Two months after being missing Bella the spaniel is home
The dog was found trapped in a manhole and was rescued by Brixton community members.
The English cocker spaniel is described as a cheerful, playful breed that thrives on companionship and being part of the family.
This was exactly the type of pet Derek Biehler and his spouse knew they wanted, but they got a whole lot more when Bella, and her buddy Bruno, wagged their tails into their lives back in 2015.
In years since, Biehler was met with the death of his partner and in the last year, the loss of Bruno to poisoning. So his relationship with Bella became even more one that was akin to that of a parent and their child.
So when May 5 came and Bella went missing, a gut-wrenching pain consumed him. On that day, she had managed to slip through the gate. He was alerted that someone reported to have seen a spaniel running into West Park Cemetery. So that afternoon he drove through the cemetery but had no luck. The next day he went back to the cemetery, this time with friends as well as strangers from Facebook. He spotted Bella running. “I called and shouted and ran after her but it was as if she did not hear a thing and was just in flight mode.” Disheartened they left the cemetery. This was the start of Bella’s two-month-long journey away from the warmth of all she had come to know.
From the time Bella went missing, Biehler put posters up in various locations, posted on social media sites, and did daily drives through the cemetery for hours looking for her. “I got in two search teams with dogs who searched and were unable to find her, some friends even paid for animal communicators and psychics to try and track her down – but there was nothing coming from any of it,” he described.
Beihler was beside me, so much so that he basically stopped eating and sleeping and due to this, on May 17, he collapsed and was taken to Helen Joseph Hospital where he was admitted till May 29. He then spent another week in a North Riding-based clinic until he came home on June 4.
Many kilometers away, and months later from when Bella was last spotted, on a Sunday afternoon in Rossmore, on July 2, caretakers at a local school heard the cries of a dog in distress. It had been a dog trapped in a manhole for some days and though the caretakers attempted to take it out, its growls made them apprehensive of the rescue. On the day they notified Susan Scott, a resident from across the street who then posted on community groups about the situation. Heeding the call, Sophia Welz put up her hand in an effort to assist. “I decided to help because it is how we do things in Brixton, our community always helps when we can.”
She jokingly admits, however, that she hadn’t expected to be climbing into a stormwater drain. “The dog seemed okay with me and wasn’t growling too much, so I guess she allowed me to help.”
Once the dog was out of the manhole, the search for her family was afoot and for this Welz commended the positives that can come from social media at times. After she had posted an image of Bella on Facebook, a flurry of messages came through, asking if this couldn’t be the missing Bella?
By 15:00 that day, Bella, who after months of being alone in the cold, sometimes unforgiving streets of Joburg, found herself in the warm embrace of her ‘dad who met her finding with shock, disbelief, amazement, excitement, hopefulness and fear, as what if it was a case of mistaken identity?
“When she described the collar as having pawprints on it – I knew then that it was Bella – I was once again filled with hope, joy and anticipation of seeing my baby again,” said Biehler.
To Sophia Welz and all involved he sends a very special thank you. “I don’t have words to express my gratitude for climbing into the drain and rescuing Bella and bringing her back to me. A huge thank you to all my family, friends and the community members who helped with searching and posting posts and offered support in various ways.”
Come October 7, Bella will celebrate her ninth birthday, a day Bielher, now looks forward to with even greater anticipation.
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