BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — A Broken Arrow family's journey through the grief of losing their 17-year-old dog has turned into a viral story of healing and a new children's book, all thanks to a neighborhood dog named Bella.
The Karnes family lost their dog, Dooney, after nearly 17 years together.
WATCH: 'HERE COMES BELLA': A Broken Arrow family finds healing after pet loss through a new children's book:
"We went through the entire grief process… and just dealing with the quietness of losing a pet," Seth Karnes said.
That quiet did not last long. Weeks later, a shy neighborhood dog named Bella started slipping through a hole in their fence.
"And every day got a little closer," Karnes said.
At first, the family tried not to get attached to the small visitor.
"I kept saying, she’s not our dog… she’s not our dog," Karnes said.
But Bella had other plans and bonded with the grieving family.
"She was drawn to him… I feel like she knew he was sad… and wanted to help him," Crystal Karnes said.
Bella became part of the family, but then came another scare. After six weeks of Bella seamlessly integrating into their lives, her original owners took her back.
"Once we had her for the six weeks, she integrated seamlessly into our lives. And then they took her back, you know, we, we went through this kind of second grief process of, well, now we've lost another dog," Seth said.
After weeks of uncertainty, the neighbors reached out with an unexpected offer.
"They said, would you still be willing to adopt her? ' and we were like, 'Absolutely," the Karnes family said.
Inspired by Bella and the grief of losing Dooney, Seth Karnes began writing a children's book.
"I really just wrote it for myself… as a way to process everything," Seth Karnes said.
The book, titled "Here Comes Bella," is now available on Amazon and at local bookstores.
"It's helping other people heal, and other people get through their grief," Karnes said.
At the same time, Bella's story gained a massive following online.
"I just posted a video of Bella, and all of a sudden it got millions of views," Crystal said.
The viral videos reached people around the world who saw their own stories of loss and healing in Bella's journey.
"Sometimes you get that lucky bounce in life, and this bounce came in the form of Bella," Karnes said.
"It’s about leaving your heart open… even after loss… there’s still something out there to love," Karnes said.
To follow Bella on socials, click here.
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