Bella, a 4-year-old mixed breed dog, was surrendered to Animal Control on Jan. 10 after a woman who was in the process of adopting her claimed the dog bit her adult son. The woman, who did not want to be identified, told The News Herald on Saturday that she insists Bella needs to be destroyed.
Although the article doesn't mention the breed, a Google search shows Candy Bowman, who runs the rescue group, referring to the dog as a Boxer mix. A news article describes it as a Boxer - American Bulldog mix.
However, Candy Bowman, who operates the rescue orginzation that owns Bella, says the woman had no right to surrender the dog since she was not officially Bella’s owner. Now, Bella is scheduled to be euthanized this week, Bowman said.
Bowman, who runs an animal rescue organization out of Alexander County, maintains that she is Bella’s owner. She said Bella was only staying with the woman during a trial period prior to adoption, and the dog could’ve simply been returned to her at any time.
“All she had to do was call me,” Bowman said. “I would’ve gladly come and got Bella.”
Bowman said she works hard to ensure the animals she rescues are paired with the right owners, a process that often requires a “wait and see” period.
“Sometimes, it can take a while for these animals to get used to their new homes,” she said. “And sometimes, it’s just not a good fit. But anyone who adopts an animal from me knows they always have the option of bringing that animal back.”
Bowman said that Bella was rescued over three years ago, and has never shown any signs of aggressive behavior.
“She was raised in a puppy mill, and was bred when she was just 7 months old,” she said. “But she’s a great dog. She’s been with a foster family, and there’ve never been any problems.”
Bowman said she was hoping she’d found a “forever home” for Bella, but now she just wants to make sure the dog doesn’t die.
“I think about everything she’s already went through, and I picture her being locked up in a cage. My heart just breaks for poor Bella,” she said.
Bowman said that even though the woman had taken Bella for an overnight stay, the adoption was never finalized.
“I was supposed to go the next day for a home inspection,” she said. “I had everything ready for her to adopt Bella, but no paperwork was ever signed.”
Bowman said she never got the chance to visit the woman’s home because she surrendered Bella within hours of taking the dog.
“Everything was fine,” Bowman said. “I’d been checking in with her throughout the day to see how Bella was doing. She told me everything was going great. When I realized she had blocked me from calling, I knew something was very wrong.”
After numerous attempts to contact the woman, Bowman said she was shocked when she saw the woman’s Facebook status.
“She said that she had given Bella to another family, and she was running on a farm,” Bowman said. “She wished Bella luck with her new life.”
Bowman said that animals who are adopted from her can’t just be sent to another home, but she was even more surprised when she found out the truth about Bella.
“After a ton of phone calls, I was finally able to confirm that Bella had actually been taken to Animal Control,” Bowman said. “She didn’t have any right to send her off to a farm. And she definitely didn’t have any right to surrender her.”
Now Bella is scheduled to be euthanized this week, and due to Animal Control's policy, Bowman is unable to get her dog back.
“I just want Bella back,” she said. “All I know for sure is that Animal Control has her, and she could be euthanized. No one will even look at all the paperwork I have proving that she’s mine.”
Bowman said she has copies of Bella’s vet visits, immunization records and other documents that all show her as the dog’s owner. However, the woman who surrendered Bella said she was the owner. Therein lies a huge problem.
“If an animal is surrendered by its owner, the animal can only be returned to the same owner that surrendered the pet,” according to information from Animal Control.
The woman who took Bella to Animal Control has no intention of retrieving her and is adamant that the dog be euthanized.
“She bit my son,” the woman said in a telephone interview Saturday. “And she’s going to be put down on the (January) 21st. There’s nothing anybody can do to stop it.”
Bowman said she’s unsure if the dog actually bit the man, who is in his 20s, but says she should have been notified of the incident.
“As Bella’s owner, someone should’ve contacted me,” she said. “But she signed papers (at Animal Control) saying she was the owner, so my hands are tied.”
Bowman reached out to local animal rescue organizations to try and help, but she said county ordinances prevent any of them from adopting Bella.
Gwen Hood, who is the president of A Better Life Animal Rescue, said there is only one rescue group who is contracted to work with Animal Control in Burke County, and that means thousands of animals are euthanized every year.
“We have a huge problem here in Burke County,” she said. “We have several organizations and hundreds of volunteers who want to help. Thousands of animals die needlessly, when there are plenty of people who are more than willing to step in.”
Hood said she was moved by Bella’s story and was sympathetic toward Bowman’s plight.
“This isn’t a case where an animal doesn’t have a home,” she said. “We have an owner who wants her dog back, but Bella’s going to die instead.”
Hood said she’s working to have the ordinances changed and is in the process of putting forth a petition to county commissioners. In the meantime, she and Bowman are trying to spread the word about Bella’s situation, and she just hopes their efforts pay off in time.
“We’re racing against the clock to try and save this dog,” Hood said.
Burke County Sherriff Steve Whisenant said Bella is being held until a full investigation is conducted.
“There’s a statute and policy that must be followed,” he said. “But we will ensure everything is looked at before a decision is made.”
(Morganton.com - Jan 16, 2016)
Related:
Candy Bowman has created a petition site "Save Bella and Release her to her Rightful Owner!!". I would have been more inclined to listen to her arguments about how the dog (which is considered property in the law's eyes) legally belongs to her and her rescue group if she hadn't made so many immature, unprofessional statements on the petition site. Is this how she behaves around the people who have the authority to return this dog to her?
"Bella, a beautiful 4 year old white boxer mix, is being confined at Animal Control in Morganton, NC. It's a long story how she illegally ended up there by a lady that got her on a trial basis and sent her to her death in less than 10 hours. The lady is lying saying her son was bitten, but the only thing to show for it is the adult son who has a black eye. She has been caught in numerous lies over this dog and the events leading up to her sending the dog to animal control and requesting she be euthanized. Bella has been through so much already, being a puppy mill survivor, and this woman promised to take her on a trial basis only - but instead of getting back to the rescue, she took her to animal control, insisting to have Bella put to sleep. Animal Control will not listen or read the owner's proof that Bella does not legally belong to this lady. Put to sleep. Euthanasia. That is the politically correct way to say it. The truth is, the date has been set to have Bella KILLED. She has through Tuesday, January 19th, 2016. Wondering why? So are we! Bella does not deserve to die for something she didn't do! There is a multitude of people outraged over this. We ask Animal Control and the Burke County Sheriff's office to stay the execution and immediately release Bella to her rightful owner, Candy Bowman."
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