Two years ago, Michigan-based Project Hope Animal Rescue saved a dog named Bella. As is the case with most rescues, the poor dog was scared of everything. Bella remained constantly fearful even when she was adopted by her new family, except when she was in her safe place – her crate.
Bella’s adoptive family noticed that her behavior was that of a dog who probably had never been inside a house before. Every slight movement and noise alarmed her. She crawled through doorways and wouldn’t even play with any toys because they were foreign to her.
But thanks to his new dog brother, Mack, Bella gradually learned how to behave like a regular dog. Now, her family is proud to say that she has come a long way!
“The ‘small’ obstacles like eating her entire meal and not hiding some for later in case she doesn’t get another meal, not cowering on walks when we see other humans, actually approaching another human who comes into our home. She has come such a long way. Her bravery is amazing,” Melissa Maher, Bella’s mom, told The Dodo.
While Bella was still in the process of knowing her family and learning to trust them, the only place in the house where she felt safest was in her crate. Her family made it a point to never close it so she wouldn’t feel trapped. They also understood that they needed to give her some alone time in her crate to allow her to decompress and feel comfortable.
“Her crate was her first safe place when she came to us,” Melissa said. “That was the place where she was not to be bothered. She learned that quickly.”
Since it was her favorite place, Melissa thought that it might be fun to give it a makeover. She observed Bella’s habits for some time to see if she wouldn’t be tempted to chew on the decorations she was about to put. Once that was done, she began strategizing a decorating plan.
After living a life where she had absolutely nothing, Melissa wanted Bella to feel that she now has everything. She set on transforming her crate to a cuter and comfier one so that she will enjoy lounging in there even more.
“When I was decorating her crate for about 1.5 hours, she just sat on the bed watching like, ‘What are you doing, Mom?’” Melissa said.
The finished product was as girly as it could get – padding with heart prints, a pink and white unicorn stuffed toy, and hanging lights in the shape of stars. The crate looked so fancy, though Bella would only care about its coziness for sure.
“When she was finally allowed to go in she just sniffed everything and laid right down,” Melissa said. “So cute. She loved her crate before it was all fancy, though, in all honesty. I’m not sure if the decor was more for her or for me.”
Bella formerly lived a tough life but now, all that her mom wanted to do was to spoil her with as much love as she could give!
h/t : The Dodo (This site is for everyone who loves animals and wants to spread that love and make the world a better place for them.)