As sad as it may sound, our canine friends are just temporary visitors in our lives—however, we are usually their whole life. And the least we can do during our pets’ last moments is stay with them, making sure that when their time comes, they know they were not just pets to us—they were part of the family.

Sadly, saying goodbye to your senior dog can be a heartbreaking experience not everyone can handle. That’s just one of the reasons why some old or terminally ill pets get abandoned or worse—killed.

Back on January 6th of last year, a German shepherd dog, Bella, nearly drowned in River Trent near Long Lane, Farndon, near Newark after she was left there by her previous owners with her lead tied to a large rock submerged in the water.

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The senior 10-year-old dog (at the time) Bella was cruelly left to drown

Image credits: RSPCA

While struggling to stay alive before she was accidentally spotted by two dog-walkers, Jane Harper and her friend Joanne Bellamy

Image credits: RSPCA

Image credits: RSPCA

This is the size of a rock that was tied to Bella’s neck as the poor canine struggled to keep afloat

Image credits: RSPCA

After rescuing the dog and getting her out of the water, Bella was immediately taken for emergency treatment at the local vet

Image credits: RSPCA

She was later transferred into RSPCA care afterward

Image credits: RSPCA

Image credits: RSPCA

As fortunate as Bella was to survive with a rock tied to her neck in the freezing cold water, the emergency visit to the vet also showed that she had several other health problems.

Image credits: RSPCA

After being transferred to RSPCA, Bella was looked after by the lovely and hardworking staff of Radcliffe Animal Centre in Nottingham while the animal welfare charity and local police launched an investigation to find who was responsible for the cruel actions against the dog.

Image credits: RSPCA

Image credits: RSPCA

Luckily, the senior German shepherd has been in the care of RSPCA for the last 15 months, where she has completely transformed and made a full recovery that led her to find a forever home with a retired couple, Maggie Mellish and Charlie Douglas.

Image credits: RSPCA

Image credits: RSPCA

The retired couple, who live in a village in South Derbyshire, seemed like a match made in heaven for Bella (now 11 years old) as they previously had looked after shepherd-type dogs of their own, and were willing to give all the love and attention to Bella as well since their last dog passed away a couple of years back.

Image credits: RSPCA

Last Wednesday, the couple went to the center which has cared for her Bella up until now as they wanted to spend some time with their new pet ahead of her moving in with them the next day. The dog’s rescuers, Jane Harper and her friend Joanne Bellamy, were also invited along to witness the happy occasion and see how Bella was doing.

Image credits: RSPCA

Maggie, one of Bella’s new owners, shared her side of the story with the press. Maggie said:

“We as a family have had three shepherd-type dogs over the last 30 years and really love them. We lost our rescue dog Tia/Luna two years ago and my daughter’s dog Flame this year. We did really miss them. Then we saw Bella’s story in the press a few weeks ago and the fact she needed a home, so my daughter, Clare Lusher, encouraged us to apply for her.

We know she will need regular vet appointments and are willing to finance those. We know she is in her older years, but we just want to offer her a loving home she so deserves after all she has been through. We are both retired so she will have our company constantly, which is what she really needs, and it will be great for us too.”

Image credits: RSPCA

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