Ella Colenso

Ella was adopted from the Butler County Humane Society on April 17th, 2018 and her microchip said her birthday was August 8, 2013. From what they told us, she had somehow ended up in a kill shelter in West Virginia and was at risk of euthanasia at the tender age of 4 years old. She was friendly to everyone, loving and intelligent, and the thought of a dog that was this wonderful, ending up in that situation, was a shock to me. Thankfully, she was seen and rescued and after driving past the Humane Society every day on my way home from work (often in tears after the loss of our last beautiful dog, Duffy), one day I decided to stop in and meet the dogs and hopefully rescue another after grieving for Duffy who we had lost in 2017. I met Ella and she was funny, friendly and super chill. Wanting to get to know me, friendly and inquisitive, but not super desperate - like she knew it would be my loss if I walked away. The staff also told me what a wonderful dog she was and they were so right. We spent some time playing with what I later discovered was one of her favorite things - tennis balls! The following Saturday, Jamie came with me to meet her and we took her home and she began her life with us. And immediately she was a joy who fit right in, complimenting and enriching our lives. Because of the way she would excitedly bark for attention when she saw other dogs, and the strange and hilarious noise she would make, the Humane Society told us she may not be friendly with other dogs, so initially we held back introducing her. They said that she had been friendly before she had surgery, but that they had gone to spay her but found she had already had the procedure, so she was a little traumatized by it. She recovered well but I think she was always sensitive after that unnecessary procedure. It is a shame she was microchipped but they never recorded she was already spayed on there, so when the Humane Society were getting her ready to be rehomed, they didn't know. Even though this affected her, she was still friendly and even enjoyed going to the vet. Any chance to get in the car and see people was an outing to be embraced. How wrong we were for erring on the side of caution when introducing her to other dogs for almost a year! I seemed like a waste of a year in which she could have played with other dogs, but we did do a lot together in which she was out and about around people. She was friendly to dogs the way she was friendly with people. Playful, goofy and just kind and accommodating more than anything. This meant exploring together with her was always an absolute joy. We would go for walks, to dog parks, car rides and on road trips. She loved the car and giving and receiving love from anyone who crossed her path. A running car - even one that wasn't mine - was still approached with her sense of adventure. GET IN! LET'S GOOO! Whenever I would run into a gas station for a moment, Ella would always be waiting for me in the driver's seat. Her curiosity and sense of adventure was only exceeded by the love in her heart. Ella had a maternal instinct and gentleness that extended to dogs and people. Our neighbor's puppy was her baby and later friend, and Brooke and Ella shared a soul bond. She had her friends at the dog park too, even dogs that only selectively got along with others got along with her, such was her warmth and acceptance to dogs and people. She loved the adoration and energy of our friends' children, and those in the neighborhood, and was "kid proof" that I could trust her unsupervised if I needed to. I don't think I ever did, but I absolutely had total trust in every single thing she did. Ella had better judgment than me. When we brought Jack home a few years later, she also taught him well and loved him and even played with him until the day she died. Even as he got big and towered over her, she still remembered to put him in his place! His playful curiosity was sometimes a little much, and she would tell him when she had enough. Gently, but vocally! She did the same to us. If we ever raised our voices at each other, Ella would be there to interrupt and voice her displeasure. She let us know what she liked and didn't like, and these were always good things. In the last few years of her life, when her arthritis was slowing her down, and she couldn't walk as far or jump on the bed or in the car by herself anymore, she was still her happy-go-lucky self. Still approaching people for scratches and pets, still wagging her tail and barking with Jack at noises that alerted them. Her final year was a further decline, but not dramatically so. We didn't want to put you through the pain of winter, but right until the end, you didn't seem like you were ready to give up just yet, Lil Ellers. You had grown old, older than many of your breed lived, but still seemed happy, just slowing down. Her last day on earth was the same as the previous few months, struggling to get around a bit but still pushing herself to follow us up steps even briefly when she didn't need to, still eating well, and just sleeping a little more. At 2:30 am, she suddenly started panting and feeling sick, and by 3:04 am she was gone. I pray she didn't experience intense pain, but I am glad it wasn't prolonged. We were getting ready to take her to the animal hospital, but after about 15 minutes, it didn't seem like she was going to make it and we comforted her the best we could in her final moments, and told her we loved her and that it was okay to let go. To our beautiful Ella; Thank you for being the best friend and family member a person could wish for, and blessing us with your light and love. You taught us how to be better people in the lessons you showed us every day and are among the most evolved souls I have met in this life. I hope you are at peace and that somehow we can be reunited again. I love you, Pretty Lil Ellers.

Ella Colenso

August 8, 2013 - September 8, 2025