Ella, a Rottweiler

Lost dog's hoarding helps rescuer reunite her with owners
7:52 PM, July 31, 2009
Lindsay Barnett

A lot of humans could learn a thing or two about loyalty from a Rottweiler named Ella. Ella's human family, the Kelleys, were in a horrific car accident in Hickman County, Tenn., on July 1. Ella escaped the wreck in good shape physically, but the Kelleys weren't so lucky -- paramedics rushed all five family members (parents Joe and Michelle and their three children) to a nearby hospital.

Ella was left behind. She remained near the site of the accident for about two weeks, when she was found by a kind rescuer, Kathy Wilkes-Myers. "That's the last spot she saw her family and she was going to stay there," Wilkes-Myers told Nashville's News Channel 5. "She was starved and covered with ticks."

Wilkes-Myers knew something terrible must have happened to Ella for her to be found without her family. She searched the nearby area and returned home with Ella and a plastic bag full of items the dog had hoarded in a little nest -- the family's toothbrushes, a hairbrush and other personal items. Among the personal effects Wilkes-Myers found was contact information for the Kelleys' insurance agent.
Wilkes-Myers got in touch with the agent, April Bowers, who immediately knew the lost Rottweiler was the Kelleys' missing Ella. The dog and her family were reunited at last, and -- we confess -- the happy reunion was enough to bring a tear to even our hardened eye. Bonus good news: The Kelleys are all expected to fully recover from their injuries.
Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/07/lost-dogs-hoarding-helps-rescuer-reunite-her-with-owners.html
Another version of the story here: http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=10784761&clienttype=printable
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ke8BOOJjmw
Video from late September: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXvy2S1X1S4&feature=player_embedded