I’m long overdue for an update on Belle and her sister Chloe (18-061TD)

Chloe came to our home in May of 2018 after being rescued by Emil in Turkey. She filled a very deep hole left when we lost our beloved Shane six months earlier. Chloe is a sweet loving little girl who is a big hit in the neighborhood. The little girls up and down our street call her Princess Chloe of Turkey.

It took Chloe a good year to settle in, including learning how to survive one of the worst winters on record in Minnesota! Her poor feet would get so cold on walks she’d hold them up for me to rub them, or she’d just lay down and I’d have to call my husband to come pick us up!  (Chloe won’t poop in our yard, oh no, she has to go 3-4 blocks before the magic happens.) She wore her red Nordic sweater and Kurgo jacket with pride but like most kids, had no interest in putting on her boots!

Chloe goes by Peanut, Sweet Thing, Boo and Girlfriend. Meal times are her favorite minute of the day. She dances and jumps and can’t wait for her dish to magically appear.

Not long after we got her, in order to help her relax, I’d “tuck” her in every night on her dog bed in our bedroom. I’d tell her to put her head down, and then I’d pet her from her nose back to her tail, telling her how much we loved her and to have sweet dreams. I do that to this day and now she sees me coming and lays her head out and stretches and sighs and once I tuck her in, she doesn’t move the rest of the night.

We decided last year that Chloe would probably be happy with a companion as she was so eager to hang out with other dogs. She loves our son’s dog Aspen and seemed lonely whenever Aspen would go home.

So, when we learned of Kooper (19-261), we reached out to her foster mom who is a friend of ours and asked about her. We found out SHE was fostering Kooper!

We were disappointed to learn that Kooper was being considered for another family, so we waited for another pup to be available. We were thrilled a few days later when we learned the first family wasn’t a perfect fit for little Kooper and we were next in line! In early January, after she was spayed, Kooper, now called Belle, came home.

My husband and I decided to name her Belle, which means “Beautiful” in French. Given her breeder couldn’t sell her to a pet store because she wasn’t pretty enough, we thought she was beautiful and deserved a fitting name. Belle was also younger than first thought which we learned when her adult teeth started coming in much later than we expected.

We have no idea what caused the scar on her nose but it gives her a roguish little sneer, which as she’s approaching 7 months old is utterly hilarious as a “teenager.” She’s got the eye roll, dramatic flounce and sneer all perfected when she’s discouraged from doing something she shouldn’t. Which is most of the time!  (Who knew Liquid Fence was so appealing to puppies? I’ve lost more flowers to the puppy than I have to the rabbits and deer I was trying to repel!)

Belle and Chloe are very best friends and hit it off within five minutes of meeting each other. They play, Chloe often bracing for impact when Bellie is a blonde incoming missile. They worked out the rules of engagement of their games early on and no one has ever been hurt or yelped or ended up with hurt feelings.

Belle loves my husband and is bonded to him like I was Shane. He holds her and she completely melts into him. Belle is into her 9th week of Puppy Boot Camp having graduated from Prodigy to PhD. Unfortunately, COVID interrupted training, but she is now back and loving every minute. We love how tired she is after a full day of learning and playing!

She goes by Baby Belle, Bellie, Belle-Belle, Hell’s Belles and Tinkerbelle. Of course, the little girls on our street now have two princesses, now with Princess Belle of Rochester!

Belle also gets tucked in at night now that she’s graduated from a crate to her own dog bed. She’s not quite as good about staying in bed as Chloe but she does settle quickly once the lights are out. I miss my little 18 pound fluff ball but don’t miss tinkle on my floor!

As of this weekend, Bellie is only 5# less than Chloe, so I looked up “how big is a golden retriever puppy at 6 months of age.”  It’s a little alarming knowing she’s only 2/3 of the way there!!!

We are so grateful to have these two little cuties in our lives—they seem really happy with us and each other. Thanks to RAGOM for continuing their mission of rescuing and rehoming Goldens and giving us the opportunity to give these two a great life with us.