"An Abandoned Angel"
Owners: Linda & Anne

Her name is Ella. We found her staring at us through the wire of her cage at the MONTGOMERY COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY. Her coat had grown long and shaggy. Her history read like the horrible story of a neglected child. Ella was crated most of her life (from 5 weeks of age to 1 ½ years) and not allowed to interact with the rest of the family. None of this hid the merriment or hope we discovered when we looked her in the eyes. Ella came home with us on May 9, 2002.

When the groomer finished with her, Ella had a long golden coat which showed off her big brown eyes, and a lovely white star on her chest. In short, Ella is beautiful. She is also very smart. Upon graduating from her basic obedience course at Greenbelt Dog Training, she easily advanced to the intermediate level and is quick to follow hand or voice commands.

People often ask to know her pedigree. The folks at the Montgomery County Humane Society, her groomer and several books we have referenced would claim she is a Bearded Collie. We call her a "pound puppy" because after all, that's where we found her.

Ella has been with us almost three months now, and she is considered a member of the family. She loves people, going for walks, playing games, riding in the car and learning new lessons at school. She has filled our home with out-and-out love. She has wrapped us up with the sure understanding that no act of love, however small, would be taken for granted and all mistakes are forgiven and forgotten. Ella is a delightful companion and there comes certain gratification in knowing and caring for her. When she stretches herself out at our feet dozing, we feel a great sense of amity for her. You see, during these times, Ella is obviously content and at peace with our world. Ella also lives with our two cats and even enjoys playing with them. At times we see them laying down together, looking out the glass patio door observing the birds and squirrels.

It seems her story reads like a canine Cinderella, but it's not. Ella's story is far too sad and too realistic to be a fairy tale. Be it good timing when we walked into the Humane Society, a coincidence or God's grace, we consider ourselves very fortunate to know Ella. She is without a doubt, a terrific dog.