By Lydia PatrickShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA puppy saying her final goodbye to a shelter volunteer has melted hearts across the internet.
Bella, a border collie mix who's 10 months old, was surrendered to the Benton Franklin Humane Society on October 25 after her family moved away. A video of her journey, shared by volunteer Julie Saraceno (@jsaraceno), has garnered 4,500 likes and thousands of views on Instagram.
Once a timid, frightened pup, Saraceno told Newsweek that she initially mistook Bella’s kennel for being empty. “I kept walking by her kennel thinking it was empty, but what I didn’t know was she was hiding under the bed,” she said.
She explained that after asking staff which dog might benefit from an outing, she was told Bella could use a break. “That was when I went to look for her and saw her hiding under her bed. It took me a couple of days, but I was able to gain her trust and get her leashed up,” she added.
...The video documents Saraceno slowly earning Bella’s trust, their tender last goodbye, and Bella’s journey through her spay appointment before heading toward a new life.
Saraceno also said Bella had arrived at the shelter frightened and shut down, but volunteers noticed a transformation whenever she was taken outside. She told Newsweek that she kept their outing simple with a pup cup—something Bella adored—and said the youngster was far more energetic, affectionate, and comfortable away from the stressful shelter environment. According to Saraceno, someone who saw Bella’s video drove four hours to meet her, and after Bella bonded with them and their two dogs, they placed an adoption hold to ensure they would have first priority once her spay was complete.
Instagram users flooded the comments with gratitude and joy over Bella’s story.
“Thank you to her new family!! And to you Julie for putting her out there!” said one user.
“Yaaaay Julie! Bless you for sharing your time with these critters and posting them to help them find their forever homes,” commented another.
“You did that. You brought her out of her shell and helped a family find her. Miracle worker,” wrote Dan.
“No way! This is ripping my heart in a GOOD way! Thank you to her new family!!!! She is SPECIAL,” shared another user.
“I am so happy to see this for Bella, thank you volunteers who helped her get her forever home. Your team is wonderful and always advocates for all,” one commenter added.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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