The story of Bella, the Golden Retriever, just breaks my heart.

Now, arguments can be made that the yard should have been more secure and that Bella should have been wearing her tags. But 1) Dogs are clever and persistent and can escape from the most secured yard. I know. I had Boston Terriers who, every so often, got the wanderlust and got out. And this was after my mom had built a 6ft fence...then poured concrete along the bottom so they couldn't dig their way out. They still found a way out...but we never could find their escape route. And 2) I don't know about Bella, but my dogs (and my cats) hated their collars and the tags. The tags would clank against their food and water bowls and drive them nuts. So the collars came off at home. Luckily, my dogs never wandered far and we found them, usually within an hour.

I'm not so sure I'm willing to let the Humane Society off the hook on this one. The owner and her husband and their neighbours and friends made trips to the SPCA and they claim that Bella was never "on display", or available for them to identify her. Also, this SPCA claims that it's a five-day maximum waiting period, per state law...but my understanding of this law is that five days is the minimum waiting period (I could be wrong on this, I need to research this more). Something just doesn't sound right, here.

But, the mother of the 10-year-old girl who got Bella for her birthday...my stars, what kinds of values is this woman instilling in her child? Bella's owner has offered to get the family another golden retriever, but this woman refuses, saying that her daughter has bonded with Bella. Well, if the little girl had bonded that quickly with Bella, surely she would bond as quickly with another dog. And I'll go one step further and say that this bonding could not have taken place if the mother had agreed to return Bella to her owner instead of taking her home (the original owner found Bella in a holding pen waiting to be spayed before going to the "new home"). This woman has the opportunity to teach her child about fairness and justice and compassion. Instead, her daughter is getting a lesson in cruelty and selfishness. The mother doesn't seem to care who gets hurt in this situation--and ultimately it's her daughter who will be hurt the most.

And, what about poor Bella? This dog has gone from wandering her neighbourhood, to being locked in a shelter, to being spayed (a very major operation for a girl dog), to being sent to a strange home! A series of traumas like this can do serious damage to a dog's psyche and personality.

There is a great likelihood that, if this goes to court (and it sure looks like that's exactly where it's headed), Bella will be returned to her original owner. And, if that happens, not only does this little girl lose her dog, but she and her family are "outed" (well, they probably will be outed soon, regardless) and will be subject to ridicule within the community (remember how cruel children can be to each other?).

So far, the mother of this little girl has behaved abominably. But, it's not too late for her to teach her daughter the value of fairness and justice and compassion...and the little girl would get a new dog that's all her own in the deal. Return Bella to her real home and everyone wins.

Let the issue wind up in the courts, and even if the little girl gets to keep Bella, she'll lose.