Make a Difference Dog Rescue in Detroit has faced several break-ins at its shelter, and a recent incident caused four dogs to go missing. The rescue does everything it can with the money that’s donated, but caring for homeless dogs is no easy task. Luckily, the community came together to locate the four dogs, but the employees feared more break-ins would occur if they didn’t make serious changes.
So, an anonymous donor offered $500,000 toward building a more secure facility for the rescue dogs. If that donation amount can be doubled by other dog lovers, the rescue will have enough to pursue its plans.
The Last Straw
Make a Difference Rescue is a no-kill rescue that houses dogs in foster homes and at a shelter space. The rescue takes in abandoned and unwanted dogs in the Detroit community and finds loving homes for them. Sadly, the security at the shelter isn’t the best, so the facility recently faced its fourth break-in. The employees’ worst nightmare occurred when four dogs were stolen.
Willow, Jaxon, Holly, and Titus were all stolen from the shelter, along with most of the food bins. The rescue workers watched the surveillance video and noted that the thieves stole Titus first, walked away with him, and returned about 20 minutes later to take the other dogs. So, they searched everywhere in a 10-minute radius to find where the dogs could be.
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Luckily, employees Robin Honkanen and Jennifer Moore, heard Titus’ barking less than a day after he had gone missing. The barking led to an abandoned apartment where each dog was locked in a separate room. Jaxon had an injury and all the dogs were terrified, but they’re all okay now that they’re back at the shelter.
“Why break in here?” said Moore. “These are hurt animals that have been through hell. And, you know, we’re trying to find them homes. Shame on you.”
A Better Future for Detroit Dogs
Sadly, the rescue hasn’t discovered who did this to the dogs, and they fear it’ll happen again. But later in the week, an anonymous donor promised to give them $500,000 to go toward building a safer shelter for the dogs. Every time the shelter is broken into, they have to rebuild the fences and gates, so a more secure facility would be better for everyone involved, both humans and dogs.
The rescue hopes to reach a $1,000,000 goal by spring 2023 so they can begin building their new facility. They have a few spots in mind where there would be more space for the dogs, along with advanced security.
“We wish to remain anonymous, but given the recent break-in, theft, and compromised safety of the dogs we want to expedite our prior committed support to Make A Difference Rescue of $500,000.00. This donation is being offered now on an emergency basis. We are committed to a new no-kill shelter that will continue rescuing and helping Detroit’s unwanted dog population. The City of Detroit needs more shelters to help more dogs and remove the remaining dogs running the streets or tied up on chains in the backyards,” the donor said.
If you’d like to donate to Make a Difference Rescue’s new facility, you can do so on their website.
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Toledo, United States.
