A single mom shared the heartbreaking moment she told her 4-year-old son it was time for their beloved senior dog to "cross the Rainbow Bridge." Most Americans consider their pets to be part of the family. A 2023 Pew Research Center survey of nearly 3,000 pet owners found that 51 percent view their pets to be as much a part of their family as a human relative.
Shelbie Archibeque's dog Bella was somehow more than even that. , cuddle companion and confidant for 14 incredible years together, from the moment they met, a bond was formed. "I got Bella when she was eight weeks old," Archibeque told .
"I had just moved to Washington after graduating high school and didn't know anyone. I originally went to look at another litter as Bella wasn't for sale. But when I got there she wiggled out of her owner's arms and sat in my lap and would cry if they tried to pick her back up.
" Bella's original owners joked that she had chosen Archibeque and, in a wild twist, gave the puppy to her for free. "They wouldn't accept my money," she recalled. "They simply gave her to me and said they couldn't break that bond.
" It's a bond that helped Archibeque through the next decade of ups-and-downs. A decade of addiction and recovery, but so many happy times along the way. "She really loved to play ball and go swimming, and take car rides," Archibeque said.
The happiest of these moments came with the birth of Archibeque's son who goes by the affectionate nickname Cookie Monster. "He grew up with Bella so .
