Tears of sorrow turn to sobs of joy when man, 93, and pet dog are reunited

By Alva James-Johnson

Salvatore Simone survived the Spanish Influenza Pandemic, the Great Depression, World War II, the death of most of his relatives -- even Hurricane Wilma.

But the loss of his white, silky-haired Maltese after the storm was almost too much for his tender, 93-year-old heart to take.

"He was very, very upset and wept daily," said Simone's nephew-in-law, Carlo Buccellato. "He thought the dog was dead and it was hopeless."

The tears stopped flowing Monday when Simone and his dog, Bela, were reunited in their Hollywood home.

Buccellato said Bela (as in Italian bella, or beautiful) escaped the day of the storm after a fence was knocked down by Wilma. A stranger found the dog at a park and took him to the Broward County Animal Care and Regulation Division.

The shelter contacted Buccellato, who had registered the dog as missing three days earlier. He reclaimed the pet and took it home to Simone, who sobbed and hugged the dog while chanting he couldn't believe it.

"We're together every day and he's always next to me," he said of the pet he's had for 15 years as they cozied up in an armchair.

Other storm-stricken pet owners trickled in and out of animal shelters Monday, frantically searching for the dogs and cats they lost during or after the storm.

Kellie Walters, 45, of Hollywood, said her 7-year-old dog, Shadow, dashed through a broken fence four days after the storm. She, her daughter and a friend checked with the Broward County shelter and the Humane Society to no avail, but continued to hand out fliers with Shadow's picture.

"It's like losing one of your children," she said. "You cry yourself to sleep at night wondering were she's at."

Susan Fuchs Harvey, an adoption coordinator at the Broward County facility, said dozens have come looking for animals and about 14 pets have been reunited with their owners since the shelter reopened Wednesday.

Cherie Wachter said the Humane Society of Broward County shelter had about 17 dogs and 29 cats. By Monday, three people had found their pets, she said. Sharron Carmichael, the Humane Society's disaster coordinator, said the shelter was making arrangements for pets whose families' homes are uninhabitable. But she stressed the limited space available.

"We want to be a temporary housing facility for those folks, but definitely a last resort," she said.

She said the shelter expects Purina to deliver a tractor-trailer full of pet food Tuesday to be distributed at trailer parks and other badly hit areas.

Simone, meanwhile, was just glad to have Bela by his side. "Now that he's got the dog back, we're going back to planning his 100 birthday," quipped his nephew-in-law, Buccellato. "I really believe the pet has extended his life."