Beloved dog — late dad’s gift to daughter — vanished for months. Then came good news
A beloved dog — the final gift a late dad gave to his daughter — was missing for months. Then, a “heartbroken” family received good news.
Bella the dog was found safe miles from her New York home, leading to a joyful reunion with one of her owners, the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society wrote March 17 in a Facebook post.
“We are so happy for Bella, Kim, and their whole family to finally be whole again,” the animal shelter wrote.
The shelter said the touching moments came after Bella disappeared from Albany in October.
“Someone opened the gate to the yard she and her canine brother were playing in that morning,” the animal organization wrote. “Her canine brother was located easily, but Bella was not. Bella’s family was heartbroken.”
For months, there reportedly were no signs of Bella, who was “the last gift given by a dad to his young daughter before he passed away 13 years ago.”
Then on March 15, one of her owners received a phone call with the long-awaited news. The owner said she wanted to leave work as soon as she discovered Bella was finally found as a stray.
Bella reconnected with her family, and several social media users said they couldn’t get enough of the heartwarming news. Her story was shared hundreds of times and had more than 1,000 reactions within two days of being posted on Facebook.
The family reunited with Bella after the humane society checked the dog for a microchip, a device that stores owners’ contact information in case pets get lost.
“Bella does not look like she did when she went missing,” the shelter wrote. “Spotting her on a strays page would have been difficult. It’s been 166 days since she was groomed. It’s been 166 days since she was in the comfort of what she knew as home.”
The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on March 19. The shelter is in Menands, north of Albany.
This story was originally published March 19, 2024 at 10:18 AM with the headline "Beloved dog — late dad’s gift to daughter — vanished for months. Then came good news."
