Detroit Community Comes Together to Rescue Stray Shepard Roaming Streets with Stuffed Toy

A German shepherd who was wandering the streets of Detroit with a stuffed toy after her owner died has been rescued. Her road to recovery started in early May when pictures of the pup, named Nikki, circulated among rescues in the Metro Detroit area. When Gail Montgomery, the cofounder of Almost Home Animal Rescue saw the pictures of Nikki alone in the rain, clutching a plush toy in her mouth-it channeled an emotional response and she knew she had to help.

She reached out to her contacts at South Lyon Murphy Lost Animal Recovery for help finding the dog and getting her off the street. People with It Is Pawzable Dog Training, Sugar Mutts Dog Grooming, and others came together to find the German shepherd by showing photos of her to nearby residents.

Once they found her, she was taken to an emergency animal hospital to be treated. Unfortunately, she is heartworm positive and has other internal problems. They found plastic bags, twigs, and bones in her stomach but thankful she is being treated and has been placed in a foster home until she is ready for her forever home.

Montgomery later learned that Nikki had been on her own for months, likely due to the death of her owner. The canine was living off the generosity of neighbors and scrounging for scraps. South Lyon Murphy Lost Animal Recovery posted a heartwarming thank-you message to everyone who helped save Nikki.

“There’s so many people to taink it’s a really long list. Without Almost Home backing the dog or another rescue, unfortunately, we can’t recover them. Thank you to Rebeka who watched out for her and has been feeding her for the past several months. Thank you to SugarMutts who will be doing her grooming. I can tell you she is absolutely filthy and her double coat is still in there and she’s going to feel so much better when that’s all washed and blown out. Thank you to every single one of you who donated, wanted to know how she was, called, message, communicated and posted, wanting to know what her status was. All of us can do what we do but without you guys, we are nothing. United, we stand and divided we fall.”