Lost Dog Gathers Clues to Find its Family

A Hopelessly Lost Rottweiler and the Dedicated Animal Rescue Worker who Found her Family

(CBS)  Over the last 20 years, the Love Me Tender animal rescue in central Tennessee has rounded up more than 1,000 abandoned dogs. And although most are timid and untrusting, CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports, one Rottweiler named Ella was notably different.

"I could just tell right away she was somebody's baby. She just didn't act like a stray dog to me," said Kathy Wilkes-Myers, who found the dog a few months ago.

Ella was emaciated and drinking from a drainage ditch along an empty stretch of highway. Kathy says it's typical for people to dump unwanted pets in the middle of nowhere - but again, the dog's demeanor convinced her there was more to the story. So she did some detective work, and what she found is a heart-wrenching tale of unending loyalty.

"She was hoping her family could come back. But they couldn't. They couldn't come back. It just breaks your heart," said Kathy.

Kathy found the first clues to this mystery - broken glass and tail lights - right near where she found the dog.

More about the Love Me Tender Animal Rescue
Read Steve Hartman's Preview Blog Here

And just down from there, she found a second set of even more intriguing clues: personal items gathered up. By the dog, she assumed.

"It was like she was sleeping with them - or waiting with them," Kathy said.

She took a picture with her cell phone and then gathered the items. They were mostly random, personal things - toothbrush, comb, razor, a candle that said Michelle, but nothing that would explain anything - although now, she did have a hunch.

Kathy remembered two weeks earlier she'd driven by an accident on the same stretch of highway. She remembered because it was such a horrible crash. A single car had flipped over and landed on the side of the road, at just about the same spot where she found the dog.

Based on what she saw that day, Kathy figured there was no way a person could have survived, but what about a dog? So she called the highway patrol.

"She gave me the mom's name and the dad's name and the mom's name was Michelle. And I thought, 'Oh my God, this is their dog," she said.

Thrown from the car, rescue crews never saw the dog. She spent 13 days scavenging for food along the highway - and 13 nights bedding down with whatever she could find that smelled like her lost family.

"That's the last spot she saw her family and she was going to stay there," Kathy said.

Kathy figured it all out. But fortunately, she got one thing very wrong. Someone did survive the crash. In face, all five family members survived.

"I'm lucky to be sitting here with my family," said Joe Kelly, the family's father.

After two weeks believing that their dog, Ella, had died, the family of Joe and Michelle Kelly got the most wonderful, slobbery surprise of their lives.

For the first time since the accident, the Kelly's had a good reason to cry -all thanks to a dog who refused to forget her family - and the stranger who refused to take lost for answer.

Unfortunately, it was a bittersweet reunion because of the accident and the medical expenses, the Kelly family has had to temporarily relocate to a place that doesn't allow dogs.

The good news is, Kathy has promised to hold onto Ella for as long as the Kelleys need to get back on their feet.

[crystaljaquez]

A note to the Publisher:

We know that this is off-subject. It?s an out-and-out. no-fooling, no disguise, PR release promoting our web site, Guys That Lie.com (we protect women from guys who lie to them online).



BUT WAIT!



If you?re unhappy about the release being off-subject, it also contains new and valuable scholarly research on single mom online dating from the U.S. Department Of Justice



If you wish, you have our permission to just use the research stuff and delete all mention of Guys That Lie ? However, if you do ? we just hope that you can handle the guilt?



So here goes:



San Francisco, CA



Pedophiles In Love With Single Moms. Can It Be?



Pedophiles are learning to love single moms. Why? because thousands of single moms are inadvertently creating happy hunting grounds for that subspecies of pedophiles who like their prey young ? really young.



?Think of it? says Crystal the Jacquez, managing editor of Guys That Lie.com, the online back grounding site. ?If you?re one of the tens of thousands of pedophiles with a taste for really young kids, how do you get to them? Children under five or six are just too young to be online by themselves.?



?So what does this most dangerous form of pedophiles do?? asks Jacquez, ?He surfs social networking sites looking for the pages of proud single mothers just aching to show potential dates how beautiful their children are and just hoping to attract men who will not only will love them, but will love their children too.



Well, the single moms who put photos of their pre-school kids on their social networking homepages are certainly attracting at least one type of child-loving guy ? pedophiles?



Here?s an excerpt from a report in the journal American Psychologist, published by the American Psychological Association, regarding pedophiles stalking pre-schoolers on the internet:



?Finding prepubescent victims directly (on the Internet) is quite rare; such offenders use the Internet in other ways. Pedophiles typically get access to preschool victims through online contact with parents?



