Bella is a Cocker Spaniel who could give any smart dog a run for their money – even Chaser, the Border Collie who knows over 1,000 words. She is learning a new trick every day for a year to raise money for charity.
Lynn Stacey of the UK has a variety of disabilities, and says she’d be lost without her assistance dog, Bella.
“You wouldn’t believe what Bella can do, she’s amazing. From fetching me things to helping me undress and emptying the washing machine. I’d be lost without her,” she told the Sunderland Echo.
Because she’s so smart, Stacey is putting her to the challenge by teaching her a trick a day to raise money for Dog A.I.D., an organization that helps disabled clients train their pets to assist them with tasks.
“We already do the Dog A.I.D stand at Crufts to inform people about the charity, but I also wanted to do something completely different to help them.
“Bella is already a Champion Trick Dog and she loves doing her tricks so I thought, why not do a trick a day for a year?”
Stacey uploads videos of Bella’s tricks to the website, where people can sponsor specific tricks.
“Some are very simple tricks, some are more complex. She plays dead, does the meerkat where she stands on her back legs, and does a hand stand on her front legs, all sorts of things.
“We’ve raised £160 ($240) so far and we’re hoping to raise £1,000 ($1,500) by the end of the year.”
Stacey is training to be an Associate Trick Dog instructor, and says that performing makes Bella happy.
“Bella is at her best when she is learning, so adding tricks to her existing knowledge base made perfect sense,” she said. “It has brought us closer as a working partnership and many of the tricks have a purpose in our everyday life as well.”
To see more of Bella, visit www.bella-blot.weebly.com. To donate or sponsor, visit www.everyclick.com/bellas-365-trick-challenge or email [email protected].
