Tim Shaddock, an Australian sailor, and his dog, Bella, reunited after their time lost at the ocean.
The pair had reunited for the first time since Mr. Shaddoc gave her up for adoption.
Tim Shaddoc and Bella were first known for being survivors after two months stranded in the Pacific Ocean.
The duo was reunited on Mexico's Manzanillo beach a week after their rescue by a crew of tuna fishermen.
Their dramatic story made headlines in July after they were spotted by a helicopter on July 12.
Tim and Bella were rescued after spending two months drifting and lost in the Pacific Ocean.
Their boat had been partially wrecked during a storm. The boat's steering, navigation, and cooking tools were all destroyed.
Tim Shaddoc, a 54-year-old Australian sailor, and Bella were stranded for about 1,200 miles away from the nearest land when the helicopter spotted them.
They survived solely with rainwater and raw fish while living under a small canopy in his wrecked craft.
After being rescued, Mr. Shaddoc decided that it was best to leave Bella in Mexico and go their separate ways after a crew member from the rescuers promised to give her a happy and caring home.
Mr. Shaddoc said: “I’m so happy to have seen my dog again. She’s still as lively as ever.”
It was also noted that one of the reasons why Mr. Shaddock had to give up Bella was because of the strict Australian rules about bringing pets into the country.
But in his interview, he said that he is looking forward to exploring Belize instead of returning to Sydney.
He also added that he is excited and happy to put himself through another spontaneous and potentially dangerous journey.
However, he is not pleased to put Bella at risk again.
Even though he is sad and doesn't want to lose her pup, he thinks it is still the best possible option for Bella's safety.
“She’s been through a lot with me as it is,” he said.
“I’m sad to lose her… she’s a remarkable animal,”
“I’ve had her since she was a pup, and she just hasn’t stopped following me.”
When Mr. Shaddoc left central Mexico last spring, Bella truly wanted to join as she hopped into their car beside him on her own.
“I thought to myself. Well, that’s it then.”
The two explorers began their journey last March 2020, after Mr. Shaddoc couldn't return to Australia because of the strict pandemic restrictions.
During these tough times, about 20,000 Australian citizens became stuck abroad.
Since his US tourist visa was about to expire, he crossed Houston, Texas, into Mexico, where he met Bella and started to plan a route to sail back home.
“Everyone was social distancing,” he jokes. “I just took it a bit too far.”
Mr. Shaddoc stated that he left Meixoc late and was caught in bad weather or, as he said, “some big seas on the fringes of storms, and I was going backwards”.
“I bit off more than I could chew,”
“Most of my sailing experience is from when I was just a boy. The most offshore sailing I had ever done was along Australia’s Gold Coast, from Brisbane down to Sydney.
A week on the boat, but always in sight of land. But across the Pacific sailing solo? It’s a very long way.”
Fortunately, the helicopter came just in time since Mr. Shaddoc and Bella were heading into the path of Hurricane Calvin at that time.
According to Mr Shaddoc:
“It was amazing, the very moment I realized I was in the path of the hurricane, the helicopter appeared. He was looking for the tuna, and the tuna were with me.”
Andres Zamorano, the helicopter pilot, radioed down and approached the fishing boat, where they found Mr. Shaddoc looking relieved.
Mr. Zamorano said:
“He’s a very lucky man, we’ve told him to buy a lottery ticket,”
“Even our 900-tonne tuna boat was forced to sail south to avoid the storm. His little yacht would have been smashed to pieces by now.”
Mr. Shaddoc believes that Bella had a good outcome now with Genaro Rosales, 48, and his three children and their pug-chihuahua cross, Vicente.
According to Mr. Shaddoc, the worst possible outcome was that she would lose her life out there with him.
