Rescued Dog Stranded For 3 Months At Sea With Sailor Gets Adopted

A dog that was stranded in the Pacific Ocean with an Australian sailor gets adopted by one of the crew members who helped rescue them.

Australian sailor Tim Shaddock and his dog, Bella, were rescued from the Pacific Ocean two weeks ago after being stranded at sea for three months.

The pair were rescued after being spotted by a helicopter accompanying the Mexican tuna trawler, Maria Delia.

The Sydney native, revealed during a press conference in Manzanillo, Mexico on Tuesday, July 18, that Bella will be adopted by Genaro Rosales, one of the crew members of Maria Delia.

Shaddock gave Bella to Rosales on the condition that the dog would receive good care, as per New York Post‘s report. Rosales assured Shaddock that the pooch will be well taken care of and looked after.

And when asked about Bella, Shaddock only had great things to say about his four-legged companion. “She’s amazing. That dog is something else.”

He also revealed that Bella is Mexican and that the pooch found him in the middle of Mexico. He continued, “She’s the spirit of the middle of the country and she wouldn’t let me go.“

“I tried to find a home for her three times and she just kept following me onto the water. She’s a lot braver than I am, that’s for sure.”

According to PEOPLE, Shaddock and Bella went on a 3,000 mile sailing trip from Le Paz, Mexico to French Polynesia in April.

But just a few weeks in, their boat got damaged in a storm, destroying the boat’s electronic system in the process, and making it impossible to reach out to anyone and ask for help.

Shaddock tells 9News that both him and Bella survived all those months by eating raw fish and drinking rain water.

Shaddock also expressed his gratitude to the captain and the fishing company for saving him and his dog. He said, “I’m alive, and I really didn’t think I’d make it.”