Doug had previously owned a Rottweiler-Lab mix. “He loved that dog,” Abbe said. “I didn’t know him then, but from what I understood, this was his best friend. When he passed away, he didn’t want to get another dog.”

When the couple moved into a new house, Abbe had her heart set on getting a Rottweiler. “I wanted one,” Abbe shared. “I’d never had one. I thought Rotties were great. A lot of people said, ‘Don’t do it. They’re hard to train. They’re big. They’re scary.’”

But Abbe did her research. “If they’re trained properly, they’re okay,” she said. “I wanted a Rottweiler because I’ve heard so many amazing things about them, but I’ve heard that if they’re not trained properly, things can get out of control. I did a lot of reading before we got Bella.”

After several failed attempts to rescue, they found a reputable breeder who had a litter available in May. Abbe, a teacher, would be able to be home with the puppy over the summer. They went to pick the female puppy they’d picked out up when she was eight weeks old. “She was very little,” Abbe said. “She was only like six pounds. I don’t know if she was a runt. She’s still smaller than average. She’s about 68 pounds now, and if you look online, at her age, they should be about 80. She’s smaller than normal. She was like the cutest little thing. I was like, ‘That’s Bella.’”

The month that Bella was born, Abbe was already attending orientation for training at Philly Unleashed. “She was going to go through training,” Abbe said. “I was so on top of that because that was something that had to happen.”

She knew that Rottweilers could be pushy and stubborn. “They can be great if they’re trained properly and if not, they can step all over you,” Abbe shared. “And I knew she was going to be kind of big. I knew I had to put my part into it if I knew I wanted this Rottie that badly.”

Abbe had found Philly Unleashed through Yelp, encouraged by the good reviews. “And then when I went online and they had so many different classes, I decided this is where I’m going to be,” Abbe said.

Abbe also was struck by the diversity of locations. She and Doug live in Fishtown and often travel to Northern Liberties and South Philly, with classes available in both areas. And then there was the farm. “What impressed me the most and still does–one day I want to take her–is the farm,” Abbe said. “We talk about when we go on vacation, that’s where we’re going to take her. We want her to have that experience on the farm because it looks so amazing.”

Bella started with Puppy Club and moved through Puppy Kindergarten and Level 1. She’s now in Level 2 and sees Kelsey for private lessons. They also participated in Trailblazers with Collin and will pick that up again when the weather warms back up. “Our goal would for her to be a therapy dog. She’s very friendly and loves people.”

Abbe and Doug both train with Bella, but Abbe has also found that the time home alone with Bella over the summer has impacted her relationship with the puppy. “It’s really interesting, because I stayed home all summer with her and I pretty much did all of the training and now she loves both of us but she’s definitely my dog,” Abbe said. “She follows me everywhere. I think we bonded over that experience. When I was home all day, I was the one who took her for walks.”

All of their hard work is paying off. And even though Bella was taught how to “stay,” Abbe has found that she’s also naturally talented. “Honestly she can stay for a very long time and that’s just something she’s just good at,” Abbe shared. “I think that’s just the best thing that she can do. I think it’s my favorite because she’s good at it.”

And “leave it” became practical quickly because Bella loves paper towels. “I’ll clean up and it’s fun sometimes to watch her stare at the towel,” Abbe said. “She’s watching my every move and you know she wants it so badly.”

Abbe’s advice to other pet owners is to find classes. “Get them trained,” she said. “I do actually recommend Philly Unleashed because I’ve had a good experience with them.”

And she found that the early training, especially Puppy Club, was invaluable. “When we first took her,” Abbe shared, “she was so shy and so scared of other dogs. She’s still not a dog dog. I think she’d rather be with her people. But she’s not scared of other dogs.”

Puppy Club also taught Abbe and Doug about dog behavior and reactions. “Sometimes they’re fighting and sometimes they’re playing,” Abbe said. “They teach you to be in tune to your dog’s body language during greetings and play with other dogs. That was really important. Just getting a puppy, you don’t know what to do. You hear ‘Socialize, socialize.’ You don’t really know what’s going on. That was a really good way to ease into having a puppy.”

And overall, Bella has settled in nicely. “It’s a lot of fun having a dog in the city,” Abbe said. “Again, if they’re trained properly. With a dog like Bella, I’ve watched people cross the street and it’s just funny because she’s not scary at all. Just train your dog. Because Rottweilers and all bully breeds can be the most loving dogs ever.”