She Was Used As A Bait Dog, Then Left To Die Before This Rescue Saved Her
The rescue of a bait dog named Bella has touched the hearts of many on TikTok. Swaley Remblance with Mill Field Rescue, a “last chance dog home for all dogs that are unwanted and unloved” based in the United Kingdom, shared Bella’s story on his account @millfieldrescue.
Swaley’s sister found Bella hiding under pallets in a dark barn, where she’d been “just left to die.” The pup was used as a bait dog for dog fighting, leaving her covered in scars.
Dog fighting has been outlawed in the U.K. for almost 200 years, yet according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), they’ve received over 9,000 reports of organized dog fighting from 2015 to 2020 alone.
The practice remains a problem in the United States as well, despite it being outlawed in all 50 states, and the ASPCA has named greed as the most “basic” reason why people are drawn to dog fighting.
“Major dog fight raids have resulted in seizures of more than $500,000, and it is not unusual for $20,000 to $30,000 to change hands in a single fight. Stud fees and the sale of pups from promising bloodlines can also bring in thousands of dollars,” the non-profit organization said.
It’s estimated that tens of thousands of people in the United States are involved in dog fighting. Dogs like Bella live in pain every day of their lives.
She was 3 years old when she was rescued by Swaley, who shared what Bella’s life was like as a bait dog in a TikTok video.
“A bait dog is a dog that will have their mouth muzzled or taped. [They’re] thrown into a sandpit with dogs that are fighting to train, left to fend for themselves in the ring,” he detailed.
“They wouldn’t have any way of defending themselves. It’d just be completely savage until the said dog fighting trainer pulled the fighting dogs off of her.”
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Swaley stated that Bella would be covered in wounds and deep cuts and “chucked back” in a barn where she’d be “left to bleed out and then go again another day.” He called the practice “horrendous,” and in the wake of such horrific treatment, Bella has been left partially blind and with numerous scars.
Bella was one of the “fortunate ones” that got rescued, though, along with three other dogs saved by Swaley that day. One sadly passed away, while the other two were rehomed.
As for Bella, she has remained with Swaley, who has decided to look after her personally. He quickly realized that she needed special care and love.
Today, her life has completely turned around. Bella lives in Kent, England, and has everything she could ever need.
“We have eight other dogs here that she plays with every day, a warm and cozy kennel, and 14 acres of land to roam free and safe on,” Swaley explained.
“We have an all-weather play area where all the dogs play on rainy days to stop their paws from getting muddy and wet. Bella loves to play with the other dogs, but she just loves to sit mainly with my son in our office and be cuddled all day.”
Since receiving a lot of support on his initial TikTok video when he introduced Bella online, Swaley hopes that her story will help raise awareness about this cruel practice and other canine victims around the globe.
The video has garnered over 61,000 views and received more than 6,000 likes. Swaley wrote in the caption, “Some people in this world are very cruel,” and hundreds of commenters shared their disgust for dog fighting.
“How can people watch this sort of thing and think it’s okay? Thank you for saving her,” said one user.
“Oh, bless Bella. My first adopted dog was also a rescued bait dog, and her name was Belle. How anyone could do that to a dog is beyond me. So well done on rescuing her,” wrote another.
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