Bella Moss Foundation is a non- profit charity. It started in 2007 with the aim to help save lives through early detection of infections in animals. Set up by Jill Moss after Bella her ten year Samoyed, lost her life to MRSA. Today it is ten years since Bella died. This is a tribute to the suffering she endured and a reminder of the legacy she has left behind.
Bella always travelled in style!
I am Jill Moss: My beautiful Samoyed companion Bella was just 10 years old when, in 2004, she injured her knee and needed surgery on her cruciate ligament. To my dismay, after the surgery she developed MRSA. She fought the infection for weeks but, in the end, she lost her battle. She was the first dog ever publicly recorded to have died from the human form of MRSA.
Bella’s death led me to make the leap from the world of show business into the world of science. I left behind a successful acting career to become the founder of the Bella Moss Foundation.
You can read our story here
Bella and I chatted. Bella would go to her toy box, choose her favourite toy then throw them about the room. Even, as she got older, her playfulness never stopped and her antics were a joy to watch. Everyone who came to our house was welcomed with her favourite toy, which she promptly dropped at their feet. She would tell them a long story and never stopped talking, a bit like Jill! The house now is empty and very quiet without her; she can never be replaced.
Celia Moss (Bella’s nanny)
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Bella and Jill in happier times
Bella was our lovely ‘family dog’ whom I had the pleasure of looking after. When walking with Bella it amazed me how many people would stop or call her name as we passed by. She seemed to be known to everyone in our neighbourhood. Bella was such a character and very well liked. She always had a lot to say for herself, as she was the most vocal of dogs. Bella was beautiful with a real personality and a real ‘lady particularly after she had been groomed. Her clean coat – made her proud and she would strut about, head high in the air, with an expression on her face that read ‘look at me, I am beautiful’, and she was.
Hazel Hartog (Bella’s Aunt)
The beginning of The Foundation
In 2004 there was no internet information about MRSA In animals; I called government officials, academics, researchers and veterinary professionals. The fact that MRSA was now crossing over from humans to animals was of great interest to the international press, and I ended up telling my story over and over. So, despite feeling that life was bleak following Bella’s death, I knew I had a new purpose. For the first time I felt a sense of mission. I gave up my career as an actress in pursuit of uncovering the facts and giving to pet-owners the information that was missing. I met Claire Rayner, and with her help, BMF became a Charitable Company in 2007. Claire became our first patron.
A Registered Charity
Today The Bella Moss Foundation has immense respect within the profession for the work we have done promoting change through education. We could easily have become an unnoticed group on the outside of the issue, but because we were seen to be helping the veterinary profession, more and more veterinary leaders came on board. Those who first took the risk of listening to me are now among my most active supporters, and this includes some of the world’s leading veterinary clinicians. As a result of the personal networking relationships I have built up over five years, I now sit on working groups and government committees as a spokesperson for the British pet-owning public. This article published in August 2014 by Pet Magazine illustrates the success of BMF --
Read Article
MRSA and other serious infections are threating the lives of our pets, all of which can be avoided with better hygiene and responsible use of antibiotics. Visit the BMF website for more information but for now on this day, remember Bella Moss so that her death was not in vain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPA0aVuhV14&feature=youtu.be
Bella was…. An A – Z of Bella
Audacious, Bright, Courageous, Devoted, Eccentric, Forgiving, Gritty, Headstrong, Intuitive, Jealous, Keen, Loyal, Mischievous, Noble, Obstinate, Personable, Quirky, Roguish, Stubborn, Talented, Unique, Vivacious, Wise, Xtraordinary, Young at heart, And with a Zest for living.
How sad her life came to an end so tragically. I will miss her very much.
Richard Allport
Bella was the only dog that I knew that you could hold a conversation with.
Ask her a question, and she would ANSWER! Obviously, to us her language was incomprehensible, but she tried to communicate in her own style. If she wanted something, she would always get the message over. Taking Bella for a quick walk was never possible. Adults and children would come over to make a fuss of this gorgeous white fluffy dog, she relished in the attention.
Peter Moss (Bella’s uncle who Bella adored)
Whatever the weather, wind, rain, snow, Jill was always out with Bella (who loved snow, rolling and eating it) we would make snowballs throw them in the air for her to catch. Sometimes on walks we would just all sit and soak up the silence. In the park when we were out together, it was a joy to see elderly people, children, families, and other dog owners smile as they looked at Bella, she had this effect on people. I will always remember Bella’s big brown eyes and her ‘snuffling’ into my bag or pocket to see if I had brought along her favourite biscuits.
Steven Clark
Here is a You Tube link where you can see Bella happy and well. -
Watch Video
Read what family and friends say about Bella
Here are a list of friends of the foundation,
Would you like to join? If so email for an information pack info@thebellamossfoundation.com
Links for more information
www.veterinarynursetrainingonline.org
www.onehealthbmf.com
