At the beginning of May, a heartbreaking picture of an abandoned dog wandering the streets of Detroit, clutching its little stuffed toy, tugged at the heartstrings of every U.S. resident.
No one could stay indifferent to the thought of a poor dog carrying its toy like a little baby.
Since many dog owners think of their dogs as children, just the thought that someone could abandon their furry child with only its favorite toy broke many hearts.
Little Sweetheart And Its Stuffy
It all started with this heartbreaking picture.
A non-profit organization from Michigan, called Almost Home-NO KILL Rescue, posted this picture on their Facebook profile with the description, “urgent and heartbreaking”.
According to their post, concerned dog lovers spotted a German Shepherd dog wandering the streets of Detroit with his toy stuffy in his mouth, and alerted the non-profit.
Some neighbors told them that apparently, his owner had passed away, and that the dog was let go with only his stuffy to hold on to.
They didn’t know much about this poor guy, but they decided to name him Nicholas in honor and in memory of a fellow rescuer’s son.
As soon as the photo was posted, a network of nonprofits and animal rescues across Detroit quickly jumped into action in order to save this pup and find him a new foster home.
Seeing how this lonely dog carried his stuffy with him everywhere, a Michigan organization for rescuing lost animals and reuniting them with their family, called South Lyon Murphy Lost Animal Recovery, quickly headed to Detroit to recover him.
They were looking for him all over the town, but thanks to a woman called Rebeka, who had been watching out for him and feeding him for the past several months, the dog was easily recovered.
They wrote on their Facebook page that “Rebeka got her to even go in her house and had her nice and comfortable, so when she showed up again today, it was as easy as opening the door and walking her right in.”
Oh, and by the way… Nicholas was, in fact, Nikki!
A Heartbreaking Story With A Heartwarming Ending
Thanks to South Lyon Murphy Lost Animal Recovery, Nikki was finally off of the streets, but still clutching her stuffy and in the custody of the Almost Home-NO KILL Rescue.
First things first, they took her to the vet.
Sadly, Nikki was heartworm positive, which was terrible because this required lengthy and expensive treatment, but once again, the community came together and collected lots of donations.
She even got three brand new stuffed animals!
Nikki also had a double ear infection and lots of other medical issues, and according to them, she had been outside for a long time.
If it hadn’t been for the people who took the picture, who knows how long she would have been wandering the streets all alone?
But, she was still a sweetheart that showed absolutely zero signs of aggression. At first, Nikki was nervous and crying, but she soon understood that everyone was there to help her and provide her with a better life.
The wonderful Katrina Weaver, from It Is Pawzable Dog Training, Michigan, was there to help assess Nikki’s behavior and be her handler.
Christina Thompson, the owner of Sugar Mutts Grooming, offered to groom beautiful Nikki. She had already worked with South Lyon Murphy in the past, and was once again happy to help.
“We’re just happy to help. I saw the story… her and her stuffy 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,” said Christina.
“It’s amazing when everyone comes together and gets it done. One person can’t do it. It does take a team… it does take a village,” said Katrina, from It Is Pawzable.
Almost Home found the perfect foster home for Nikki in Metro Detroit, and hopefully it will become her forever home since the family plans to adopt her.
“She’ll always sleep on the bed, she’ll never have to be hungry, and she’ll have all the stuffed animals she wants,” said Katrina, crying from happiness.
All is good when the end is good. Luckily, for our little sweetheart that captured many hearts with her stuffy, it couldn’t have ended in a better way.
