A woman has delighted social media users by sharing the moment she reunited with a dog she met while living in Bali.
While working in Bali from September 2023 to September 2024, Karin Poravne rented an Airbnb, where she lived with the property's owner and her dog, Bella. During that time, Poravne bonded with Bella, a mixed breed puppy about 1 year old, and loved taking care of her.
Poravne told Newsweek that Bella was "alone all the time" because her owner was so busy with work, so Poravne took it upon herself to feed her, play with her and show her love.
"She was in good condition, but her owner worked all day while Bella was on her own. No one was taking her out, playing with her, training her or giving her cuddles," Poravne said.
When Poravne was forced to return home to Slovenia for three months, Bella's owner gave her up. She surrendered her to a local resident who kept her tied up outside in the sweltering sun, with little food or water.
Poravne was devastated when she returned to Bali and saw Bella's condition, and she immediately offered to take the pup and give her the loving home she deserved.
"She was very skinny and confused because she didn't have any stability or love, and she didn't know who she belonged to," Poravne said. "I think she would have ended up on the street if I didn't take her."
In September, Poravne had to cut her trip to Bali short and return home for personal reasons. She didn't want to leave Bella behind, so she spent 1,500 euros ($1,620) to have her furry friend flown to Slovenia, where they could live the rest of their lives together.
Arranging the reunion wasn't easy, as Bella had to be flown from Bali to the neighboring island of Java. She spent time in quarantine, and Poravne had to get several health certificates and paperwork signed before Bella could be flown to Europe. Poravne also had to find a flight volunteer who would travel with Bella, since she wasn't able to do it herself.
The process took three months from start to finish and included an 18-hour trip from Java to Slovenia. In the end, everything went smoothly, and Bella was able to reunite with her owner.
"The moment I saw the big crate come through the arrivals, and I realized she really was in there, I broke down," Poravne said. "I was crying, and when I took her out—when I saw her little tail, felt her warm kisses—I knew it was the best decision of my life."
"Bella has adjusted very well to her new home. She met her brother, a stray dog I adopted from Serbia, and they are already best friends. She loves the grass, the nature we have here, and of course, her new bed," she added.
On TikTok, under the handle @karinporavne, the owner posted a video showing her reunion with Bella, and it quickly went viral—receiving more than 1.7 million views and 149,800 likes in a matter of days.
Poravne has been blown away by the online reaction to her clip, and she's glad Bella's rescue story touched so many people. She hopes that if anything comes from the social media attention, it's that more people see the importance of rescuing animals and giving them a loving home.
"I wish more people would adopt rather than use breeders. It's the best thing you can possibly do because rescue animals pay you back with so much gratitude. It's out of this world, honestly," she added.
Poravne's viral video has received more than 2,300 comments on TikTok, with many users praising her for all she's done to give Bella a better life.
"The best souvenir from Bali in the world. You are wonderful girl," one commenter wrote.
"You are an incredible human," another added. "Hope you and Bella have the best lives together."
"As much as you saved her, I think she saved you too," a user said.
Another commented, "I can't hold back my tears, this is so touching."
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