Introducing Bella, the newest addition to the Gale family! We picked her up from the Upland Animal Shelter. I have been reading how dogs can be helpful with kids struggling on the autism spectrum and so far this has proved to be true. We met a few dogs in the process. I wanted a small breed unlike our last dog Henry - a 100+ lb. Golden Retriever - and most of the small dogs were absolutely intimidated by our large, rambunctious family. But, Bella was not. And, Bella is big enough not to get trampled underfoot by my clumsy kids.
Now, many of you are probably asking, why would we add another member to our already struggling family? Yes, it is true, we are struggling. But, we are not crazy. My hope is that Bella will help the kids to be more kind to each other. And she is so loving! She will jump up on the couch and curl up in your lap or give you a big dog kiss. Her unconditional love and affection seeking seems to be just the thing our family needs. Ethan and Aeron are learning how to be "soft." I especially like it because Bella doesn't talk back or throw tantrums. She is very intelligent, too. She is part Jack Russell Terrier.
