Editor’s Note:Bella’s owner told the Valley Indy April 3 that his dog was never stolen, but had been given away by his wife, unbeknownst to him. Derby police are investigating. Click here for more information.
Original story from March 28 follows below:
A search that lasted nearly three weeks is over and Bella, a yellow lab that went missing in Derby, was finally found Thursday (March 28).
“It’s an absolute miracle,” Bella’s owner, William Novotny, said.
Bella was found in the Hartford area, Novotny said, from a couple who wants to remain anonymous.
“I got a call and went up,” Novotny, who lives in Stratford, said.
He wasn’t expecting the dog in question to be Bella.
But it was.
“I’m taking her to the vet today so she can get a microchip, that way she’ll never get lost again,” Novotny said.
Bella had been lost March 11 in the parking lot of Home Depot in Derby. Novotny and his wife believe the dog was stolen out of the car.
His wife went in to get a can of paint, leaving Bella in the car with the window cracked four inches.
When she returned to the car about 10 minutes later, Bella was not there.
In the days after Bella went missing, Novotny and his family posted hundreds of fliers in the area.
They also started a Facebook group, Bring Bella Home, that has attracted more than 2,000 “Likes.”
A post on the page annoucing Bella’s safe return Thursday was “liked” by more than 750 people in an hour.
Novotny said Thursday he wasn’t worried about how Bella ended up in the Hartford area. He was just glad to have her home again.
That’s especially true because Bella has a liver problem and requires medication.
Novotny said Thursday the pooch is feeling fine.
“It’s a miracle, she is in perfect health and I can’t believe it,” Novotny said.
Bella was happy to see her owners again, he said.
“Oh she just went nuts, totally crazy. We all are really happy.”
