|
Many miracles
happened on the day that Bella was taken to Continental Airlines to be flown
from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Seattle, Washington. Bella’s foster mother,
Gail, had so many details to ensure were exactly correct in order for the
airline to take Bella on the flight. Her first stop was Petco to pick up
the giant crate required due to Bella’s height. The crate was going to be
twice as expensive as we had anticipated. We hadn’t raised enough money to
cover all of the expenses and we were worried about the costs. When Gail
picked up the crate and went to pay for it, the manager explained that Petco
was donating the crate for Bella’s trip!! That was the first miracle that
day.
I can’t
imagine how Gail felt as she took Bella to the terminal to put her on that
flight. I would imagine she was worried and relieved all at the same time.
Bella was getting the chance that Gail knew she needed. Gail had believed
in this little girl for the last nine months and had had her heart broken
many times. Gail took Bella into the terminal to arrange for her
transport. As she went to pay for her passage, the terminal employee
advised her that the cost of the trip was going to be significantly less
than they had quoted us. It was another monetary miracle.
Gail sat
quietly with Bella on the floor until it was time to put her into the kennel
and allow the employees of Continental to prepare her for her flight. She
explained to Bella what was happening to her and told her not to be afraid.
She kissed her gently and said goodbye.
Gail and I spoke on the
phone several times while Bella was in the air that day. Continental has a
wonderful service that allowed us to monitor the progress of our precious
cargo through Houston and onto her flight to Seattle. Gail and I were both
very concerned about how Bella would handle the trip. We were also
emotionally and physically exhausted from dealing with all of the work and
worry that was required to get Bella to her new home 2,700 miles away. We
both cried several times during those phone conversations. We were
relieved that Bella was on her way and worried about how she would handle
the trip. The tears were a necessary release.
Jan, my husband, and I
decided to head to SeaTac Airport early so ensure that we were there
immediately as Bella arrived at the terminal. It felt as though we waited
for an eternity before Bella was rolled into the baggage area in her huge
crate. My first glimpse of Bella’s little face through the wired windows of
the crate brought tears to my eyes. Gail’s calming hands must have given
Bella strength because she was not shaking or crying. As the Continental
personnel completed the paperwork and checked my ID, I allowed Bella to
sniff my hand through the wire windows. I spoke gently and quietly to her,
knowing full well that she couldn’t hear me but I hoped that she could sense
that she was home.
We took Bella home and
introduced her to her new canine siblings. We were very pleased with the
initial interaction of all of the dogs. After a small meal, we settled
Bella in for the night. To ensure the safety of all of the dogs, Bella
slept in a crate at the foot of our bed that first night. She slept well.
The next morning, I was able
to observe Bella’s condition before we headed to the vet for her first
appointment. She was quite thin and her coat was in very poor condition.
Her toenails were very long and it would take several trims before we would
be able to get them to a proper length. I loaded Bella into my van and we
headed to the vet’s office.
Our vet is wonderful and he
carefully examined Bella. There were several raw spots on her skin and the
vet took scrapings to determine the cause. He was able to quickly determine
that Bella had demodectic mange, also known as red mange. He noted her
teeth were badly worn down, most likely due to chewing on an unrelenting
object such as metal crate wires. Her front bottom teeth were worn down to
the gum line and her canines were small nubs. While the vet prepared her
medications to deal with the demodectic mange and an accompanying infection,
the technician gave Bella her first toenail trim.
Bella has been home for a
couple of months now. This is were she will spend the rest of her life—she
has finally found her true “forever home”. With a quality diet,
medication for her skin problems, and lots of loving care, Bella has
overcome the demodectic mange and her skin is improving every day. Bella
has a lovely personality and we have not experienced the behavior problems
that she displayed in her previous homes. She gets along well with her
canine siblings and doesn’t seem to have an aggressive bone in her body.
Bella has a beautiful spirit and we feel so lucky to have her. She loves
to play with toys and sleep on her special couch cuddling with us. She
loves to dash at full speed in her new big back yard. Her heart is
soaring. When I look into her eyes, I know we did the right thing.
Lefty & Bella
The warm
outpouring of support for this special little girl has touched my heart so
profoundly. In a world with so many bad things going on, it has renewed my
faith in humanity. There are so many people who opened their hearts to a
little deaf greyhound. I will be forever grateful and humbled by their
generosity.
The moral of this story is
simple. There is no such thing as being “too far away”. Where there is a
will, there is a way to get a special needs greyhound into the right home.
NOGAP has turned the Bella
Fund into a perpetual fund to assist with the long distance transport of
special needs dogs. Please consider making a contribution to the Bella Fund
so that we can help more special needs dogs find their forever homes in the
Pacific Northwest.
|
