To Bella ~~~ a sonnet by Elizabeth Obadina

Blue eyed Bella, well at least in one eye,

Is mischievous, so lively and so smart.

She plays and enchants and gives her whole heart

To those she lives with, whose sides she stays by.

Though born for cold alps, she swims in the sea

Magics from shaggy to sleek, furry fish!

Though born to pull carts, she once made a wish

To dig holes, to find love and to run free.

Up in Valhalla, her ancestors saw

The sad, left-behind pup in the litter

And cast digital spells to protect her,

Thus blessing kind folk with one small pup more.

Dreams come true. Bella brings blessings divine

As she sees heaven and earth at one time. *

*Heterochromia irides is unusual in Bernese Mountain Dogs.

There are some myths surrounding the condition such as Native Americans believe that dogs with one blue eye and one brown eye can see both heaven and earth at the same time.

Some myths say those dogs that possess two different coloured eyes are natural protectors. Another legend states that sledge dogs with heterochromia are faster than their dual-coloured-eyed counterparts.