A Norwalk woman and her dog have finally gotten back on their feet after losing everything in a devastating fire last year.

Liz Ward and her dog Ella were all smiles Thursday.

"You're a star. Ready for your closeup?" said Ward to Ella.

They have found a new place to live in Norwalk after living in a hotel for months.

"I was stressed out about whether or not I was going to get kicked out of the hotel by the city which fortunately, they did not do.  But not to say it wasn't a stressful time," said Ward.

Ella was alone in Ward's France Street apartment last September when the fire broke out and suffered burn marks.

She was scared and had trouble breathing from the smoke inhalation.

Ella even had to take medications but she's doing so much better now.

"She's doing great. I mean she healed miraculously. She's just got a little bit of wheeze when she gets excited.  And emotionally we thought she'd just be a wreck, but she's done absolutely fantastic," said Ward.

This is not the first time this rescue has had to deal with trauma.

"She was brought up from Texas. She was born in a trailer bathroom with her litter mates and apparently, they were just fed scraps every now and then. Definitely scared of men, men with hats, tall men with hats," said Ward.

After the fire, the community set up a GoFundMe for Ella's expenses.

The American Legion even did a fundraiser.

Ward says she's grateful to all the people who helped her and Ella.

"We are so incredibly grateful. I honestly don't know what we would have done without everybody's support," said Ward.

Ella's still a curious 3-year-old that got another second chance.

The Norwalk fire marshal says the cause of the fire was accidental and unknown, but it started in the kitchen.