door, which I thought was the sign telling me she needed to go out. I stood out there for three minutes at a time and she just ate leaves or mulch or those seed pods I think of as helicopter rotors. After the second time, I call her bluff and it backfires. The thing that irritates me the most about it was that she didn't give me warning before she peed by the door.

Chassie happened to come downstairs shortly after the incident and could sense my frustration. She asked, maybe only half joking, "Do you want to give her back?"

..."Yes."

I did think about it before my reply. My answer was honest. At that point in time, it was what I felt. Her follow up question, "Do you want to wait a day or two to see if it changes?"

"Yes."

Sometimes she is the devil incarnate. Then there are times when she is an angel. I've been told that I am a patient person, Bellzebub here is testing that patience.

We're not giving her back. It's that empty threat that Chassie used on Draco oh so many years ago.