Nellie Belle

7/19/94 -2/2/09

On monday our family said a sad goodbye to our sweet Nellie Belle.  She was 13 1/2 years old and such a doll.  It's really hard not being home right now, but happy that Lindsay and Laura are home to comfort my parents.   It seems the best way to deal with a death is to remember the good times with your loved one.

I remember the first night we brought nellie home, we made her bed inside of a big crate and gave her a few of our stuffed animals.  That night I could hear her in the kitchen crying so i took my blanket and pillow downstairs and made a bed under the kitchen table.  I put my hand inside the crate and she fell asleep in my hands.  Some will also say that I was afraid of her too when she was a puppy, but it was because she had really sharp teeth!! I used to jump up on the kitchen table because I was afraid of her biting my ankles!!

A couple summers ago my mother wanted to help Nellie cool off and took her to get groomed, I cant remember what she told the people but unfortunately Nellie came home looking like a SQUIRL!!!!   They shaved her entire body EXCEPT for her fluffy tail!!  I wish I had a picture of this, and if someone does please send it to me so i can post it here! It was hilarious!

Nellie had a few tricks up her sleeve as well.  She could lay down with treats on her hands and a treat balancing on her nose and she would just wait for someone to tell her she could eat the treats! Amazing dog!

I always loved coming home after being away for a while, whether it was a vacation, college, studying abroad, moving to atlanta.  Nellie would have this funny ritual at the door when you returned from a long time away. She would squirm, like she wanted to jump out of her skin with excitement and just start "talking" and moaning loudly. We would have to come down to her level and pet her belly until she got it all out of her system. I loved this about her!!!  I also loved coming home and when my mom would say "Dont let nellie in the bed with you...the hair is too much, i just washed the sheets!"  I always picked her up into the bed and she would cuddle with me anyway.

The next time I come home it will be bittersweet, going home always is an amazing feeling but not having her there moaning on the floor with excitement will be hard.  We loved her for 13 1/2 long years and she will always be remembered and loved.  If you have a Nellie story, please comment and I can add it to my post. :)

"one of my Nellie stories - One night I was sitting in the living room and my feet were cold. Thinking out loud I said "I wish I had my slippers". Nellie was laying next to me at the time, she got up and disappeared upstairs, a minute later she returned with my slipper in her mouth! What an amazing dog. Her greatest lesson to me was the unconditional love she showed for everyone who came into her life." - Mom