Name: Bella Star (9 y/o) & Dani (1.5 y/o)
Family Members: Lynda & Daniel, Fur Brother Emmitt (7 y/o)
How long have Bella Star & Dani been in the family? Bella has been in the family almost 7 years & Dani spent 10 months as a foster and then the last 4 months as a permanent member of the family!
Professions: Lynda - Pet Sitter/Professional Fur Auntie, Daniel - - Lieutenant Criminal Investigations Division with the Atlanta Police Department
Location: Smyrna, GA
Nicknames:
Bella Star: BS, Bella, Bell Bell, Mama Love, Itsabella, Big Bella foster sis
Dani: Darlin Dani, Dani Girl, Danibelle, Punkin
Bella Star
Dani
5 words/phrases that best describe Bella & Dani?
Bella:
So Sweet
So Loving
So Happy
Miss Makes Everything Better
Perfect
Dani:
A true survivor
The sweetest girl with different types of Dani kisses
Loves all dogs (despite where she came from)
Every day is over coming something from her past
Sidekick to Lynda & Bella Star
What makes Bella & Dani unique? Bella wants every person and animal around her to be happy, to be safe & ok. Dani is so young and has gone through so much, her strength is what is unique about her.; that and she can fit 3 balls in her mouth!
Happy Girl!
Ball Girl Dani!
Sisters!
Rescue Story: In the beginning of 2011 I started volunteering with a rescue, Angels Among Us (AAU), I transported pups, handled dogs at events, picked up rescue dogs that hadn’t found a foster home yet that were stuck in boarding, transported and handled them at adoption events. Bella was one of the first boarding babies i took to events, and I took her to A LOT of events. She was in boarding when I first started volunteering. Broke my heart every time, she got no attention & I never could understand why. At this time I hadn’t started fostering yet, so I wanted to help in every other way I could. Her name with the rescue was Bella Boop. She had the absolute best temperament, they would use her to test all the new boarding babies. Several months after our first adoption event together, the boarding facility/groom shop owners were going out of town and were having staff take care of all the dogs. I offered to dog sit her! My heart girl, Golden Retriever Mama Luckie, had passed away almost 2 years prior at 12 years old, we still had our little dogs and our first pit bull, the reason I got in to rescue, Romo. I hadn’t been ready to get another girl yet. Bella Star stayed with us for 5 days. She fit in like she had always been there. She and Romo became the best of friends so fast. I remember telling my hubby on the last day, that she reminded me of Mama Luckie. We had discussed fostering a little bit. He told me I can either start fostering, or we can adopt Bella Boop!!! It took less than a second to make the decision. She had been stuck in a kennel in boarding for over a year at this point!!!! Not anymore!!! She was always meant to be my girl! I wanted to change her name, as all my babies have Dallas Cowboys names LOL, but wanted to keep part of her rescue name. So Bella Boop became Bella Star. My girl that was surrendered to the Cherokee shelter at 11 months old, stuck in boarding for over a year, was then and forever will be my Star. She stayed by my side, my hubby’s side, and most importantly by Romo’s side for her first 2 months with us. After 5 vets, our Romo was diagnosed with cancer and MRSA at 4 years old, we lost him 2 days before Christmas. I made a promise, my pittie’s promise, as he left this world that me and Bella Star would do everything we could to help those like him. She’s helped me for over 4 years hold pit bull walks/ strolls, and help me foster many many pitties and pittie puppies. She’s the best big foster sis ever!!!!
Bella Star in the shelter.
Rescue Story cont….Last August (‘17), 107 dogs were found chained, abused, neglected, and with obvious signs of malnourishment. One of the rescues I foster for asked if I could take on a really difficult case from the 107. I had a foster puppy at the time and told them as soon as she’s adopted, I'll take her. They felt I would be the best foster home for her so they kept her at the boarding; a month later I brought her home. Re-named her Dani, after hubby and a Cowboys player.. To say she was the most emotionally broken and damaged dog or foster I've ever had is an understatement. She was only 5 months old when they found her on a chain bigger than her puppy head and weighed more than her super skinny body. The next 10 months we took our time with her, a lot of patience, understanding, more patience, love, lots of love and praise. On Aug 30th was our 10th anniversary. I had realized shortly before that I couldn't let her go. She had come so far with us, yet still so far to go. I felt if she went anywhere else she would regress, she would feel abandoned by us. I told hubby all this and he kept saying no, no, no, and again, if he even was gonna consider it, no more fostering. At our big fancy anniversary dinner date out together, we exchanged gifts and I opened mine, a small box with a necklace with a dog tag that said Dani Genson. My heart and soul melted and I cried. Our girl was never going to hurt or feel unloved again. Forgot to mention, me and my girl went to Polk County Court House for the sentencing of her monster, he got 30 years to serve 15!!!!!! My girl was on the news; Victoria Stillwell interviewed her, and one of her biggest fans in Kaitlyn Ross of 11 alive ❤
Rescued!
Dani at the sentencing of her abuser!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? Bella loves to play ball & Frisbee. For Dani, Bella Star taught her to love playing ball. Her favorite part is getting to a ball first, keeping it in her mouth, running with Bella Star after the next one. She's so fast, she gets the next one, keeps it in her mouth with the first ball, and yep, a third one!
What is life like since you rescued Bella Star & Dani? Bella’s my best friend. She knows how very much we love her. We will and have done anything and everything for her. She’s a 2 time cancer survivor, and her brother Emmitt is a 1 time cancer survivor. My life wouldn’t be the same without her.
With Dani we've gone through so much together since day 1. Still now we help get her through her issues, noises, movements, she cowers. I have to put a 20 foot lead on her when we go in the backyard; at least 3 or 4 times a week she will run any time you go near her. She's made me stronger and has not only helped me learn better how to handle babies like her, shes become buddies with all our foster puppies, and she absolutely loves Bella Star. It was Bella Star who got Dani through the first several months we fostered, she watched everything Bella Star did, and me and Bella Star's interactions, that's how she learned how to be a normal dog, hell, just how to be a dog. She has our hearts.
Photographers Note: I have known Lynda for a couple years, as she is the coordinator for our monthly Pit Bull walks here in the Atlanta area. I can’t even count the # of foster dogs that have gone through her house since I have known her. She and Bella Star have definitely kept that pittie promise they made to Romo.
I know I have said this before but there is nothing more rewarding when a shy dog warms up to you in a short period of time. Bella Star was just as sweet as she could be and would come to me while I sat on the floor and give me kisses. Sure enough, Dani watched her closely on how she was handling this new person. Dani would run up to me while I was on the floor and get close then run away. She did this several times and eventually her retreat wasn’t as quick. I would put a hand out and she would let me touch her for only a minute. I can happily say after about 40m, I was getting some kisses from Dani too! It really was the best feeling. I think you can even tell from the photos that she was much more relaxed as time went on. (bow tie shot was taken first, which is pretty obvious, she was not thrilled) I can’t wait to see how Dani continues to flourish in her forever home, with the loving paw of her sister Bella Star showing her the ropes!