04/06/2025
R.I.P. Sweet Ella, a lifetime is never enough. Today, I want to honor Ella, one of our very first adoptables from 2012. Her lifetime has been such a story , but most importantly, she is one of the lucky ones, to have lived a full, happy life with her family. Her story began when we took a call from an Eastern Kentucky shelter, "Could we take a very, very mangy senior heeler?" Certainly! The transport day came for us to bring her home, but the weather was not going to cooperate. Severe storms and tornados were surrounding Kentucky and Indiana as we drove to our Meet Up point. Her driver told me that at one point, they crested a hill and saw a tornado coming in their direction! She looked at the pitiful little heeler and said "Well, Toto, I guess this is it for us." But luck prevailed and we all made it home safely. Her name Toto, thusly, stuck for a while. We got quite a surprise once we took her to our vet, when we found out she was not a senior dog, but actually a puppy, under 6 months! Her start in life had been one of cruelty and neglect. She even acted ashamed of her condition, but time was good to her and within months her coat grew in and she had opened up her feisty personality. Straight up s***k, sass and quick ......a smart little heeler she was. Soon, her new Mom Kathy found her and they began their 13 years together. Nka Ella, she took care of her boys, Shan and Kieran, she helped Kathy study for the bar exam, she went to work with Kathy. always choosing a new toy to take to the job, she made their days full of so many memories. Ella passed, after a bout of heart issues, surrounded by her family. Her life was big, full of love, a big yard to play in with her boys and a Mom who doted on her 24/7. These are the moments that make me proud of what we do at All American Dawgs." Ella, you already have so many old friends at the Rainbow Bridge and we will all meet again."