And the couple now believes the dog is heading south toward Morgan Hill and Gilroy and are asking for the public's help.

"My husband and I don't have children and right or wrong we've made her like our child," said Terri Belsley.

The 3-year-old 25 pound Shiba Inu disappeared April 11 in the Thousand Oaks neighborhood of San Jose between Branham and Capitol avenues. Sixteen weeks later, Terri and Steve Belsley are still doing everything they can to bring Bella home.

The 15-inch-tall dog has been traveling along Coyote Creek where Belsley guesses she is finding shelter, water and privacy. Bella has been sited on brief excursions into neighborhoods.

Search dogs have been hired to follow Bella's scent. The dogs tracked Bella's scent through Willow Glen neighborhoods, Willow Glen High School and the Coyote Creek trail. The Belsleys have also installed trail cameras along Coyote Creek. Bella visited a feeding station by one camera two or three times. But by the time a net was set up to capture her, foxes had discovered the feeding site and scared Bella away.

The Belsleys have also spent nights sleeping along the riverbed in areas where the dog has been seen. Concerned that their dog was not approaching them when they camped in areas she frequented, they consulted an animal behaviorist. After trauma, dogs enter a fight or flight mode which can really take them far from home, Terri said. Then, they enter survival mode where they put everything away, including the scent of their owner.

During the attack, Steve Belsley suffered 20 bites and a torn tendon in his hand. The injuries have healed well, except for a bite on the middle finger joint of his hand. In addition to scars, Steve Belsley still has a finger splint.

As an engineer, the injury has impaired his work at the computer.

"We don't know what the outcome will be," said his wife Terri Belsley, referring to her husband's finger injury. "We can live with that - we just want our dog back."

Bella disappeared after she slipped through her collar and bolted at the scene of the attack.

The pit-bull was clearly after the dog she said. The event marked the third time authorities were called to talk to the pit-bull's owners. Each time the fine was bigger, she said. Belsley faults the owner and not the dog. A fan of Dog Whisperer and dog rehabilitation she said she felt for the dog. The pit-bull has since been euthanized.

With the help of friends and what Terri calls "stranger-volunteers" literally 1,000s of posters have been posted. A stranger launched the Web site www.bringbellahome.info, which provides sighting updates from Terri along with pictures from trail cameras.

The Belsleys have run adds in local papers and on Craig's list. Volunteers are checking the Santa Clara and San Martin shelters. The Belsleys even paid for Find Toto, an amber alert service that calls neighbors in the vicinity of where a dog was lost.

It in not unusual to receive calls and then to hear nothing for two weeks at a time, said Terri Belsley.

Unlike most lost dogs, Bella will not approach strangers.

On June 29 Bella was sighted from Monterey Road in the Creek between Metcalf and Bailey roads. The couple was not surprised that she was heading towards Gilroy. They often camped at Harvey Bear Ranch. Terri Belsley also has a sister in Gilroy.

Bella was last sited July 14 at Orchard Garden Apartments off Seven Trees and Capital Expressway where she emerged to hunt for food. They believe that she has returned to Coyote Creek and is heading south.

If you see Bella, do not yell her name or chase her. Lure her into an enclosed area and call the Belsleys at (408) 891-4239. Updates on Bella's sightings and trail camera updates can be found at www.bringbellahome.info.

"We pray to God to just keep Bella safe until she gets home," Terri Belsley said.