William Stone Jr. holds Bella. The family was reunited with the dog at the SPCA in Lancaster.
Family member Tonya Hess holds a puppy that was removed from Bella's litter. Other puppies from the litter perished in the fire. In background is William Stone Jr. with Bella at the SPCA in Lancaster.
Mourners gather at the scene of the fatal fire on East Madison Street earlier this week.
A small dog missing for three days after fleeing a burning house on East Madison Street was found unharmed Thursday and was reunited with her family.
Bella's safe return brought some comfort to a family grieving the loss of Pauline Stone, 39, and Leilani Roman, 6, perished in the 4:24 a.m. Monday fire at 225 E. Madison St.
Another dog also may have escaped the fire but remained missing Thursday.
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On Monday, Bella, a white-and-tan mixed terrier, shot out of the front door as 13-year-old Dakota Stone and his father, William Stone Jr., opened it to flee the smoke and flames.
Shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday, Bella was found about a block from home. Police retrieved a stray reported in the backyard of 132 E. Lemon St. Officer Juanita Martinez-Bender took the dog to an animal shelter, and director Susan Martin recognized it was Bella.
"The family was in here several times, showing us pictures and asking if we had found her," said Martin of newly opened Lancaster County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals, 599 Chesapeake St.
Bella happily recognized Stone when he came for her.
"She just got into his arms and almost went to sleep," Martin said. "You could tell she had been on the run for a couple of days."
Stone mentioned how much his late sister, Pauline, loved the dog.
Other than having a slight burn on the lip and a cut on a back leg and being in need of a bath, Bella appeared in good shape. She was treated at VCA Bridgeport Animal Hospital, and Stone was hoping she would be ready to come home Friday.
Officer Martinez-Bender said she encountered a shivering and scared Bella when she entered the back yard at the East Lemon Street home. The officer cornered the dog and got a leash attached. With "nails planted in the ground," Martinez-Bender said, Bella resisted coming and had to be carried to the police car by a helpful neighbor.
"The dog was so scared it made a mess in my car," the officer said.
Tonya Hess, Dakota's mother, said she and others posted online notices about the missing dog. The family offered a $100 reward, which they will donate to the shelter, Hess said.
A bus driver told the family she saw a dog resembling Bella on Wednesday morning near Ross Elementary School, 840 N. Queen St. The school is about eight blocks from the Madison Street home. Family searched the North Queen Street area but didn't find the dog.
Firefighters informed the family that the bodies of three dogs were found inside the home. Another dog was not found and might be roaming the neighborhood, Hess said.
The family had yet to identify the deceased dogs and don't know if the missing dog is Whimper, Taboo, Pumpkin, Ace or Bella's unnamed puppy.
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