Video: Lonely Pound Dog So Relieved to Be Rescued She Falls Asleep in Rescuer’s Arms

(Illustration - Shutterstock)

Bella was found living in a bare concrete kennel inside a Romanian city pound, where she had likely been for most of her life. She was isolated, with little access to the outdoors, other dogs, or the loving kindness of a human carer.

Romanian rescue organization Howl of a Dog discovered Bella on a tour of the pound; the dog’s heart-rending response to her rescuer’s outstretched hand made the charity’s decision an easy one: They took Bella in.

“This sweet dog spent most of her life in this small concrete cage in a public pound in Romania,” Howl of a Dog explained in a moving video of Bella’s journey posted to their Facebook page.

It was “a life empty of affection,” they said. Sensing the lonely dog’s great need during their tour of the city pound in the fall of 2018, Howl of a Dog took Bella into their care on the very same day.

Their moving video shows Bella on the day of her emancipation. Her body is thin, and her fur is matted; she needed more love, care, and attention than the pound was able to provide for her.

Bella’s rescuer took her to the Howl of a Dog shelter, also in Romania, to rest before her veterinary appointment. As soon as Bella realized that she was leaving the pound behind in favor of a tender human hand, she visibly relaxed. She relaxed so much, in fact, that the exhausted pup fell promptly and soundly asleep in her rescuer’s arms while they were in the car.

It was clear that Bella loved people. “She was so trusting and relieved to be finally saved,” the shelter said. “She didn’t care about anything else, only wanted to take a nap in someone’s arms.”

The rescuer filmed and later shared the sweet moment on YouTube. The video has garnered nearly a million views, helping raise visibility for Bella and other forgotten pets just like her.

The veterinary clinic estimated Bella’s age to be around 3 or 4 years. She was given deworming pills and a medicated bath to kill the fleas living on her body and soothe her itchy skin. She also had her nails clipped and received supplements to help combat deficiencies in her spleen and liver.

Bella quickly settled into life at the shelter, gaining weight and playing contentedly with the other pups. It turned out that Bella liked other dogs just as much as she liked people.

“She is still a little shy,” Howl of a Dog explained shortly after Bella’s rescue, “so we let her discover the world at her own pace.”

Slowly but surely, the previously neglected pup began to flourish. “She has a sweet, gentle personality,” her rescuers asserted, “obedient and smart. She looks like a Border Collie mix, same size but her tail is shorter,” they added, speculating that Bella’s tail may have been docked.

While not every animal was able to be lifted from the city pound that day, Bella was one of the lucky ones. On Dec. 12, 2018, Howl of a Dog posted a triumphant announcement on Facebook:

“Bella has found a loving family in Germany. Her new home is in a very beautiful and quiet village, she goes for lots of walks in the forest [...] and she follows her mom around wherever she goes.”

“We couldn’t be happier for Bella,” the sweet dog’s champions exclaimed. “Thanks for all your support to make happy stories like this possible!”

Howl of a Dog is a small, non-profit animal rescue group based in Romania, committed to finding loving forever homes for abandoned, neglected, and abused dogs from the streets or overrun shelters. They rely entirely upon donations for their ongoing work.