?If you have pictures of your child on line,? says Jacquez, ?don?t be too surprised to get a message like the following from some nice sounding guy?:



?Hey! I just saw your profile on Facebook and you are one great looking lady --- and that little girl of yours is just marvelous looking! She looks so bright etc. etc. etc!?



?You?re going to have a new best friend very soon,? she says. ?Count on it!?



Jacquez cites the following statistic from: Offender Characteristics, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics re. Victim-offender relationships in sexual assault regarding who sexually assaults children under 6 years old.



Who assaults children under 6 years old:



Trusted family members: 48.6%

Strangers: 3.1%

Trusted family acquaintances: 48.3%



?If a pedophile targets your child?s photo on your homepage, trust us,? says Jacquez, ?they?ll become a ?trusted family acquaintance? soon enough. ?



?One thing more thing,? says Jacquez, ?when you meet a new guy online, check him out immediately with us at Guys That Lie.com (www.guysthatlie.com). Our site is free and was built in order to empower women to check out the backgrounds of guys that they meet online.



?First, check him out in our Child Molesters Section, then in our Criminal Records Section. After that, check out all his other claims about his background. There is no way,? she says, ?that you can be too careful.?



Guys and Lies also has a special page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/guysthatlie and on MySpace at www.myspace.com/guysthatlie.



Jacquez asks you to please forward this article to single moms you know who have their kid?s photos online..



Contact:

Crystal Jacquez, managing editor

Guys That Lie.com

415 678-8610

[e-mail]

http://www.guysthatlie.com

[Dgunner]

The more I get to know humans, The more I love my dogs and wolfens.Every time a puppy is bought from a pet store that was bred in a mill. A great and sometimes most unique animals are put down in a humane society establishment. A SOCIETY CAN BE JUDGED BY THE WAY THEY TREAT THIER ANIMALS- GHANDI!

[dogiedelight]

I'd rather contribute to Kathy Wilkes-Myers expenses. She is taking care of the dog that the family didn't bother to look for. The Kelley's were, however, quick to reach out a begging hand on this web site.

So, Kathy, let us know how we dog lovers can thank you and can help you with your costs. Thank you for caring.

[Mbubblelynn]

hello there i understand there have been people wanting to know how to help us i have created a website where people are able to make donations http://ellaextrodianary.viviti.com/ thank you all of you!! i sure miss my baby!
sincerely,
michelle kelley

[allisgal]

I'm with Ringwood1. How could they NOT have gone back (or sent someone) to look for their dog? Ella was there, patiently waiting for her humans - someone just had to think of her. A wonderful story that brought tears to my eyes until I realized no one in the family had inquired about their dog, just assumed she was gone forever.

[nuzatAli]

I have 2 Rottweilers & I love them so very much (absolutely crazy about them)..they are the most misunderstood breed but you would never know any better until you have a rottweiler and get your heart captured by their overwhelming selfless love,loyalty & intelligence.

God bless Ella and her family and the angel who rescued her and took care of her.

[rjscrs]

A very heart warming story. I am happy that that the family knows their pet is alive and well. The lady from the amimal rescue shelter is no doubt, a fine person! In this day and time, to find some one that devoted to a cause, should be rewarded. A simple thank you is not near enough. I will be making a contribution to the Love
Me Tender Animal Rescue. Come on animal lovers, lets give this lady a our support.

[burpup]

I saw an accident where a little dog jumped out a window of the car. A bunch of us had to look for the little thing. It was scared. I'm sure Ella was scared, too. She ran off and that is why the family could not find her. tmittelstaed, go away. Do not comment. Didn't your mother tell you not to say anything if you can't say something nice? Then shame on her. A dog came to our fence and would not go away. She was there for days and no one came looking for her and no one posted any lost dog signs. We finally brought her in the yard and she got along okay with our other two. She had a collar and was just so good, we new she belonged to someone, too. We did everything we could to help reunite her with her family. Evidently they HAD to leave her behind. So sad. Such a sweet girl. After about four months, we found her a forever home. We'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[Piper12056]

Steve,

Great story that rose peoples' awareness on a variety of issues. Katie Couric: how about re-running this story at the end of the evening news this week?

[BScovill]

Finally, a story about a loving, loyal Rottweiler. This is typical of the breed. I have owned Rottweilers for 25 years and the bad press this breed gets over the few bad dogs created by a few bad people always saddens me. This is truly a loyal breed. I'm so glad everyone survived the accident and that they were reunited with Ella. What a heartwarming story. Thanks Steve.

Beth

ps - really miss "Everyone has a story"