As many of you know, John and I recently said goodbye to our sweet Bell‑e‑girl. Losing her has been incredibly hard, and our hearts are still aching. In the midst of the sadness, we wanted to find a way to honor her beautiful life and the joy she brought to us every single day.

In Belle’s memory, we’ve created a fundraiser benefiting K‑9 Lifesavers, the rescue where we were lucky enough to find her. Every donation will go directly toward helping other pups receive the care, love, and veterinary support they need as they wait for their forever homes.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the kindness, love, and support you’ve shown us and continue to show. We know Belle is watching over us—running free, flying high, and wagging that tail forever. 💛🐾

Belle's story

On January 6, 2013, we adopted an 18-month-old lab/border collie from K-9 Lifesavers Rescue Organization. Her name was Belle. Her story caught our attention: good with people, house-trained, goofy, loves shadows and light. Her coat was black, her chest was a jagged triangle of white, and her four paws looked like they were dipped in white paint. She had permanent white socks.

Our first encounter with Belle was a blur. She was eager to be outside of the van that transported her from rural Tennessee, willing to get in the back seat of our car, ready to move on. She had been found in the south, after giving birth to 11 puppies. We brought her home. We were all strangers at first. We looked into Belle’s beautiful brown eyes and decided to let time be the solution. We stayed the course, kept the food bowl filled, the toy basket full, the walks on schedule. We rubbed her ears, took her paws in our hands, and talked to her all the time. Our voices convinced her we would never leave her. We called her “Bell-e girl,” a sweet three syllables that ran together into one long musical sound. She rejoiced every day in gratitude. Our sweet Belle loved us back with Saturday snuggles, walks in the snow, high flying frisbee catches, speed running through the yard, and her favorite game of barking at the mystery of light and shadow. She loved Greenies, Frosty Paws, popcorn, and ice chips.

Belle was good for so long that when she aged, we made the best of it. We changed her food, her walks, kept her safe on carpet runners and away from stairs. We kept talking to her, and kept the routines in place to give us more time. We held on and we held out hope. During her last week, we saw her slow down to a few steps outside where she stood and gazed at stars. She saw light – she was light. We held her and read to her and gave her dignity in dying. She took her last breath and we knew she would fly high above Earth.

In Memory of Belle