Bella came into her current owners life when her oldest son told her that a friend of his had a Bernese Mountain Dog that was kept in a 8’ x 10’ kennel behind his house. The dog had been purchased as a puppy (born approx. Nov 2008) for the guy’s girlfriend and small son. She was kept in the house until she started getting big and knocking the little boy down. Instead of training her, they moved her to the back yard. Since then, the girlfriend and son moved out. The dog got very little attention after that. She had no overhead shelter except for a small shade tree. She was routinely fed and watered but stayed in the kennel full of mud and feces. She picked her up on July 20thand took her straight to the vet’s for a checkup, shots, and grooming. she also had her microchipped. Luckily, she tested negative for heartworms. The groomer had to completely shave her because of severe matting. She weighed about 65 pounds and was full of whipworms. She was treated for the worms. When she was spayed September 17thshe weighed 71 pounds. Now she is a very healthy and happy dog. She wishes she had the time for her that she deserves. She will make a great dog for someone that can spend time with her and give her plenty of exercise. She gets along well with cats and two Pomeranians. She even allows her 8 pound pom Chip to be alpha. She does well in the house but she has not been kept her in for more than 2 hours at a time. She stays in a kennel attached to a section of a barn with access to a 20’ x 25’ fenced in area. In the evenings after work and on weekends she spends time outside working around the farm. She has learned to sit on command, comes when called or whistled for, and goes in the kennel when you say ‘kennel’ and reward her with a treat. She needs more training to stop her from jumping when she is overly excited. Bella is a gem and deserves a wonderful new home where she can be loved.
We want Bella to go to a home where she will be part of the family, inside with the people. She likes people and will be a good family dog. She will need basic training for obedience and we are sure some house training. Since she has been in kennels her whole life, we want her to have a fenced yard to run and play in as she most likely does not know what boundaries are.