An Indiana Dog Saved From Certain Death Gets A New Life In Utah

A dog from Indiana that was saved from being euthanized is getting a second chance at life, because a Utah animal sanctuary agreed to take in the German Shepherd. The Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, said that the dog Bela, who was estimated at being nine-years-old, was slated to either be put to sleep or given to the animal sanctuary upon the death of her owner.

The will of Bela’s late owner, Connie Ley, had the dog’s fate stipulated in her will. When the details of the will become public, people were outraged that the very much alive dog could be put to death. As the Los Angeles Times reported, Bela was either to go to a friend of the deceased (but that person didn’t want him) or he was to be sent to the animal sanctuary. However, if neither of those options worked out, she wanted him euthanized and his ashes mixed with hers. Ley did this because she felt that Bela was too aggressive to be put up for adoption.

Fortunately, the no-kill sanctuary announced on Christmas Eve that they would be willing to take the dog in and allow him to live out his life at the sanctuary. Staff members are working with the dog to get him socialized with people and other animals. While they say he is making progress, they still need to keep working with him to see if they can get him adoptable. If not, they will be glad to have him stay with them.

One of Best Friends’ staff, John Garcia, has become close to the dog that he drove 1,800 miles to retrieve. The trip to Indiana and back to Kanab was delayed due to weather, at one point, and it took a total of 58 hours to make the journey. When the duo arrived by to the animal sanctuary, Bela was greeted with a party, complete with signs saying “Welcome Bela” and gifts of stuffed animals to keep him occupied.

As Yahoo! News reported, Garcia stated that Bela handled the trip well.

“Bela handled it like a champ. Every single day, he learned more, he had a lot of fun and, all in all, he’s such a good dog… He’s very loyal. He gets attached very quickly.”

Although a legal battle was avoided in order to save Bela, a woman was recently taken to court and charged with unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and cruelty to animals for stealing a dog and having him put down. As the Inquisitr reported, the woman stole a dog from a dying neighbor’s yard and had the Husky euthanized after claiming she found him running loose.

Bela’s story could have easily had a more tragic end as his late owner never made her intentions known to the sanctuary. Best Friends found out about Bela like everyone else around the country did, through the news. Fortunately, they acted quickly when they found out, and the sanctuary was able to spare Bela from being put to sleep.

[Image from Best Friends Animal Society]