Dogs are only a part of our life, but for them we are their whole life. Saying goodbye to a dog is always very difficult, because over time they become full-fledged family members. Unfortunately, sometimes dogs get to people with a stone heart, and if they somehow "tolerate" young dogs, they can deal with them in the most heartless way when they get old. This is the story of Bella, a 10-year-old German shepherd from the UK, who was tied to a large rock by her former owners and thrown into the water, hoping she would drown.

Former owners tied Bella's leash to a large rock and threw it into the water, hoping she would drown.

Dog struggling to survive spotted by Jane Harper and her friend Joanne Bellamy

People walked by, walking their dogs

This is the stone that Bella's leash was tied to.

After being pulled out of the water, Bella was immediately taken to the local veterinarian.

Later she was placed in the care of the charity RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

Bella was lucky to survive in icy water with a stone tied to her neck.

But the physical examination also revealed that she had other health problems.

Bella was cared for by the kind and helpful staff of the Radcliffe Animal Center in Nottingham, UK

Animal welfare charity and local police have launched an investigation to find those responsible for the atrocities against the dog

Bela spent 15 months under the care of a charitable organization, and during this time she completely recovered and changed a lot.

She found a new home, and retired couple Maggie Mellish and Charlie Douglas became its new owners.

The couple used to keep herding-type dogs, and now they are ready to give all their love to Bella, since their last dog passed away a couple of years ago.

Jane Harper and Joanne Bellamy, who rescued Bella, visited her to see how she was doing.

Bella is now 11 years old, and you could hardly find better owners for her than a couple of retired dog lovers

The story told by Maggie, Bella's new owner:

“Over the past 30 years, there have been 3 shepherd-type dogs in our family. Two years ago we lost our dogs Tia and Luna, and this year - my daughter Flame's dog. We missed them a lot. But a few weeks ago we saw Bella's story in the press and learned that she needed a new home, so my daughter Claire Luscher advised us to apply for her adoption.

We know she will need regular veterinary visits and are willing to pay for them. We know she's old, but we just want to offer her the loving home she deserves after everything she's been through. We are both retired, so we will always be there for her, and this is what she really needs, and it will also be great for ourselves. "