By JESSE GRAHAM
WHEN Sally Trewin’s dog Bella ran away in Launching Place last year she thought the pet was gone for good.
However, an unknown carer, a tragic accident and a viral social media campaign helped to reunite the pair.
Ms Trewin said that Bella had run away about nine months ago and without a microchip she had no way of tracking down the lost pet.
She moved to Moorabbin and was shocked late last month when her stepson found a post on Seville Veterinary Clinic’s Facebook with a photo of the terrier cross.
Bella had been hit by a car on 20 June and was brought into the vet clinic with spinal injuries and bruises.
The clinic’s staff wasted no time putting out a callout on social media.
Dr Marilyn Price said the post picked up momentum quickly and that, with hundreds of people sharing the photo, about 19,000 people saw Bella’s plight.
Ms Trewin got in contact and picked up Bella on 23 June, before taking her to have spinal surgery and get fitted with a wheelchair.
She said that since the operation, Bella has regained some movement, although her back legs are still paralysed, and that she enjoys going for walks with her wheels on.
Dr Price said the social media post was a lifesaver for Bella, who was severely injured when she was brought into the clinic.
“If we hadn’t been able to find an owner, we probably would have had no other solution than to put little Bella to sleep – her future was looking fairly bleak,” she said.
“It was a good end result – to find her owner was wonderful.”
Ms Trewin said that someone must have been taking care of Bella since she went missing because she was healthy and well-kept when she was brought in.
She said that she wanted to get in contact with the people who had been taking care of her dog and that she wanted them to know that Bella was safe, sound and on the mend.
Dr Price warned other pet owners that microchipping animals was extremely important in order to return lost pets to their homes.
“Without the microchip… there’s no way of tracking down where they came from,” she said.
“They often have to go off to the pound, because we can’t hold them indefinitely.
“(Microchipping) is a good way of getting them back to you.”
Do you know who may have been taking care of Bella? Email jesse.graham@yvnews.com.au.
