Beautiful Bella
Breed: Australian Cattle Dog (Queensland Blue Heeler)
Age: Lived 16 1/2 years (2003-Mid 2020)
Color: Salt & Pepper
Name Meaning: “Beautiful” in French
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Birthday: December 15th, 2003
Color: Blue Speckle
Nicknames: Beau, Bay, Belle, FoxDog, Bella-Mia, WolfDog, Kitty Cat, Baby Blue, My Brighteyes
Favorite Toys: Frisbees, Tennis Balls, JW Hol-ee Ball, Okra balls, Golf balls, Bouncy Balls, Soccer Balls, Ice Cubes
Favorite Foods: RedBarn Bully Slices, Greenies, Merrick Lamb Lung Treats, Ice Cream, Starbucks Cream
Favorite Activities: Frisbee, Hiking, Fetch, Swimming, Agility, Car Rides, Learning tricks
Dislikes: The popping sound of bubble gum, the flyswatter
Publications:
- The Most Adorable Pets of America 2011
- “Smiling Dogs” Bark Magazine 2013
- FidoFriendly Magazine TongeOut Calendar 2015
- RedBarn Summer Press Kit 2016
Achievements:
- Voted Fan Favorite for HauteDog: Wet Nose Culture Magazine’s 2012 August Cover Dog Contest
- Semi-Finalist in the 2013 Pets Dialog Lord of the Castle Contest
- Winner of the 2013 “Make My Pet A Star” Contest for “The Returns” book
- AZ Foothills Magazine Dog Days of Summer Cutest Large Dog 2015
Background Information:
Bella is a purebred Australian Cattle Dog, which is more commonly known as a Queensland Blue Heeler. She was born on December 15th, 2003 in Sierra Vista, Arizona from a family who had a litter of ACD pups.

My first choice of the litter was a predominately white freckled pup who bounded up to me and jumped on me, but the family was initially going to keep him and had named him Snowball.
Instead I decided I wanted a girl, and since one girl was already reserved by my aunt, the only other girl was Bella. She came home at 8 weeks old.

We took home two puppies-Bella and her brother Jack. I had originally wanted to call my puppy “Peppa” after one of the female characters from my favorite book “Fire Bringer” by David Clement-Davis. Her fur looked like pepper. My mom said we should name her “Bella,” and said that it meant “beautiful” in French. So she became Bella-Mia and the Belle of the Ball, as my mom often called her.

As it turned out, the family didn’t end up keeping Snowball and my aunt also took him home. The four pups grew up a few houses from each other and got to hang out every so often.

The pups slept outside initially since my mom grew up on a ranch where the dogs didn’t really come in the house. One night we convinced her to let the pups sleep in our beds and the rest, as they say, is history. Bella’s slept on her own pillow next to my head ever since.

Two of Bella’s siblings (Gracie and Jack) lost their sight and Bosco developed a mass cell tumor on his leg which burst. All three siblings have passed over the Rainbow Bridge.