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.

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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.

[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"

[jennifer4310]

Thank you for such a wonderful story. Thank you to the lady who found the dog and took him into her home and then took the time to find the dogs family by following her instincts. I wish there was more people like you around. What a blessing for everyone!

[parker313]

2 yrs ago, we had a rollover car accident on the interstate. The emergency responder crews all said that they had never seen a crash that bad where people had survived - we all walked away with barely a scratch. Just 2 wks earlier, a semi had jackknifed very near there and the driver was killed. One of our dogs, Roxy, was fine, still with us, but Ginger, our American Bulldog/Boxer mix, had gotten thrown from the car. We looked and looked that evening but couldn't find her.

We had to leave when the State Trooper was ready to take us to our hotel (it was raining and they had to respond to other accidents); We were heartbroken. My mom got in touch with a Greyhound Rescue group in Macon, GA of all things, and they agreed to come back out and help us look for her the next morning. When they drove by the crash site on the way to our hotel, they stopped to look, just in case they could find her. Miracle of all miracles, she was just sitting there, RIGHT where our car had come to rest against some trees. She let them walk right up to her, slip a lead over her neck and take her to their car. She had a very little bit of "road rash" on her back left hip, but other than that, no problems other than some scratches on her muzzle that looked like from thorns, and lots of bug bites.

[HappyGardenerWI]

What a heartwarming story. Thanks for giving us good news!

I'd like to hear and read more about all the good things I know are happening in the United States, rather than read/view only society's ills and evils.

[ejwharton]

Holy Mackeral! I cannot believe that the first comment is so creepy! Can you imagine what kind of a person wrote that? What an uneducated rube.

[losangelesdoc]

What kind of people simply abandon their dog after an accident? They did not see the dog dead, they were not informed that he was dead. So far as we can tell from the story, they never returned to the site of the accident to look for him or contacted the state patrol, or the animal shelter, or sent someone to search, or put up posters. They were amazed when the dog's rescuer (who did what the family should have done) informed them that the dog was alive and waiting for them to return.

The family were well enough to move living quarters, but not well enough to search out the fate of a wonderful, loyal dog, whom they seem to me not to deserve and are not even prepared to keep.

Appalling!

[togeika]

I too would like to donate directly to the family. I have written Love Me Tender but haven't recieved a response.

This is a great story!!! For those who have wonderful health care coverage please investigate and you will find there is a cap as to what the company will pay. So many people are scammed into thinking they have coverage when in fact the amount that they will pay out is not high enough to cover the medical bills especially with an accident like the one above with so many members of the family being injured. One million would not go far with 5 people seriously injured.

[chancie1]

We need to start a collection to try and find this family a new place to live that will take their beloved dog... maybe just offer the landlord a huge non-refundable security deposit. Better yet, I'd love to be able to purchase a home for Ella and her family. If they want to come to CA they are all welcome here... hope they read this, this is an offer for all of you :) Just lost my beloved Chance and we are all set up to give you a perfect life for your beloved dog.

[eepworth]

Here's what I know:

I have worked in hospitals, health insurance and car insurance my whole adult life going back 20 years.

I have two dogs both of whom I rescued off the side of the road, one of which had been run over. They are loving, loyal and precious to me.

I am a single mom of two nearly adult who has had to go without insurance from time to time in my life. I've never been on welfare (although I applied for it once) and my kids were on Medicaid for a year out of the three I spent finishing my bachelor's degree 10 years ago.

I can see this story from every angle and I am appalled by some of the comments I have read here. The first one that pops up is the paranoid neo-con that is accusing CBS NEWS of being part of the vast Left Wing Conspiracy that is pushing health care reform down everybody's throat. Those comments seem to be based in abject ignorance.

A little lesson in insurance...Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is generally OPTIONAL coverage on an automobile policy. Liability coverage covers the other guy if you are found to be at fault in an accident. Most mandatory financial responsibility laws requiring all drivers to carry auto insurance only require liability coverage. Many people forego PIP because they think they are covered under their health insurance if they are injured in an accident.

Unfortunately, many large carriers have exclusionary clauses that preclude coverage of injuries sustained in an accident such as a car wreck, a work mishap, or slipping on the ice in front of your neighbor's house. Car insurance PIP, worker's compensation, or bodily injury coverage on you neighbor's homeowner's insurance have to pay out to the policy limit before your health insurance kicks in, if at all. You never know you're not covered until it is too late to do anything about it.

Most PIP plans have very limited coverage: $10,000 per person/$100,000 per accident. This is usually eaten up rather quickly because the deep discounts health insurers negotiate with providers are not extended to PIP/Bodily Injury Liability insurers, so they have to pay the bill in full. Full billed charges for a simple case of whiplash in an Emergency Department along with physician charges could easily add up to $20,000 for an individual depending on what part of the country they're in. I once saw a whip lash claim from an ER in southern California that exceeded $100,000 and the person wasn't even admitted!

