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12/31/2012

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Bella Like Novelty

10/15/2012

What's novel in the first pic is the way Bella used the Kong to add interest to a leash sculpt comprised of overlapping circles, similar to designs she's done before. Each day, I stuff three Kongs for the three dogs, usually with a combo of peanut butter and sweet potato. I freeze the stuffed Kongs so that the pleasure of de stuffing them will last longer. Like the Kong, the Octopus has been around for awhile. What's new is the way Bella used it. Bella was clipped to the family room tie out leash just minutes before the second photo was taken. I unclipped her to take her to another part of the house and bingo, she put the Octopus at the end of the leash in her place. She's done this before with the Black Pups (see 7-6-11 entry). The Octopus has more possibilities though, what with its wide open eyes and floppy legs. Bella arranged it in a way that looks almost coy -- she gives that impression herself sometimes.

Enzo Made These

9/10/2012

We adopted Enzo because of his affinity with Bella. It never really occurred to us that he might pick up construction making from Bella but, within two months of coming to live with us, he did. Enzo saw me pick up the camera to photograph some of Bella's sculpts, and he was launched. Sally's comment, (the first one on this page) is on point, "Maybe the camera, maybe Bella knows your scent and it changes when you are happy, maybe she watches your eyes and face for happiness????" Here was Enzo in his new home, looking for cues about what makes us happy. What amazes me is how readily he understood, and was able to execute, the kinds of shapes and arrangements that we view as "constructions." More recently, I've noticed him using placement of a braid to communicate his movements, e.g. "I just left mom's office and can now be found in the family room." His using toys to communicate like that makes me think that he's feeling like a valued member of our family.

Scenting for Fun

8/21/2012

I'm hiding something for Bella in a eucalyptus grove when a boy on a bike stops and asks, "What are you doing?" "It's a game for my dog," I explain. I invite him to sniff the small tin box which contains a scent called Sweet Birch. "You can watch if you want." I get Bella out of the car. Bella wants to greet the boy, so I let her lick his hand for a moment. Then I get Bella's attention and tell her to "search." She catches the scent quickly and follows it the little red box, which she touches with her paw to let me know she's found it. I give her a treat. The boy is obviously impressed. When it's time to go, he pets Bella while I put stuff in the car. "Load up, Bellaroo," I say affectionately and she hops in. "Good bye, Bellaroo," the boy says with a smile.

Drawing from Memory?

7/19/2012

"Wow. Is Bella making knots now?" asked the friend to whom I first showed the leash sculpt in photo one. When I asked hubby what he thought he said, "Bella used the shape of the rope toy for inspiration." He was referring to the red and green rope toy that Bella and Enzo were playing with the day before. Maybe hubby is right, I thought, remembering the "aha" experience we had when Bella made a right angle by laying her Tiger Braid along the corner of the rug. That was what I would call copying a shape by tracing it [see Photo Blog entry 6-13-11]. If Bella was indeed thinking of the rope toy when she made the leash sculpt, I'd describe what she was doing as a form of "drawing from memory." What you can't see in the photo is that the clip at the end of the leash is right next to Enzo's wire crate. Bella loves her boyfriend. That much is clear.

Lay Down Bella

7/2/2012

Ode to Bella
Eric Clapton's song Lay Down Sally,
sung by John as "Lay down Bella"

A friend of ours recorded a tune for Bella. It's a take off on Lay Down Sally by Eric Clapton, with a humorous introduction by our friend Johnny G. The lyrics are apropos now that Bella has a young boyfriend. If Enzo could talk, he'd be saying, "Lay down, Bella, so I can talk to you." That's Enzo in the first photo, trying to lay Bella down. She's the dominant one in their relationship, so it's not easy for him to do. More often than not, Bella's got Enzo on his back. They like to play hard together, with a lot of ritualistic aggression. Sometimes, Bella drags Enzo across the floor on his back, holding him by the scruff of his neck, or by the end of a tug toy he's got in his mouth. Bella lets Enzo have his way just often enough that he always comes back for more. The second photo was taken two weeks after we brought Enzo home. As you can see, Bella is very happy about the new arrangement.

Does Bella See Colors?

6/5/2012

What humans see.

What dogs see.

Dogs see only part of the range of colors that humans see and are typically red/green color-blind. Photos of Bella's constructions show the full spectrum of light and color seen by the human eye. What does Bella see when she uses red or green objects as part of her creations? I found a color blindness simulator which helps shed light on this question http://www.colblindor.com/coblis-color-blindness-simulator/. The first photo for this entry shows one of Bella's older constructions, made up of three red objects. The second photo, generated by the simulator, seems to be an example of the dichromatic vision found in dogs. I suspect that Bella found the strong contrast of the ball, leash and heart against the light carpet appealing, which is why she used them to make a sculpt, arranging them in a curve shape, easily recognized by humans. Bella's sense of line and form is more fluid and sophisticated today, the result of a process which seems to be internally motivated. The colors of the rainbow are great, but color isn't everything....

Before and After

5/16/2012

I'm not an artist, but the first construction for this entry strikes me as one of the most beautiful and sophisticated creations that Bella has done to date. She was in high spirits, having been to scenting class earlier in the day. Shortly after this, we welcomed a new addition to the family. My husband and I decided to adopt Enzo, through a rescue group called Herd it Through the Grapevine. Enzo is a sweetheart, and he adores Bella, but we now have three dogs, which is a lot to handle. I wondered if Bella would be so involved with the new addition that she'd lose interest in making constructions. She made the second construction a few days after we brought Enzo home, so it looks like Bella has the energy to pursue both. What a gal!

Field of Magic

5/2/2012

Bella is in the prime of her life and deserves to have a young male dog in her life. As much as we love Kepu, he's an older dog and set in his ways. The wildflowers are in bloom and Bella's trainer invited us to come on a photo shoot involving half a dozen dogs. It was quite a surprise to meet Enzo, a young male who looks just like Bella. As one my nephews said, "It appears someone cloned your dog." Paul asked me to look after Enzo. This sweet, handsome dog was crazy about Bella. Their body language mirrored each other in several of the photos taken that day, a sign of their natural affinity for one another. Trainer Paul Miller utilized video footage taken that day to create The Field of Magic (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d56Nfyb7OkI&feature=relmfu). Bella appears in the second half of this beautiful 8 minute video montage.

"That was really fun, Mom!"

3/28/2012

I began this Photo Blog 9 months ago, with a story about my playing with Bella in the mirror and her making a Single Braid Loop Sculpt for me to express her pleasure. Here, the bout of play occurred while I was lying on the floor doing exercises. Bella brought me her Blue & Red Braid, knowing I love the game we play where she jumps over my tummy. I took hold of the Braid and the game was on. When I came back in the room a little later, I was greeted by the Two Braid Loop Sculpt, which was Bella's way of saying, "That was really fun, Mom!" The second photo was taken the following day, after my husband had walked the dogs. The Single Braid Sculpt was placed in the doorway of the hall to our home offices, giving the message, "Hey Mom, I'm back and thanks Dad for the walk, I really enjoyed myself." You can be sure that there'll be more walks and play sessions for this dog!

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