Meet Bella!

Bella is a stunning one-year-old black golden retriever - yes, you read that right! Her DNA is 100%% golden retriever, but she's got the playful, exuberant energy of a lab puppy wrapped in a sleek black coat. At 50 lbs, she's the perfect medium-large size with all the golden personality you'd expect: affectionate, loyal, and absolutely devoted to her person.

Bella came back to us through no fault of her own. Her family experienced significant life changes that left her without the structure and companionship she thrives on - and they loved her enough to make sure she gets it.

What makes Bella shine:
Bella has a solid training foundation - she's completed puppy playtime, puppy basics, doggy middle school, and community socialization walks. She's leash-trained, knows her basics, and is spayed. With adults and older teens, she's warm, social, and a true companion dog. She tends to pick a favorite person and loves hard.

What Bella needs in her next home:
Bella is a sensitive girl who does best in a calm, predictable environment. It was hard on her when her daily routine changed dramatically and she was left alone for long stretches - so she'll do best in a home where someone is around most of the day, or where a consistent dog walker or daycare arrangement is in place. She's not a dog who does well being crated for hours at a stretch.

Bella does just fine with some dogs. She's done beautifully with calm, confident female dogs, but is not the right fit for a home with high-energy or pushy male dogs. A single-dog home or one with a laid-back female companion and a family who understands slow intros would suit her best.

She does wonderfully with older kids and adults. She can be a little shy at first but warms up quickly once she feels safe.

She's curious about the world but not a hunter - she'll calmly watch the bunnies in the yard rather than chase them, which may bode well for a cat-experienced feline.

Bella's ideal home:
✔ Adults or teens only, or older children (12+)
✔ Someone home most of the day
✔ Only dog, or a calm, confident female dog companion
✔ Committed to continued positive reinforcement training
✔ Active lifestyle - she needs daily exercise and mental stimulation to be her best self

Bella has so much love to give and is ready to bloom in the right environment. If you think you might be her person, we'd love to hear from you!

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f you are interested in adopting/meeting this pup , please complete our online adoption application that you can find here: https://www.starfishanimalrescue.com/adopt/dog-adoption-application . Your application will be reviewed by our team and if it is a good fit, we will send to the foster family to set up a meet!

The adoption fee of $300 will include spay/neuter, microchip, age appropriate/required vaccinations, treatment for heartworm and any other necessary medical treatment to assure a healthy new pup for your family. IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Although we do our best to describe breed, since our pups all come from shelters we can not and will not make any guarantee on breed or size. We can tell you that they are 100%% RESCUED! And that is the BEST breed!

*please note that we are a foster home based rescue and we do home visits as part of the adoption process - we are unable to adopt to families who live outside of the Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Thank you for your understanding.