Neglected pitbull who chewed off leg to escape painful tether has found her forever home
A neglected canine who gnawed off her own leg to save herself has finally found a loving home.
Bella the pitbull's journey from being a neglected pooch to finding her new forever home last month was documented in a news release from Best Friends Animal Society. The poor dog was originally found by a postal worker in Saginaw Country, Michigan, who saw her tangled up in her tether in a yard with no food, water, or shelter. The starving pitbull terrier had chewed her back leg off at the thigh while trying to escape, before Saginaw County Animal Care & Control rescued the malnourished animal and treated her injuries.
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"Walking into the backyard and seeing Bella that day was unimaginably gut-wrenching," Desi Sage, the animal care and control officer who rescued Bella, said in a statement. "Against all odds, Bella overcame being left for dead." The embattled canine recovered rather quickly from her physical injuries, but the mammoth task was repairing the emotional damage she suffered from being neglected. Saginaw County Animal Care & Control put out a call for someone who had experience helping dogs overcome trauma, so Bella would receive the best care possible, People reported.
The call was eventually answered by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the largest no-kill pet sanctuary in the nation, who welcomed Bella after reviewing the pet's medical and behavioral history. It's worth noting that Best Friends has a reputation for helping neglected and abused pets, and even rescued a number of dogs from Michael Vick's dogfighting ring.
On January 15, Sage and her colleague Abbe Balderstone embarked on a 1,800-mile journey from Michigan to Best Friend Animal Society's sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. The road trip was funded by Saginaw residents Bob and Pat Schust. Meanwhile, Zach Webster of Thelen Subaru of the Thelen Auto Group in Bay City loaned the car Sage used for the trip and also covered the fuel expenses. "I'm beyond thankful to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary for ensuring that Bella will never endure such pain and agony again," Sage said after successfully bringing Bella to the sanctuary, as quoted by Best Friends Animal Society. "I believe this next chapter in her life will help her move forward and hopefully eventually land her in a loving home with people who truly see how special she really is."
Then, in February, Kim Diehl and Jason Reding of Rockport, Illinois, visited Best Friends Animal Society's Utah sanctuary hoping to find a new pet following the death of their pit bull Roxanne, who had been adopted from the same sanctuary. They had read about Bella prior to visiting the sanctuary and were excited to finally meet her. "The rest is history. Bella just has an irresistible face. It was love at first sight," Diehl said of her first walk with the pooch alongside Reding. "We brought her to stay with us at the sanctuary's onsite cottages for a week. She's so energetic and has such a bubbly personality. We grew to love her even more."
Diehl and Reding immediately applied to adopt Bella. Once they were approved, the couple flew to Denver and rented a car to pick up the pit bull from Kanab and drive her to her forever home in Illinois. "Her back story is very sad, and it's too bad that she had to go through that, but we intend to make up for all of that," Diehl said. "We intend to spoil her rotten." Bella is said to have enjoyed her road trip to Illinois and lost no time adjusting to a life of pampering. "Bella has a bed on the floor next to me and has been sleeping through the night. It's hard to believe that she is potty trained, but so far, no accidents. We have so much love for this adorable girl," Diehl added.
