DANIA BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A dog that was returned several times to an adoption center has now found her purpose in life by helping others.
An animal worker found something special in Stella, a 1-year-old dog with a lot of energy.
She has so much energy that several families who adopted her from the Humane Society of Broward County brought her back, but a volunteer saw her potential as a service dog.
“Now, dogs like Stella, who have this unique gift that come to a shelter wouldn’t be overlooked as a troubled, misbehaving dog but actually a hero,” said Jinnette Pantalone, with the Broward County Humane Society.
A representative with the National Disaster Search Foundation flew to Fort Lauderdale to meet the labrador-retriever mix.
After Stella impressed the representative, they put her through some tests like a simulated disaster where she sped through the rubble and found every tennis ball with ease.
The foundation then decided to take her in and train her as part of their search and rescue program.
Stella, who was once an outcast will soon be a life-saver thanks to that volunteer who helped Stella get her groove back.
“To see her kind of take in that frustration from the people that surrendered her, to actually be praised and loved for her abilities now is really great to see ’cause you can see it in her attitude and her face,” Pantalone said. “She found what she’s good for.”
Stella will fly to California Wednesday to begin training. After that, she will go through training for about eight to 10 months before she’s paired with a handler.
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