An abandoned dog is preparing for a new home after animal rescue groups spent days trying to find her when she was spotted wandering Detroit with a stuffed toy.
"Everybody was posting pictures in Detroit of who they were calling Nicholas, now Nikki because it’s a female, and of course started tagging Heather, South Lyon Murphy - can you help trap this dog?" said Katrina Weaver, the owner of It Is Pawzable Dog Training. "Everybody comes together and works as a team, which is so amazing."
Nikki's owner recently died, and she was left to wander the streets with her favorite toy.
Once her story was posted online, people with It Is Pawzable, South Lyon Murphy Lost Animal Recovery, Sugar Mutts Dog Grooming, Almost Home Animal Rescue, and others came together to find the German shepherd by showing photos of her to nearby residents.
One neighbor who had been feeding Nikki while she was homeless is now working with the rescues to find the dog a home.
Sadly, Nikki is heartworm positive, so she will need to undergo four weeks of treatment.
"It (heartworm) can be prevented by giving your dog a pill every single month. So, now she has to get injections which it’s kind of a pesticide right it has to kill the worms and the dog has to be super calm and can’t do anything for a while, just leash walks, and it’s painful," Weaver said.
As Nikki receives her care, the animal workers are making sure she is ready to head to her foster home.
Related: First responders rescue 6 ducklings from storm drain
"I've worked with South Lyon Murphy in the past. I groomed their dog Murphy, who was on the streets for months," said Kristina Thompson, the owner of Sugar Mutts Grooming. "We’re just happy to help. I saw the story, her and her stuffy just walking around. It was so sad, and I just reached out to Heather and said we would love to help and be a part of her happy home."
Almost Home is collecting donations to help pay for the treatment and Niki's care.
pendletonskyforce on May 5th, 2023 at 15:17 UTC »
I get that the owner died but how did the dog just become homeless?
little_traveler on May 5th, 2023 at 14:29 UTC »
Awww pupper. It sucks she has heart worm. The article said it takes 4 weeks of treatment but in my experience it takes closer to 4 months.
mokeyss on May 5th, 2023 at 13:44 UTC »
They didn't report if the pup was still in possession of their favorite toy. I'm glad that she will get a new home though.
Edit: u/Pickles_7 is coming in the info! She still has her favorite toy, as shown in a tiktok clip!