This is Tinka the bear. Tinka was created and named by Em when he was just three years old.
Before you say, “Awwwww!” He was never attached to Tinka. He has stuffies that he loves; Tinka was just an acquaintance. So this isn’t as bad as it looks. In fact, I find it quite funny. Somehow the dog figured out how to dig the little heart right out of Tinka’s back. You see, at Build-A-Bear, they have the kid add a heart into its stuffing before sewing it up. I don’t know. I guess it’s supposed to make it feel more alive. I found it a little strange. And as a child, I probably would have dug the heart out as well—just knowing it was in there! I’d have liberated that heart. Maybe.
Bella! Bella is a lot of work. I knew that she would be. She’s a sweet dog, but she’s terrified of so many strange things. Given she was abused and shot at as a puppy, I know we have to be patient with her. But she’s afraid of air vents, not all air vents, but certain sounds scare her into a shivering mess. And the softer the hum, the worse it is for her. She’s not afraid of the vacuum, or the hairdryer, but the soft hum of the heater in our apartment building hallways? Oh my goodness, the fear.
And she won’t stand on any grates or vents in the street. Her tennis ball rolled onto one the other day and you’d have thought it was hot lava. She was NOT going near it. Poor dog.
I often wish I could ask her what all she went through, that way I could help her better. But for now it’s a lot of guessing and then calming her down. She’s a sweet dog. And it bugs me knowing that she’d be SO MUCH HAPPIER had she not come from such an awful beginning.
But she’s changing, getting better every day. It just takes a little patience and understanding.
Mihow 
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