On Friday, November 4, DDR received a number of emails and Facebook posts pleading with us to help a dog that had wandered into an Ace Hardware store on E. McNichols in Detroit looking for warmth.
There was a heartbreaking photo of a dog cowering in the lobby, skinny and emaciated. It must have hurt him to try and sit because he was just skin and bones. There were signs of a wound on his neck, and dried blood near his throat.
Hush and Shance from the DDR crew headed to the hardware store within moments of being contacted, but the store had already contacted Animal Control and they got there before we did. We do not know the names of the officers who picked him up.
A group of Daily Tribune and Macomb Daily employees was dogged in its effort to help out some canine neighbors.
Inspired by a video that depicted the plight of some 50,000 stray dogs roaming the streets and neighborhoods of Detroit, the employees banded together.
Nearly a month later, the workers are about to turn over more than 330 pounds of food and dozens of leashes, collars and other items to an organization formed to help the animals.
“I watched the video and posted it on my Facebook page,” said Michael Muszall, director of circulation for the newspapers. “I found it quite compelling. The sheer number (50,000 strays) is incredible.”
Word spread quickly among the newspaper’s employees, Muszall said, until somebody hatched a plan to collect items that could make the dogs’ lives a bit easier.
DETROIT (AP) — Mayor Dave Bing's office has denied a Discovery Channel request to chronicle the lives of stray dogs in Detroit by filming them and attaching small cameras to the animals.
Film office chief Sommer Woods tells The Detroit Free Press for a story Thursday that the city's job is to capture strays which "become the property of the City of Detroit."
Woods also says strays often live in abandoned buildings owned by the city. Film crews must get permission to enter.