Abandoned dog seen wandering Detroit streets with stuffed toy rescued, now receiving care
DETROIT (FOX 2) - 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 months 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.