Dog Whose Owner Tried to Drown Her Finds New Forever Home
This old dog finally found her happily ever after.
After her previous owner tried to drown her in a local river, Bella the Belgian Shepherd was adopted into a new loving home.
In January 2020, Jane Harper and her friend Joanne Bellamy found Bella struggling to stay afloat in the River Trent in the U.K. According to The Lincolnite, her previous owner Charlene Latham tied her leash to a large rock in an attempt to kill the dog. Luckily, Harper and Bellamy rushed to the water and freed Bella.
As the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and local authorities began looking into the case, Bella, then 10, underwent an intense 15 months of recuperation at the local veterinarian's office. A report from Lincolnshire Live explained that in addition to the ordeal in the freezing winter waters, Bella had a range of health issues that had not been attended to while under Latham's care.
Bella successfully completed her rehabilitation and was subsequently adopted by local retired couple Maggie Mellish and Charlie Douglas. After recently losing their family dog, the dog lovers were eager to bring another four-legged companion into their home.
"We as a family, have [had] three Shepherd-type dogs over the last 30 years and really love them," Mellish told The Lincolnite. "Then we saw Bella's story in the press a few weeks ago and the fact she needed a home so my daughter, Clare Lusher, encouraged us to apply for her."
"We were horrified by what happened to Bella and when we came to see her we [realized] what a great personality she has and she really is perfect for us," Douglas added.
The couple assured readers that they are up to the challenge of caring for Bella's complicated health conditions with regular visits to the vet. "We know she is in her older years but we just want to offer her a loving home she so deserves after all she has been through," Mellish said.
Bella still visits her rescuer Harper, who remarked to Lincolnshire Live what a difference 15 months has made. "It is quite emotional seeing Bella as it brings back memories of that terrible day but we are thrilled to see how she has been transformed by the staff here at the RSPCA," she said. "She looks like a different dog - her coat is beautiful and she looks so happy and full of life."
Ella Carpenter, manager at the Radcliffe Animal Centre where Bella was rehabilitated, expressed how thrilled she was. "This is the perfect happy ending to a story which started off so sad and there were real doubts if Bella could pull through after her terrible ordeal," she said. "But Bella has fought every day, showing enviable strength and courage, not wanting to give up her fight to recover."
As for Bella's cruel first owner, Latham was arrested shortly after the incident and appeared in court for the first time last month. She was sentenced to 12 months of community service and banned from housing dogs for the next three years, The Lincolnite reported. She was also fined a total of £312, about $432 in USD.
Bella's tale is the latest in a series of dogs beating the odds and finding their forever homes. In November 2020, Hero, a retriever mix, was adopted after helping five other dogs escape from a hoarder's house.
