Woman Wants Joint Burial With (Not-Dead) Dog

Odd request in will sets off campaign to 'save Bella'
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 17, 2014 2:46 PM CST
Woman Wants Joint Burial With (Not-Dead) Dog
   (Shutterstock)

The most famous dog in America today just might be a 9-year-old German shepherd named Bella. As WCPO explains, Bella's owner died last month, and her will leaves Bella's fate in the hands of a close friend. The options: Send Bella to a shelter in Utah or, if that's too expensive, have the dog euthanized and then buried with owner Connie Lay of Aurora, Indiana. The idea of a healthy dog being killed so it can be laid to rest with its owner has set off a social media campaign under the hashtag #SaveBella, notes the Indianapolis Star.

For now, the dog is at a humane society in Lawrenceburg, and the shelter says in a statement that it has no control over whether Bella lives or dies. Bella "is only being housed and cared for at our Center while legal proceedings with the estate are being finalized." Lay's attorney explains that the 105-pound Bella is aggressive and "potentially dangerous," and that his client was worried the dog might be too much for a new owner to handle. No decision has been made yet, but the outpouring of support suggests that Bella will get a chance to prove otherwise. (More strange stuff stories.)

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