There’s few things more heart-melting than a dog carrying their favorite stuffed animal in their mouth. Unless, of course, that stuffie is all the comfort that dog has in the entire world.
Neighbors in a Detroit, Michigan neighborhood recognized the German shepherd mix who started wandering the streets after her owner passed away, but no one knew how to help her. Nikki the dog was clearly grieving her owner, and the way she carried that dirty stuffie in her mouth broke the heart of every animal lover who saw her.
A neighbor started feeding Nikki, and word began to spread online. People started tagging city rescue groups like South Lyon Murphy Lost Animal Recovery, Sugar Mutts Dog Grooming, Almost Home Animal Rescue, and It Is Pawzable Dog Training, hoping they could intervene and rescue the sweet orphaned dog.
“Everybody comes together and works as a team, which is so amazing,” said It Is Pawzable Dog Training owner Katrina Weaver.
The neighbor who’d been feeding Nikki managed to get the dog inside her home, and volunteers met her there to take Nikki to the shelter.
Nikki was given a full pampering treatment by Sugar Mutts Grooming, then it was off to the vet for vaccines and checkups. Sadly, Nikki tested positive for heartworm, so now she needs to have four months of medical treatment before she can be adopted.
“It (heartworm) can be prevented by giving your dog a pill every single month,” Katrina explained. “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.”
All of these rescue organizations donate their time and effort for free, all for the love of animals. Sugar Mutts Grooming owner Kristina Thompson says it’s not the first time she has groomed a dog that had been living on the streets for months, and she’s happy to be a part of the grassroots effort to save Nikki.
“We’re just happy to help,” she said. “I saw the story, her and her [stuffie] 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.”
Now that Nikki is safe, clean, fed, and under a veterinarian’s care, she will live in foster care until she’s ready for adoption. Her heroes even gave her a brand new stuffie.
Share this story to thank these rescue workers for helping this sweet girl make a fresh start.
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