August 16, 2021 was an eventful day in the life of Bella.  Tied to a fence 24 hours a day the pit-bull mix was tired of life.  So much that she decided it was better to cut off her own feet rather than live this way.  Her owners, oblivious to her suffering, did not care one bit.  So Bella had taken matters into her own hand by chewing off one of her feet in an attempt to free herself.  Bleeding and seriously injured, she had laid down to die when a mail carrier noticed the suffering pup.  He called Saginaw Animal Control and soon police showed up.  Apparently Bella had been abandoned with no water or food, left to die a horrible death slowly.

"This poor girl had to chew off her leg, but her personality is still so loving, even though she came in here starving, abandoned, and neglected," Bonnie Kanicki, the director of Saginaw County Animal Care and Control said shortly after taking Bella to the shelter.  There they had to operate on her twice due to her injuries. Miraculously Bella adapted to her new facilities quickly and begun recovering.  A testament to her courage and love in the face of incalculable human cruelty.

But still Bella was not out of trouble as finding a good home for an injured, fearful dog on three legs was not an easy task.  Stepped in Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the largest no kill sanctuary in the United States.  They reviewed the case of Bella and agreed to home her for as long as was necessary.  Still Best Friends is located in Utah, Bella had to travel 1,800 miles from Saginaw, Michigan.

Saginaw animal control officers Desi Sage who was the one that had responded to the original call from the letter carrier and Abbe Balderstone, another that helped in the rescue agreed to drive Bella the entire 1,800 miles.  Bob and Pat Schust agreed to cover the costs of the trip as well and on Saturday, January 15th Bella started on her long journey home.

Soon she was in Utah and in the warm and cuddly hands of animal loving people and volunteers at Best Friends.  Her arrival was so enthusiastic that two of the founders of Best Friends were there to welcome her to the sanctuary.  Now it's time for Bella to rest from the heinous life she has led so far.  Rest, recover and be loved.  Best Friends hopes to find a great home that will soon adopt Bella and bring her to her forever home.

Humans are such a perplexing species.  Capable of the greatest love and the most despicable acts possible, done almost simultaneously.  This organization took a deep dive into the psychiatry and motives behind such inhumanity, titled An Anatomy of Cruelty, our conclusion may surprise many.  Still we have the capability to rise above our instincts and do incredible things.  The Saginaw Animal Control, the volunteers and Best Friends are all examples of that.  The despicable human beings that left Bella to die will never be called to account for their actions.  We can be better, we must be better.