If you were to look at the scenes of the crash in this story, you would see that this family had most of their possessions in the vehicle with them. Why else would the dog have collected things like a candle, toothbrushes and a razor? I sure don't carry those sorts of things around with my in my car unless I'm going on a long trip. They weren't on a Sunday drive; they may very well have been moving to look for work in a part of the country less devastated by the recession. The story didn't elaborate on where they were from or where they were going, but it doesn't take much to make a few inferences. The one thing you cannot infer is whether these folks could have gone back to look for their dog (their car was obviously totaled).

?Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ?Let me take the speck out of your eye,? when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

[eepworth]

The biggest hurdle to overcome in healthcare reform debate is a fundamental misunderstanding of the difference between "health insurance" and "health care." I highly recommend the article "How Health Insurance Works" at www.howstuffworks.com. There are many well-written and thoughtful articles on the Internet for those who are interested in being open-minded and reaching their own well-informed conclusions instead of allowing puffed-up pundits inform them as to what their opinions should be.

The one thing that I think we can all agree on is that the Health Care System is broken. The delivery system is broken AND the reimbursement system is broken. There is no open and free market in health care because the consumer cannot make an informed decision because the consumed is not fully informed. When was the last time you went to the doctor and saw a menu of services with their prices clearly spelled out? You wouldn't take your car to be serviced if you didn't know how much it was going to cost you up front, would you?

Instead you see the doctor without knowing what it is going to cost. If you have insurance that pays the doctor, you may never know how much it cost other than the $20 or $30 co pay for the office visit. If you don't have insurance, you don't know until you go to leave and they expect you to pay in full at the time the service is rendered - yet you have know way of knowing what it costs before it is rendered.

As for the public option, about half the health care services in the country are already being paid for by Medicare or Medicaid. About half of every health care dollar spent is on the administrative costs associated with dealing with disparate insurance companies. One company may require prior authorization for outpatient surgery while another may not. Sometimes it depends on the particular employer policy whether something is covered or requires prior authorization. Phone calls have to be made, faxes have to be sent. Auth numbers have to be recorded so they can be submitted with the claim if the provider wants to be reimbursed. Inconsistency in practice results in inefficiency in the system. A single physician ends up needing a whole office full of administrative support just to be able to bill and be reimbursed.

The net result is an unnecessarily adversarial relationship between providers and payers. So much so that providers feel entitled to defraud the payers and payers feel entitled to drag out reimbursing providers. This adds even more inefficiency.

Then there is the mentality of entitlement of the consumer. The typical consumer thinks that they should get their money's worth of whatever they pay for. So consumers who pay $300 a month for health insurance feel entitled to use $300 worth of health care each month. It's like paying for HBO and never watching the Sopranos. These are the folks to go to see the doctor for every sore throat and sniffle; for every ache or pain or cramp; and expect their doctor to write them a prescription to treat each and every one. This adds even more inefficiency into the system. It is entropy gone wild.

You can't fix healthcare without fixing insurance and you can't fix insurance without fixing healthcare. Medicare is the single strongest driving force in the system. Even private insurers take the lead from Medicare. Nobody else paid for gastric bypass surgery to treat obesity until Medicare did, now most everybody does. Nobody used prospective payment (DRGs) for inpatient hospital stays until Medicare did, now most everybody does. Medicare would be the basis of any public health insurance option. It is tried and true and the infrastructure is well-established. Providers generally like it because the rules are consistent and payment is timely. If it is good enough for our parents, why isn't it good enough to get the healthcare reform ball rolling?

[ladykiri42]

To CBS News and all who read these comments:
A Care2 friend of many of us who frequent that site was recently in a car accident in Georgia. Her dog is still missing. If any of you belong to Care2, you can see a picture of her dog Sam by visiting there and searching. If you have no luck, post back here, and let me know. I'll check back periodically. Hopefully the good folks at CBS can help spread the word. I've been in a horrid accident myself, and asked so many people about a dog I was escorting to my car. She ran off when I was struck and dragged. Everyone said they did not see *any* dog, yet I know she was there. She was not my dog, I was returning her to her owners.

A Care2 member and co-host of 'Warriors for the Voiceless' had a very bad accident. Leigh is still in hospital, but will recover. We need strong positive energy and prayers for her and her woof Sam. Sam ran away at the accident scene and is now calling out to be found.

[NancyLou9]

I can't believe there are people here who are using this wonderful, heart wrenching story to get on your soapboxes to try to sell the rest of us on the atrocities of the health care industry. ACORN is alive and well here, isn't it?

My husband and I are fully insured for health care. Our out of pocket expenses are the $130 a month for the premium and $300 a year deductible but three years ago I was diagnosed with a chronic illness that forced me to stop working.

It's not the health care and insurance industry that wiped them out, it's the LOSS OF INCOME you flippin' idiots.