We brought her home for a weekend and she was as good as gold. Of course

in my naiveté I thought every thing was going to be plain sailing. Ha! Goldie

was  the most destructive dog I had ever known! I had no idea

what havoc could be wreaked with just one dog. Sofas cushions cars and even money!.

Soon after I took Goldie home I saw the kennel owner at a dog show and I asked

for job and luckily there was a vacancy for me at Fursdon as a kennel hand.

I used to take Goldie to work with me and she struck up a very close

friendship with another greyhound cross German Shepherd called Kernow. To cut a long story

short Kernow came to live with us and GUESS WHAT? Kernow was as

destructive as Goldie!!!! So we could not leave either alone in the house!  We soon learned about crate training and we all lived happily ever after - ish

Well 2010 was a very sad year as we lost Bella, Goldie and Kernow.  They came to us at roughly the same age so of course we lost them all about the same time.  Home is very quiet.

In the meantime we have had rats, hamsters, gerbils mice and chinchillas

from the RSPCA and friends. All special in their own right.

In 1997 we fostered a Cinnamon Trust poodle called Mitzi who lived with us

for a year until his death at 16 years old. Then we acquired Ozzy in 1999

who was a long legged Jack Russell, he had loads of personality we compared

him to Victor Meldrew i.e a grumpy old man!  He passed away, again, through kidney failure in 2009.

If you go to our news page you will find some pictures of the dogs.....

We had a beautiful blue/grey cat called Tina and we lost her in 2011 she was about 16

I had the worlds greatest artistic director in Lizzie.............but much more of her later she merits a chapter of her own!

In 2013 Tanya joined us.  Tanya has a background in merchandising and many other things and has a talent for knowing what would look good where and constantly amazes me!  We have tried to learn from her but it is a unique talent.  She works on  Wednesdays now

UPDATE July 2021

Obviously on updating the web page I have to say something about the last 2 years and living with Covid 19.  We were lucky that we were able to say open....but would the customers still come?  I was staggered by the support we had not just from regular customers.  Its only right that I should thank every single person.  I do believe the local shop has proved its worth to the community.  Unfortunately half way through the pandemic in February 2021 I had a stroke so poor Tanya found she was 'it' as far as the shop was concerned as Lizzie was shielding at the time. Luckily I have recovered well  and I have come back to work.  Video calling was so helpful.  Technology has raced on since I first opened the shop the changes are incredible.  I am a bit of a technophobe and we try use good old paper and pen

In November 2020 Jo Butler set up Brambles Pet Food bank to help struggling owners feed their pets in times of need.  I am proud to be a donation point and there is 10% off all products bought through Bellas.  There is also an Amazon wish list

DIXIE

 In  January 2011  we adopted a beautiful Greyhound/Rottweiler called Dixie from the Margaret Green Foundation Trust in Dorset. After having elderly dogs it was amazing to have a young girl jumping around.  We picked her up just as the really bad weather was setting in, I realised I  was soooooo out of condition from having elderley dogs!  She was a young dog about 12 months old - well she is just great!  We had her DNA tested last month - it was like being a five year old waiting for Christmas while we waited for the results.  She is a staffy/greyhound/boxer/bulldog Rottweiler!  There were five other breeds detected, welsh terrier, Lancashire heeler, American bulldog, whippet and finally great Pyrenean mountain dog! A lovely healthy mongrel!  I can recommend the DNA testing system. Dixie was always going to be mainly my dog to come to work with me and hopefully bond well with me.  Unfortunately in Oct 2011 I broke my leg quite badly and I wasn't able to do very much for her.  Inevitably she is now totally Daddies girl and goes to Reads with Ray.  She is very sensitive and really struggles with firework night - or season as it appears to be now.  I can personally recommend scullcap and valerian tablets with valerian compound sprinkled on her bedding.   She is now nearly 14 and really is the perfect dog, actually she is more like a cat!  We now also have 2 tortoisesn never even thought you could fall in love with a shelly reptile but you really can  We have our hearts in our mouth whenever its hibernation time but at 27 I think they are ok and know what they are doing

History of Bella's

Every year Ray and I go to Morton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire. There is a

pet store there on the High Street called Pet Necessities and it is a wonderful shop

crammed with pet requirements and gifty ideas. This combination was

exactly what I had in mind when I had said I wanted to start a pet store many

 months before. The couple that owned the shop were so helpful in giving us the

contacts that we needed both for giftware and everyday pet provisions.

When we came back to Plymouth we started seriously looking for premises

and after many viewings and disappointments I happened to be driving past this

shop when I saw it was for let. We viewed it on the Monday, took it on the

Tuesday and signed the lease the following week. One of the main attractions

is that you can park right outside, high on our list of criteria.  Plymouth City Council very helpfully put bollards on the pavement outside my store but it is perfectly safe and legal to park outside as yet there are no yellow lines

The size was just right. I did not want to stock animals so it really was just a

matter of acquiring stock and advertising.  Sounds easy but it all takes time.

I was like a child in a sweetie shop when I started looking at catalogues and

I must admit that feeling is still with me!

23 years ago I found the perfect employee in  Lizzie Abbott who worked Mondays and Wednesdays. Liz retired in June 2013 to move by the sea in Cornwall.  She is living the life she deserves!!  Needless to say I miss her terribly she was there in some of the best and the worst days of my life and  I like to think I   supported her, too.

Lizzie had a beautiful English Bull Terrier called Brodie who also passed away in 2010 at 13 years old.  I think we can safely say 2010 was a pretty awful year for both of us. gorgeous miniature Henry the dachshund owns her now and loves the beach as much as she does!!

To see Lizzie's blog click here 

Please read on and make sure you look at the information at the end of the news page, feel free to print the greyhound action leaflet and pass it

 around.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" (Edmund Burke) Motto of South Devon Greyhound Action Group