Note from the editor: I wanted to provide further clarity on this article to explain Bella’s situation and why she only received a dog house, versus another solution as many people have asked.
New Providence does not have any laws against tethering. The Heart Hardin Eldora Animal Rescue Team has been following Bella’s case for years and has lobbied on behalf of Bella and animals like her. However, the laws remain the same.
“We’ve gone to city council meetings,” Amy Haas-Gray of HEART tells The Dodo. “We’ve talked to the mayor. The sheriff. This has been going on for three years. They told us they were not going to do anything about Bella. they were not going to do an anti-chaining ordinance. And they didn’t want us to come there again.”
Because there are not laws protecting Bella from this type of treatment, the rescue organizations have done what they can to provide her a better living situation. Which is why we were enthusiastic to share that this sweet baby is now at least in an insulated home.
Bella lives in New Providence, Iowa, where she spends all her time outdoors. Her owners have chained her in the yard, where she faces the seasonal elements, which include hot summers and harsh winters. After neighbors expressed their concerns to the dog’s owners to no avail, they brought their concerns to the sheriff’s department. An officer visited the home.
“It’s [Bella] tied up outside,” Sheriff Dave McDaniel told The Dodo. “There are obviously people who don’t think that’s acceptable. And it’s certainly debatable. It’s got shelter, food and water. However, the type of shelter is questionable.”
The shelter was makeshift at best, and looks as though it consists of a piece of curved metal on top of a piece of plywood. McDaniel was able to talk the owners into allowing members of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL) to bring an insulated dog house.
According to the group, Bella, “was so happy she kept running in and out of her new house, licking Josh’s [the volunteer who set up the doghouse] hand each time as she ran out.”
With a little luck, this is the first step in ensuring Bella won’t have to face another year outdoors.
Posted by: Chewy Editorial
Feature Image: Via ARLIowa/Facebook
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