LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — Last week, FOX4 told you about Isabella, a dog who’s owner was murdered and then she was found weeks later.
Now Isabella has a new chance at life.
Last month, a double homicide left more than just two people gunned down.
A man shot and killed two people at Edwards Original Corner Market and Deli on July 10 in KCK. One of the victims was 42-year-old LaChelle Day, a woman who left behind two dogs. One of them was Isabella.
“Unfortunately, Isabella’s owner was one of the people that was murdered,” said Danielle Reno, who runs Unleashed Pet Rescue.
Reno said they do a lot of outreach in KCK, which is how they heard about LaChelle’s dogs.
“It’s just unfortunate that when their owner passed away, there’s just no one else. There’s no one there to take them. The neighbors kept sighting them. We could just never get there at the right time at the right place to find them and take them,” Reno said.
For weeks Unleashed looked for Isabella and finally found the dog shot herself.
Her leg was amputated from the shooting. She’s dealing with a bad infection and tested positive for heartworm.
“She just hasn’t really had that inside dog, loving life that all the dogs deserve, so we’re really striving to get her better and get her adopted into a loving home that will show her what it’s like to be a real dog,” Reno said last week.
But now, Isabella has a new kind of life.
She’s recovering in her own room with a king size bed, walking ramp, multiple beds, specialized food, copious toys and a poolside view.
“She’s probably never had a toy,” Gina Rudman said. “She’s probably never been loved, and that’s all changing. We’re going to give it all to you. Yeah, we are.”
“She’s had a horrific first five years, but she’s going to have an unbelievable rest of her years,” Shane Rudman said.
The Rudmans in Lee’s Summit took her in after seeing Unleashed’s Facebook live video on Isabella.
Gina Rudman has cared for four other dogs who have been shot, and lost one, named Laggie, around the same time Isabella’s owner was killed.
“I want to love her back healthy,” Gina Rudman said. “I want to make her forget all the things that happened to her. I want her to be so happy that she’s like, ‘What bad days? What awful things happen to me. I don’t remember anything of that.’ That’s my goal with her.”
Shane Rudman runs the Animal Justice League of America, which specializes in holding animal abusers accountable. He said he’s working on several cases but plans to look into what happened to Isabella.
“We’re going to investigate, and we’re going to see if we can find out how she got shot, who shot her, why she was shot, and then hold those people accountable,” Shane said.
However, that’s not something Isabella will ever have to worry about.
“No more bad days, baby girl,” Gina Rudman said.
