Eastern Sierra Dog Rescue
Bishop, CA

Everybody knows the best dogs come from the shelter. That’s where Geri Wilson of Bishop acquired both of her fabulous girls, Bella and Zoe. The shepherd mix and pit bull mix became great pals and lived happily together with Geri and a confident cat in a spacious mobile home on a large lot behind the casino.

But just as the recent holiday season was upon us, Geri’s landlord brought the hammer down and kicked Bella and Zoe out.  Bella kept jumping the fence on the property and heading down to the gas station, where she always got treats and attention from the customers and staff before being safely returned to her owner. Sometimes Zoe would follow Bella because she couldn’t stand to be without her pal, even for a minute.

Bella was just trying to get her needs met. Aren’t we all? Everybody knows young, athletic dogs need lots of exercise, but Geri was bogged down with a burgeoning work load and couldn’t provide enough run time for the girls. Even the most loved dogs can end up back at the pound, which in many cases is a good way to re-home an animal who needs something its owner cannot provide. At least in Inyo County, which has the world’s most capable and dedicated staff and volunteers running its animal shelter in Big Pine.

Those people got to work getting the word out about the girls’ plight. Posters went up, e-mails were sent out and forwarded, and of course, Facebook was fully utilized to inform the dog-loving public that homes were needed. Everyone lamented the possibility of splitting the girls up, but dogs really aren’t like people, prone to attachments and regret. And no two dogs existed anywhere that were better examples of living in the moment, or better emblems of love. Meanwhile, the two pals made the most of their temporary home out at Reynolds and County roads, and we are pretty sure they led singalongs at night to cheer the other inmates.

Then a week before Christmas, 9-year-old Gretchen Jet of Las Vegas spotted Zoe on the Inyo County Animal Shelter’s website. The little girl, who is deaf and who suffers from a rare form of epilepsy, instantly fell in love with the stocky, athletic pit mix, who she called a “Petey dog” because she thought Zoe looked like the comical dog from the classic Little Rascals television show.

Gretchen’s dad James decided to surprise her and made the 500-mile round trip trek over Westguard Pass two days before Christmas to adopt Zoe. “She was perfect,” said James about Zoe’s behavior on the drive back to Las Vegas. “She sat right there with her head on my lap the entire trip.”

Needless to say, Zoe was a stellar surprise for the little girl and her two older brothers. She now lives in a nice single-family home with people constantly around to dote on and play with her. And she has Gretchen as her new best pal.

“She’s spoiled,” said James, who worked in private security until his daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy. Now he home-schools all his children. “Zoe has the full run of everything – she lays down in the boys’ room in the morning, then goes into Gretchen’s room and then comes into our room and ends up under the blankets.”

Right after Christmas, James and his wife were awakened in the middle of the night by an excited Zoe at their bedside. Gretchen was in her room having a grand mal seizure, and Zoe ran to get them.

“I didn’t know dogs did that unless they were trained to do that,” said James. He described how Zoe sat with Gretchen throughout her recovery without leaving her side. And he feels his little girl is extra safe and happy, now that Zoe has joined the family.

“That was the best 500 miles I have ever traveled.”

Bella finds a bunk mate too

Bella made the most of life at the shelter without her best friend. She loved to play in the yard with Jillian, a beautiful husky mix, and big boy Koheda, a former inmate who was adopted by Katie, the shelter assistant. She loved going on daily walks with volunteers, and she got very excited and happy to meet all the people who came through the facility looking for their perfect dog.

Then on January 7, a gentle giant of a man visited the shelter in search of a companion to share his home in Lee Vining, and  to accompany him on outings in the nearby wilderness. He took one look at Bella, and was sold.

“She’s a sweetheart of a dog,” said Ken Eaton, Bella’s new mate who is a veteran tow driver in the Mono Lake area and also an amateur photographer. Bella now lives in a mobile home with a fenced yard, but the fence is high enough to contain her. She likes to play on a pile of snow, and loves soccer balls. “She also loves to lay on you,” Ken said.

Ken plans to take Bella out on his ATV in the spring where she will have big, open spaces in which to run. And he is working on getting her to come when she is called. “She sure has dainty feet,” he said. “She is a beautiful runner.”