A bait dog named Bella who spent most of her life as a canine punching bag before being left for dead has finally discovered what it feels like to be loved.
Swaley Remblance from United Kingdom-based Mill Field Rescue in Kent discovered Bella, along with three other dogs in a barn, having been left to fend for themselves.
"She was hiding under some pallets, covered in scratches and deep wounds from being used as a bait dog to train fighting dogs," Remblance told Newsweek.
Dog fighting remains as much of an issue in the U.K. as it still is in the United States.
The animal charity the RSPCA estimates it has received more than 9,000 reports of organized dog fighting between 2015 and 2020, despite the practice being outlawed in the U.K. for nearly 200 years.
Bella was 3 years old when she was rescued. When Remblance describes what her life as a bait dog likely entailed, it makes for grim reading.
"Basically a bait dog will have their mouth taped or have a muzzle on and will be chucked into a pen with a fighting dog to train that dog to fight without causing injury to the fighting dog," he said. "She would have been unable to defend herself against the attack of the other dog and would have been in lots of pain everyday of her life."
Bella was bred for that purpose, which has left her partially blind and covered in scars. She was one of four dogs rescued by Remblance that day. Two were rehomed, but the third sadly died.
Remblance made the decision fairly early on to keep Bella with him and care for her himself. He knew she needed special attention and the kind of love and care that had been so desperately lacking from her life up until that point.
A year on from her rescue and things could not be more different.
"Bella's life now has completely changed for the good," Remblance told Newsweek. "We have eight other dogs here that she plays with every day, a warm and cozy kennel and 14 acres of land to roam free and safe on."
Based in the idyllic Kent village of Hoo St. Werburgh, Bella has everything she could ever wish for now.
"We have an all-weather play area where all the dogs play on rainy days to stop their paws getting muddy and wet," Remblance said. "Bella loves to play with the other dogs but she just loves to mainly sit with my son in our office and be cuddled all day."
There was a time when Bella feared people, but Remblance says she "now loves the touch of kind human hands and knows she is safe."
He hopes her story raises awareness about the canine victims of this cruel and barbaric sport and the need to stamp out these outdated practices whether it be in the U.K., the U.S. or anywhere else around the world.
Bella's story was shown in a TikTok video that was posted last week by @millfieldrescue, which has so far received over 59,000 views and over 5,800 likes.
The video's text overlay reads: "This is Bella. She was used as a bate [sic] dog. She is covered in scars from her fighting days. She is safe now."
Users in the comments section praised Bella's rescue, with one writing: "She's so beautiful, this is heartbreaking but a wonderful ending, thank you for saving her, animals are better than humans."
A second user posted: "She is beautiful and gentle. How cruel of them to treat her so badly. Bless her and keep giving her loads of hugs and love."
A third TikTok user wrote: "Glad to see she is safe and getting lots of love."
English (US) ·