Holiday keepsake
I couldn’t leave Bella
with towels and a pillow.
I picked her up and tucked her in. ‘You need a name, don’t you… Bella!’ I said.
That night, Bella looked so happy all snuggled up.
A luxury she’d clearly never experienced before.
The following morning, before the cleaners arrived to tidy my room, I opened the ground-floor terrace door with direct access to the beach.
Off Bella ran!
But as soon as I arrived back on the beach after breakfast, she was there waiting for me.
‘How am I going to leave you behind?’ I sighed.
Then I knew… I couldn’t.
So, I quickly started researching on my phone.
I found information on adopting dogs from abroad.
That’s when I came across a Facebook group – Paws Care and Rescue UK.
A British organisation working to save stray
dogs from Mauritius. I got in touch to ask about the process. At £2,000 to cover transport, quarantine, vaccinations, I certainly couldn’t afford it. That night, as I lay in bed
with Bella snoring peacefully in my suitcase, I desperately
needed a plan.
So, I decided to set up a Gofundme page.
Explaining how I wanted to bring Bella home, I spread the word to family and friends.
As I dozed off, I prayed a few kind people would help.
And I couldn’t believe it when I woke up to dozens of donations. In fact, they exceeded my target. £2,500!
I skipped to breakfast, excited about the next steps.
The next day, a woman who worked with Paws collected Bella.
‘Don’t worry, you’ll see her soon,’ she said, noticing the sad expression on my face.
Bella went into quarantine, was given jabs and safely put on a plane to the UK.
It was actually happening. Arriving home a week later, I counted the 35 days until I’d see Bella again.
Then, in November, I stood in a local Asda car park, more excited than I’d ever been.
Today’s the day! As the car door opened, Bella was carried out by a Paws worker.
Stepping on English soil for the first time, she looked a mixture of scared and curious.
But as I crouched down beside her, I saw her eyes light up.
‘Welcome home – I missed you!’ I said.
She soon relaxed.
Back home, Bella settled in after a few weeks.
And now, she such a content little dog, wagging her tail constantly.
I’m told she was two when I found her, but we’ll never really know for sure.
Thanks to the generosity of family and friends, I was even able to help save two other strays in Mauritius, too.
And in April 2018, I adopted another dog from the island – Eva.
Her and Bella are such great pals, always getting up to mischief with one another!
With so many mistreated dogs in the world, I’m hoping my story will encourage others to adopt, rather than buy dogs.
I’m so glad I did.
With Bella and Eva, my life is just paw-fect! Paws Care and Rescue UK is a non-profit organisation working to rescue and rehome stray animals from Mauritius. It relies on public donations and sponsorships, and educates on the importance of sterilisation to control the number of stray animals. For more information on how to adopt, visit: paws-care-and-rescue-uk.co.uk