[caption id="attachment_4995" align="alignleft" width="214"]<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/04/06/day-190-wishbones-two-types/sony-dsc-13/" rel="attachment wp-att-4995"><img class="size-medium wp-image-4995 " title="A Canine Star as Born" alt="" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/DSC4127-214x300.jpg" width="214" height="300" /></a> Happy Unbirthday to Bella![/caption]

You read that correctly.  My dog is giving up her birthday for charity.  She has opted for an "UnBirthday", if you will.  Please allow me to explain.

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<span style="font-size: medium; color: #008000;"><strong>But first, if you read only thing today, please go here:  </strong></span>

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<a href="http://www.crowdrise.com/worldsmostpreciouspooch" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">http://www.crowdrise.com/worldsmostpreciouspooch</span></strong></a>

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On to the explanation . . . .

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Last July, I was given a crisp $100 bill by Chris Guillebeau at the World Domination Summit (a scary-sounding name synonymous with "World's Best Conference Comprised of Artists, Bloggers, Creative Types and Such") in Portland.  My fellow 999 Summit goers received 100 buckaroos as well.

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Our mission?  To put our investment to good use and do something interesting.

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Unanimously, we chose to accept it.

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You can read more about Chris Guillebeau's $100 Investment <strong><a href="http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/the-100-investment/" target="_blank">here.</a> </strong>

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Stay with me.  This explanation will make sense in 60 seconds or less.  I promise.

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<span style="color: #008000;"><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">As many of you already know, my dog is uber-cute.  Truly.  We're talking stopping-people-in-their-tracks cute.</span></strong></span>

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Bella aka World's Most Precious pooch sits patiently as men, women and children coo over her and exclaim that she looks just like Toto!  Or is it Benji?  Oh, and with her ears out like that she looks just like Yoda!  Or is it Gizmo?

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My friend Jean once dubbed Bella aka World's Most Precious Pooch as "Disney Dog".  (One can never have too many aliases.)

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Now that's she's a Disney Dog, Bella has felt obligated to adopt a precocious nature.

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One evening whilst I was away, Disney Dog<strong> <a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/05/06/day-220-my-dog-hijacked-my-computer/" target="_blank">hijacked my computer</a></strong> and launched a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/worlds.most.precious.pooch" target="_blank"><strong>facebook page.  </strong></a>She figured that if Zuckerberg's pooch could have a page, why couldn't she?

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<span style="color: #008000; font-size: medium;"><strong>Interestingly (and amusingly), Disney Dog has more "friends" than my boyfriend AND received more birthday wishes on her wall last year than my mother did on her birthday. </strong> </span>

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Mom's nose was out of joint for a day or two, but then she got over it.  My boyfriend is currently friending everyone and their mother to catch up to Disney Dog.

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Bella blessedly came back down to earth soon after her initial facebook notoriety.  Her street urchin origins continually humble her and  remind her of what's most important in life.

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Recently, Disney Dog aka Bella vowed to channel her precociousness into a project for the Greater Good of Caninekind!  Here's the latest:

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<span style="color: #008000; font-size: medium;"><strong>My dog confiscated my $100 Investment!!!!</strong></span>

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Thankfully, Bella did not eat the $100.  That would have been embarrassing.

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<span style="font-size: medium; color: #008000;"><strong>Staying true to her roots, Bella has decided to invest the $100 in her favorite animal rescue charity per Chris Guilleabeau's original mission!  She has picked Mingus Manor as the beneficiary of her fundraising efforts.  </strong></span>

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Mingus Manor is a special place that is near and dear to Bella's heart for two extraordinarily important reasons:

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1.  Mingus Manor is an animal sanctuary devoted to caring for Senior and Special Needs pets.  These pets are deemed "unadoptable" by other rescue organizations.  However, Mingus Manor believes that all animals have a right to a forever home.

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<blockquote><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #993300;"><strong>"There is someone for everyone, as the saying goes, and if we can find those wonderful human beings that share our love for these two groups and are willing to give them loving homes, we are all for that."
-- Karen Scherer of Mingus Manor</strong></span></span></blockquote>
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2.  Mingus Manor is where Bella picked me.  You know how people say that we don't pick dogs, but they pick us?  I'm a walking example of that saying, and my little dog, too!

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No, Bella wasn't a Senior or Special needs dog.  She was a scared, traumatized, and sick 9 month-old shell of a pup.

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On Day 43 of my <strong><a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/365-or-bust/" target="_blank">365 Days of Living Curiously,</a> </strong>I volunteered at Mingus Manor for their Dog Wash fundraiser. I was so moved Karen Scherer's angelic mission, and I wanted to do something to help.

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I showed up at the fundraiser and washed one water-averse pug.  It was then that I spotted Bella across the crowded grounds.  An array of vendors showed up to support Mingus Manor, and one of those organizations happened to be Mixed Up Mutts, a local rescue group.

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I walked over to the metal pen and asked if I could please hold the pup with the crazy hair.  The pup instantly snuggled into me, and I could not put her down.  I held Bella (then "Missy") for two hours and didn't wash  I was the lamest volunteer ever!  You can read all about that momentous day <strong><a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2010/11/09/day-43babymakestwo/" target="_blank">here.</a></strong>

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[caption id="attachment_1802" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2010/11/09/day-43babymakestwo/bella2/" rel="attachment wp-att-1802"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1802   " alt="Born to Snuggle" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/bella2-300x225.jpg" width="300" height="225" /></a> November 2010 at Mingus Manor -- Love at First Snuggle[/caption]

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Two and a half years later, Bella is a happy, well-adusted, and healthy dog.  She is also smart, well-mannered, plays well with others, extremely affectionate, easy-going, rides well on planes, travels well in automobiles, gives kisses to everyone she meets, and is a legendary rabbit huntress in her own mind.

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Not that I am biased or anything. ☺

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But it's true!  I always tell people that I hit the "puppy lotto" because I can't believe how lucky I am that Bella popped into my life when I least expected it.

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<span style="font-size: medium; color: #008000;"><strong>To honor the place that brought us together, Bella is giving up her birthday on February 15th to raise funds for Mingus Manor.</strong></span>

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(We don't know the actual day of Bella's birth, but 2-15-10 was the date assigned to her by the vet who first examined her when she was lifted off the streets of Yuma, Arizona.)

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I tried to encourage her to come up with a more original fundraising idea, but I am a bit mortified to admit that Bella has shamelessly <del>stolen</del> borrowed <strong><a href="http://mycharitywater.org/p/birthdays" target="_blank">Charity:Water's brilliant unbirthday idea. </a> </strong>

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Bella has announced that she has more bully sticks and squeak toys than she can handle.  And doggy bling has always been out of the question.  Bella is definitely a tomboy pooch.

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[caption id="attachment_12089" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=12089" rel="attachment wp-att-12089"><img class="size-medium wp-image-12089" alt="She's not exaggerating.  " src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/P1310011-300x225.jpg" width="300" height="225" /></a> She's not exaggerating.[/caption]

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<span style="font-size: medium; color: #008000;"><strong>In lieu of gifts, Bella respectfully asks for your assistance in caring for her fellow canines (and feline friends!) who are in need of special care.  If Mingus Manor's story touches your heart, then please consider donating to Mingus Manor at Bella's fundraising website:</strong></span>

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<a href="http://www.crowdrise.com/worldsmostpreciouspooch" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">http://www.crowdrise.com/worldsmostpreciouspooch</span></strong></a>

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Thank you for your support.  If you ever happen to meet Bella, she'll be sure to shower you with kisses as a personal thank you.

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