Entrant's First Name
Patty

Your Pet's Rescue Story
Bella and I found a new home together!

In 2012, I followed my husband from Michigan to his new job in Knoxville, Tennessee.

During this big move, I sent my first and only son off to college. I said good-bye to all my friends, the kids I coached and taught, and to the community I loved. I also had to say good bye to my beloved Buttercup, who is in heaven now.

I woke up In a completely foreign environment, aside from hubby, not knowing a single soul, with no kids to take care of(my own or others), and a strange place where apparently everybody is supposed to wear orange.

I was not a spring chicken anymore. Where was I? Who was I?

Pretty much everything I defined myself by wasn’t present in my day to day life. I missed that life!

As I moved in to my new house, I had a bunch of mismatching old towels. From being a volunteer at the local shelter in my old town, I knew the local Knoxville shelter could probably use some, too. So I took all these towels to the Knoxville ASPCA. I was still hurting from losing my Buttercup, so I intended to drop off the towels and leave. But I could hear all the dogs, and couldn’t resist taking a look.

There was Bella. Not barking at all, laying down with her big eyes gazing directly into mine. Love at first sight! I couldn’t take her right away because she was sick. So I came back to the shelter for two weeks to just walk her and get to know her. When she was ready for me to adopt her, they told me how wonderful she was, but that she loves to chew. She had been kept, while recovering, in the director’s office. Apparently, Bells chewed up some pencils and the director’s wallet when accidentally left out of her cage.

Hey, what dog doesn’t like to chew, and, boy does Bella! But she has plenty of chew toys to keep her busy now, and it’s no problem at all. She has a big basket full. She is always digging in it, grabbing which ever one or two catches her eye for that day.

I love Bella with all my heart. I do not know anything about Bella’s life before seeing her at the Shelter, but since she was there, she had to be a little lost like me.

Together, we found a wonderful new life and home.