October 19, 2017
From Lawrence County Humane Society-Louisa, KY:
Mark Grayson, I think this is an article that should be in The Levisa Lazer…
I apologize for the length of this post but It’s time to set the facts straight on the emaciated boxer, Bella. People are calling and messaging the Humane Society condemning us and accusing us of doing nothing. Saying we are useless and should close our doors. The story circulating is so far from the truth and it’s time to set the record straight.
We know everyone thinks the Arrow Fund swooped into Lawrence County and saved Bella. So not true!
We had Bella in our custody just a few hours after we were notified about her. We were contacted by an individual about Bella and her emaciated condition at 10 pm at night. We immediately sprang into action, contacted the warden right then and sent him out to check out Bella and to bring her to us that night.
When the warden and deputies arrived Bella was gone! After posting Bella to our page and asking for help in locating her, we found out a Good Samaritan had rescued Bella after she discovered Bella was apparently abandoned and in such an emaciated state.
The next day we found out where Bella was and made arrangements to get her into custody of the Humane Society and had her taken immediately to Tri County Animal Clinic to be evaluated and receive any medical care needed. We found out that Bella had intestinal parasites and was anemic and had elevated liver enzymes. The Vet recommended Bella be hospitalized and treated and monitored and she was being fed several small meals a day as required for severely emaciated dogs.
This was on Tuesday. Every day we checked on Bella and she was being monitored by our vet and doing OK for the shape she was in. Two days later on Thursday we are contacted by our vets office saying a rescue from outside of the area had a warrant to take Bella.
No one else felt the need to let us know what was going on. Seems a group from Whitesburg, KY went to our county attorney, told him Bella needed more care than she could get in Louisa and he gave them Bella by court order based on the group’s word only. We were never contacted about this, neither was our vet. We had no input. We weren’t even given a heads up that a group was trying to get a court order to take Bella. We were asked why should we care?
We care because it’s what we do as a Humane Society, we wanted to see someone pay for what they had done and we had worked many long hours to get Bella into our care.
The group with the order then put Bella’s care into the hands of the Arrow Fund in Louisville. The Arrow Fund discovered what we already knew but felt Bella needed 24 hr a day monitoring. So Bella was renamed Haven (not sure why they felt the need to change the dog’s given name) whisked to Prestonsburg where a private plane and a news station was waiting and flown to Louisville.
All of this was done behind our backs. We are thankful Bella is improving and getting care but our vet felt, as did we, that Bella was getting what she needed right here.
So the stories floating around that the Arrow Fund rescued Bella are not true. Yes, they are treating her now after she was taken from us by the group from Whitesburg but they did not come here and physically rescue her. We fought for Bella and continue to do so even without her here.
For all that have been condemning us and bashing us, now you know the whole truth. Bella, we continuing to fight for justice for you and others like you. You are on our mind and in our hearts every day.
–Conley Kay Swafford
