When Lori was presented with the chance to foster an abused beagle named Ella, she didn’t think twice.
Ella’s story is one of resilience and hope, a tale that begins with her rescue from a life of suffering.
The Humane Society of the United States played a pivotal role in saving Ella, along with 4,000 other beagles, from a facility in Cumberland, Virginia.
This facility was notorious for breeding beagles and selling them to laboratories, where their lives were reduced to mere subjects of painful and isolating experiments.
“Many people don’t realize that an average of 60,000 dogs just like these are still used in laboratories each year,” the Humane Society stated, emphasizing their ongoing efforts to promote alternatives to animal testing and end this archaic practice.
For Ella, freedom was an alien concept when she was rescued. She had never experienced life outside the confines of a laboratory cage.
The first days in Lori’s care were challenging for Ella. She was petrified, trembling uncontrollably, a stark contrast to the playful nature inherent in beagles.
For five days, Ella remained motionless, only moving when Lori took her outside.
“I would have to carry her back in because she was so deathly scared of the wind,” Lori recalled, painting a picture of Ella’s deep-seated fears.
Despite her fears, Ella began to show signs of change. She would sit in a corner of the couch, her safe spot, for days. But slowly, she started to explore her new world.
She became playful, showing interest in the buttons on the back of Lori’s couch, even attempting to rip them off.
A significant breakthrough came when Ella began interacting with Lori, jumping on her back, and for the first time, wagging her tail.
“Those little moments started to gradually become bigger moments,” said Lori, reflecting on Ella’s progress.
However, Ella still had a long way to go. Simple joys of dog life, like playing with a ball, were foreign to her. She didn’t understand that balls bounce and roll.
When Lori introduced her to an oversized tennis ball, Ella’s initial reaction was to bark at it, unsure of what to make of this new object.
Gradually, Ella’s curiosity turned into playfulness.
She began to engage with the ball and discovered the fun of playing. Mirrors, too, were a novelty for Ella. Seeing her reflection for the first time, she barked, unable to recognize the dog staring back at her.
But within four weeks, Ella transformed from a terrified animal into a happy, playful puppy, full of life and energy.
Lori described the transformation as “night and day.”
She found immense reward in fostering Ella, witnessing her journey from fear to joy.
“As a foster parent, it was so rewarding,” Lori shared, reflecting on the experience.
After four weeks of socialization and learning to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, Ella was ready for adoption.
The moment of parting was bittersweet for Lori, who was in tears as she handed Ella over to her new family.
Despite the sadness of saying goodbye, Lori was confident that Ella was going to a loving home, where she would continue to thrive and even had another beagle to play with.
“I’m super excited for her new life. I’m so happy that she found her forever home. She, for the first time, got to experience what it’s like to be in a loving family,” Lori expressed, her words echoing the joy and hope that Ella’s story brings.
Ella’s journey from a life of fear and isolation to one filled with love and happiness shows the resilience of the canine spirit and the transformative power of compassion.
Check out Ella’s full story in the video below!
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