In April, Timothy Shaddock, an Australian native, set sail from Mexico with his dog Bella toward his destination of French Polynesia. After being adrift in the Pacific Ocean for nearly three months, he set foot on dry land for the first time this week.
During a news conference on Tuesday in Manzanillo, Mexico, Shaddock explained how grateful he was for being alive, and how he and Bella were rescued.
Shaddock recalled that after seeing a helicopter flying above his boat, a Mexican tuna trawler called “Maria Delia” subsequently rescued him and Bella, who were 1,200 miles from land, CBS News reported.
“I did enjoy being at sea. I enjoyed being out there,” he told reporters, per CBS. “But when things get tough out there, you know, you have to survive. And then when you get saved, you feel like you want to live. So, I’m very grateful.”
A few weeks into Shaddock’s nearly 4,000-mile voyage, a rough storm significantly damaged his catamaran’s electronic system, leaving him unable to cook, navigate or communicate, The Associated Press reported.
Shaddock said that he and Bella survived off of raw fish and rainwater, according to The New York Times, and the pooch helped him cope with the daunting solitude.
“She’s a beautiful animal,” Shaddock said, per the Times. “I’m just grateful she’s alive. She’s a lot braver than I am, that’s for sure.”
Mike Tipton, a professor and expert on ocean survival, told 9News — an Australian news outlet that obtained footage of Shaddock’s rescue — that having Bella as a companion during the ordeal likely helped Shaddock a “tremendous amount.”
“I think that may have well made the difference,” Tipton said, per 9News. “You’re living very much from day-to-day and you have to have a very positive mental attitude in order to get through this kind of ordeal and not give up.”
Much like their rescue, Shaddock and Bella’s meeting was rather happenstance. He says that despite him trying to find a home for the dog, Bella insisted on accompanying Shaddock on his adventures.
“Bella sort of found me in the middle of Mexico. She’s Mexican,” Shaddock said, per AP. “She’s the spirit of the middle of the country and she wouldn’t let me go. I tried to find a home for her three times and she just kept following me onto the water.”
Shaddock plans to return home to Australia to be with family, but Bella will be staying in her home country, likely due to Australia having extremely strict animal quarantine laws. “The Australian embassy really made that decision for me,” Shaddock said when speaking about Bella remaining in Mexico, per The Guardian.
The Associated Press reported that Shaddock chose Genaro Rosales, a crew member of Maria Delia, to adopt her on the condition that he would take good care of the dog.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of the old adage: A dog is a man’s best friend.