The Dog Seat Belt Blog

Ella

This is a story about Ella, the dog that was recently published by the American Humane Association. For those of you unfamiliar with this association, they have been protecting children and animals since 1877.

Here is Ella’s story:

Dog Builds ‘Nest’ From Injured Family’s Possessions

When Kathy, an animal shelter worker in Tennessee, spotted an emaciated Rottweiler along the side of a highway, she figured the dog was a stray or had been cruelly abandoned there.

But Kathy soon realized that there was something different about “Ella.” Ella was friendly and eager for attention — behavior that is unusual for either a stray or an abused animal. She had clearly been loved by someone.

There were more clues in the wooded area just off the highway. Kathy discovered a “nest” where Ella had been sleeping. It was strewn with someone’s personal items, including a toothbrush, razor, comb and candle.

Then Kathy remembered something crucial. A few weeks earlier, a terrible car wreck had taken place on the highway…very close to where Ella had made her makeshift home.

Could Ella have been in the car? Was it possible that she had survived the crash and gathered the items thrown from her family’s car? Was she now loyally waiting for someone’s return?

Ella's Nest

Help Pets Separated From Suffering Families

Kathy’s hunch soon proved true. She contacted the state’s highway patrol authorities and learned that a single car had flipped over and landed on the side of the road near Ella’s “nest.” A family of five had been in the car. Some members had been hospitalized, but they all survived.

Rescuers had never seen Ella, who had either been thrown from the car or ran from it. The dog foraged on her own for a few weeks, drinking from a drainage ditch and patiently waiting for beloved family members who thought their special pet was dead!

American Humane stepped in when they learned that the family’s medical bills had caused tremendous financial strain. Unfortunately, the family had moved to a home that did not allow pets. They provided a critical grant to Kathy’s animal shelter to help fund Ella’s care.

Though unable to bring Ella back into their home at this time, the family was thrilled to see her and hopes to be reunited for good in the future. Meanwhile, Ella is living safely and comfortably in a loving foster home.

Luckily, this story has a happy ending. But it could have ended quite differently and tragically. Ella could have run into oncoming traffic and been killed. She could have wandered for miles and far away from where anyone would know how to help her find her family. She could have encountered a wild animal that could have inflicted wounds on her that given the conditions she was living under would have become infected and she could have been subjected to a slow painful death.

Ella has happily been saved after quite an ordeal. Don’t let this potentially happen to your dog in the case of an accident. Buy your dog a dog seat belt or dog car harness and insure their safety.