You know how dogs can have the most surprising tricks up their sleeves? Anyway, this story takes the cake. It’s like when your dog pretends to be blind so they don’t have to deal with their new militarized puppy sister. And that’s precisely the same thing that happened to a woman from Los Angeles named Elle Nailga and no other than smart pooch known as Bella.
A New Companion
With Elle working longer hours, she realized her sweet Bella had been home alone for too long. One day, not wanting Bella to be by herself, Elle had a light bulb moment — she brought her home Baguette, a new puppy to keep Bella company.
Initially, all appeared to be in order. For any other reason, Bella and Baguette would have played together all day long, she watched them bond at last way too easily. However, Bella had no idea that the new addition was slowly turning into a nuisance for her. Baguette was so full of beans, but Bella likes to take life much slower.
Bella had to figure out how to deal with her new obnoxiously enthusiastic sister, so she phoned up a plan that’s pretty left of the bell curve.
The Strange Behavior Begins
This is when Elle began to observe Bella being out of character. She started to walk strangely and run into things in the house. Elle shrugged it off at first—perhaps Bella was having a bad day. But things escalated quickly.
I woke Bella and Baguette the other morning to play fetch. I tossed the toy; Bella was reluctant to chase it. Not even go in the direction of the toy… I pretended like I was going to poke her eye and she DID NOT BLINK!” Elle told The Dodo.
Startled, Elle thought she might have gone blind like Bella.
A Veterinarian Visit To Treat Them Seriously
Concerned about her sudden behavior, Elle took Bella to see a vet in the Los Angeles area. Tests done right after the fire suggested Bella was likely suffering from acute blindness, but more tests were required to confirm. An ophthalmologist who did more tests. Strangely the results were rather hit or miss.
To find out for sure, they did one more kind of test. SPOILER ALERT: Bella Improved Her Eyesight So what was behind this odd behaviour?
Elle was greeted by the ophthalmologist who asked if anything in Bella’s life had changed of late.
Elle said: ‘I told him I had got a puppy, and that’s when he thought it was Baguette who was causing this… They found out she was avoiding and ignoring Baguette.
You heard that right Bella was feigning blindness, to avoid her new and annoying energetic sibling infinitely.
Elle then understood what was happening and that some things would need to change. Then she started giving Bella a break from Baguette, letting her settle in and have some downtime away from wild puppy energy. Sure, this method was able to enhance their bond.
She’s proceeding at a pace that feels appropriate for both dogs. At the end of the day, all Elle really wants is for her precious pups to be besties.
Final Thoughts
Dogs are extremely perceptive and sometimes will pull out all of the stops in order to express how they feel. Bella’s overreaction made it clear how vulnerable our pets are to these subtle, often unnoticed changes in their environment.
Animal behaviorists say it’s not unusual for dogs to act weird when a new pet comes home. Things can feel a little fraught — particularly if the new arrival comes with tons of energy.
If potential pets additional into your house, don’t rush the introduction and observe reactions to any new additions. They will need time to adjust, so patience is key here.
And then with that same generous heart in place there was only one step between Bella and Baguette, besties for now and all time.
What surprises never fail to surprise us, those are what pets do. Has a similar/likewise happened with your furry ones?
