The entire team of Michigan Humane Society Rescue Officers were called out to the old, abandoned Highland Park municipal buildings to rescue a terrified Pit Bull that was near death – crying and starving.
The voicemail said the dog sounded like it was stuck – the people could hear the dog howling but didn’t know where it was located.
There were two massive buildings (the old fire station and the old courthouse) and it was silent when the team got there, so they didn’t know where to start. They ended up in the courthouse first – with four floors and a roof to check. The building was dilapidated – the floors and ceilings had caved in a lot of places — it was not a safe building for a human or a dog to be in.
In the basement, it was pitch dark. They waded through ankle-high sewage to check for the dog.
They did not find the dog in either building however. When it was looking like they would not find him, they heard a dog barking and howling from somewhere near the fire station. They found that he had fallen down a hole, into a crawl space under the house.
Using food as a lure, they were able to get a catch pole around him and help him climb out of the hole. Surprisingly, the starving dog had a collar on. They believe he was used as a bait dog and then discarded when no longer needed.
Aside from being emaciated, he had a large wound that had abscessed on his face.
Watch the full rescue here:
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 uncover stray dog problems across America.
Executive Director of the World Animal Awareness Society and American Strays series Producer & Director, Tom McPhee dives deep into the issues and circumstances that affect both people and canine in this derelict, yet dynamically changing city. You can help be donating to their work here.
Have a rescue story to share? Email me at Kristina@homelifemedia.com.
