Warning For All Pet Lovers - In Memory of Ella

PLASTIC BAGS ARE DEADLY TO YOUR DOG!

In honor of our precious Ella's memory, I am crusading an effort to let everyone know that this can and does happen and hopefully I can save someone else from the same agonizing pain!

Our 9 month old Sheltie puppy, Ella, suffered a tragic, sudden, senseless death this past Friday. She suffocated to death on a bag liner that was inside a box of Cheez-its snack crackers. We were out for the evening and someone had left a box of Cheez-its within Ella's reach. She put her head in the bag inside the box to get to the crackers. The bag came out of the box but she couldn't get the bag off of her head. We came home and found her dead from suffocation. It doesn't seem possible, that a dog couldn't get a bag off their head, but they can' t.

I have since learned that this occurs more often than you would imagine. There was also a family whose 6 year old Labrador got hold of a Doritos bag when they weren't looking. They found him dead with the bag over his head, having died the same way as Ella. I also learned from the man that is cremating Ella for us that he has had FIVE other dogs that have died like this in the PAST MONTH! Make sure that ALL PLASTIC BAGS AND BOXES WITH BAG LINERS IN THEM (chips, snack crackers, cookies, cereal, etc.) are WAY out of your pets reach!!!!!!

This tragedy has been a tremendous blow for our family! I have tried to be strong, but the whole scenario has played out in my head over and over and I have been a total mess! I cannot begin to understand the senselessness of this and my heart is absolutely broken! Ella was so young and full of life...an adorable, sweet, smart, loving dog, and her life was cut short way too soon!