ᴅᴇsᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴇsᴄᴀᴘᴇ, sʜᴇ ᴄʜᴇᴡᴇᴅ ᴏFF Her Own Back Leg To Desperately Save Herself Finds Forever Home
Pit bull Bella was ᴀʙᴀɴᴅᴏɴᴇᴅ as a puppy and ʟᴇFᴛ to ᴅɪᴇ in her owner’s back garden with no food, water or shelter. Just one year old, she was ᴛɪᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ᴏᴜᴛᴅᴏᴏʀs for weeks on end, ᴛᴀɴɢʟᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛᴡᴏ sᴛᴇᴇʟ ᴄᴀʙʟᴇs.
Bella became ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟʏ ᴍᴀʟɴᴏᴜʀɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ, and in a ᴅᴇsᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴇsᴄᴀᴘᴇ, sʜᴇ ᴄʜᴇᴡᴇᴅ ᴏFF her own back leg. Her ᴘᴀɪɴFᴜʟ ᴄʀɪᴇs ᴀʟᴇʀᴛᴇᴅ a member of the public to her ᴅɪsᴛʀᴇss ᴀɴᴅ ᴜʟᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇʟʏ sᴀᴠᴇᴅ her life.
Bella was found in Saginaw, Michigan, US, by a ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀɴᴇᴅ ᴘᴀssᴇʀ-ʙʏ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʟᴇʀᴛᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀɪᴛɪᴇs . Within minutes, a Saginaw County Animal Care and Control officer, Desiree Sage, arrived at the scene.
Sage said: “Walking into the backyard and seeing Bella in such ᴅɪsᴛʀᴇss ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴀʏ ᴡᴀs ᴜɴɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴀʙʟʏ ɢᴜᴛ-ᴡʀᴇɴᴄʜɪɴɢ. Aɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴏᴅᴅs, Bᴇʟʟᴀ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴄᴀᴍᴇ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʟᴇFᴛ Fᴏʀ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.”
Her back leg was still ᴛʀᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʙʟᴇ and Desiree had to carefully free her from the tethers. Despite her living ɴɪɢʜᴛᴍᴀʀᴇ, Bella sᴛɪʟʟ ᴡᴀɢɢᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴀɪʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɢʟᴇᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇʟɪᴇF ᴏF ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇᴅ. The poorly pit bull was immediately ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ Fᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ ɪɴᴊᴜʀɪᴇs, and vets reassured rescuers that she would sᴜʀᴠɪ
Her leg began to heal and she adjusted well to life on three feet instead of four. Staff were concerned about Bella’s ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀ and wanted to place her somewhere that specialised in cases like hers, so they reached out to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the largest ɴᴏ-ᴋɪʟʟ pet shelter in the area. While Bella looked for a new family to take her in, authorities managed to track down her owner and charges were pressed for their neglect.
In February, Kim ᴅɪᴇhl and Jason Reding from Rockport, Illinois, visited Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in the hopes of finding a pet after the ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ of their senior pit bull.
Kim said: “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.”
The couple applied to adopt Bella and took her home to Illinois on March 24 – the exact same day her ᴀʙᴜsᴇʀ ᴡᴀs ᴄʜᴀʀɢᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀɴɪᴍᴀʟ ᴄʀᴜᴇʟᴛʏ. Bella was thrilled to see the couple and ʟᴇFᴛ with a wide grin on her face, as if she knew she was finally home. Bella has gotten a lot of well-deserved sleep in her new warm bed, right beside her owners.
Kim added: “We have so much love for this adorable girl.”
