Your college years should be full of fun and friends, but for the “Highway Girls” – best friends Jessica Petty and Stephanie Birrell – they have spent theirs trying to uncover the dark secret behind the mysterious deaths of dozens of dogs and a few barely alive, that they have found along the highways in Detroit, Michigan.
Executive Director of the World Animal Awareness Society (WA2) and American Strays series Producer & Director, Tom McPhee, documents them as they try and uncover the truth.
They believe the events are linked.
“We basically have just been driving around the freeways for dogs that are on the side of the road, either dead of alive,” says Birrell.
For example, one of the dogs they find one this outing is an un-neutered male that seems to be in very good condition – healthy looking coat, trimmed nails, and no sign of cause of death.
Another looks as though he may have been thrown off the bridge of an overpass.
In four years, they have found 80 to 100 dogs along the highways of Detroit, searching just a few times a week.
Now, they are searching daily to try and solve the mystery that they believe may not be a series of random acts.
They have been documenting the dogs, including taking pictures, and notes as to the condition of the dogs, sex, and possible causes of deaths to try and find a connection.
Some they find have filed down teeth, a sign that they were used a bait dog, Birell says.
It’s not all bad news however. Sometimes, the girls find an alive dog, like this adorable brown and white pitty mix.
Clearly super friendly, they rescue her from the streets, name her Bella and find her a home.
Warning: Graphic images and sensitive content
Follow the ongoing stories of the people and the dogs of the city of Detroit in this ground-breaking new series from the World Animal Awareness Society as the WA2S works to solve the stray dog management problems. You can help by donating here.
