Finding a coyote lying in the median isn’t where you’d expect a love story spanning years to begin. Kathy Tatus was driving to work one Saturday morning when she saw the meek figure, which she assumed was a coyote, in the median. She moved along and began work at a store on the Little Rock Airforce Base in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Sometime later, her boss brought the animal into the back room of the store. It was big, defensive, and had a collar rubbing its’ neck. Upon close inspection, it was determined to be a dog resembling a wolf.
Workers managed to subdue the dog, who was called Crystal at the time and scan for a microchip. With some detective work, it was determined that Crystal lived more than seven miles from the airbase chained to a tree after being traded between owners.
Because Kathy had a fenced yard at home, she volunteered to bring Crystal home while they determined the next steps. The previous owners wanted nothing to do with her, so Kathy eventually caved and Crystal was home to stay.
Kathy and her husband Ron changed Crystal’s name to Bella, which means beautiful and ‘lovely’ in Italian. Although her name meant lovely, Bella proved to be anything but as she wreaked havoc on the couple’s screened-in back porch, tearing up items Ron had accumulated throughout his years in the Air Force.
The couple considered rehoming Bella, but with her destructive nature and aggression, they thought a family with small children wouldn’t be the best for her. They made the most of Bella’s destruction, remodeling their back porch into a sunroom that proved to be more durable.
A Whole New World
Bella’s new life began with the Tatus family, where she got extra love, attention, and learned to sing along with the piano {click to watch video HERE}. She even began going on daily walks with the neighbor, who took her to the nearby elementary school. This routine has been going for three years, and Bella has accumulated quite the fan club at the school.
As Bella accumulated to her new lifestyle, Ron says she’s turned into “a really great pet.”.
It’s fair to say Bella isn’t going anywhere and will live every dog’s dream life. Bella lives alongside ‘foster fail’ cats, and the Tatus family enjoys their horses as well.
After being turned onto BeneFab products through Parelli Horsemanship, Ron began using BeneFab far-infrared socks, reporting less pain thanks to the therapeutic fabric.
