Mysterious Abandoned House
In a residential neighborhood on the outskirts of Detroit, there was this very old wooden house that had been abandoned for over a month.
But while the former owners had already moved out, the neighbors began to hear barking from inside the building. How could that be? Was it their imagination, or was there an animal trapped inside?
Not The First Time
Sadly, this wasn’t the first time something of the sort happened. As it turns out, many dogs had already been dumped in that same house before. The 3 or 4 times this had happened previously, the neighbors had taken matters into their own hands and broken into the house to help the scared dogs out.
But they were tired of having to deal with the same situation over and over again. Something had to be done!
Calling For Help
As the days passed by, the neighbors realized that the barking didn’t stop. On the contrary, the barks just got louder and louder. Therefore, they decided to contact the Detroit Land Bank Authority, the institution in charge of managing the house.
But one neighbor suggested giving the Detroit Dog Rescue a call. Let’s see what this organization is all about!
Detroit Dog Rescue
Detroit Dog Rescue (DDR) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to save as many abandoned, abused and misplaced dogs as possible.
Furthermore, their goal is to raise funds to build Detroit’s first rescue and rehabilitation center for homeless pets. Clearly, contacting DDR was a great idea!
Shocked To Their Very Core
Luckily, help came in no time. But when the animal control officers from DDR showed up and broke into the house, they could not believe what they found.
A 5-year old Saint Bernard named Bentley had been locked up in the basement, without any food nor water. Poor thing!
Dark And Creepy Site
To make matters worse, the house’s basement was extremely small, so the poor dog didn’t even have enough space to stretch!
The site was dark and creepy and had no stairs, so no wonder the desperate pup had been screaming for help all those days!
Deplorable State
The dog had spent over a week trapped in this hellhole, so the rescuers were not surprised when they saw the conditions he was in.
The poor dog was sick, dehydrated, and nearly 40 pounds underweight. Let’s see what the rescuers said about the state in which they found him…
On The Brink Of Death
Had Bentley spent one more week trapped in that basement, he probably would have died from organ failure. As the executive director of DDR stated:
> “_He was collapsing. He was really sick and dehydrated and a total skeleton. You could see his hip bones, his rib bones, everything_“.
The Rescue
However, rescuing Bentley was not at all easy. As Detroit Dog Rescue wrote in a Facebook post, “_One officer even scaled the walls down to her while another animal control officer pulled her out. It was a rescue done by true heroes_“.
Luckily for Bentley, the rescuers handled the situation like pros!
She Was Afraid
The pup was awfully scared when the rescuers tried to help her out of the basement. But even though he could barely move or lift his head, the pooch was so calm and mild-mannered that the workers figured he must have had a caring family at some point. In fact, he even had a collar!
Fortunately, the rescuers knew how to deal with frightened dogs, and they eventually managed to lure him out.
Trip To The Shelter
Once the rescue mission was over, the DDR rescuers took Bentley back to their shelter in the city center as fast as they could.
He had spent so much time locked up that he needed urgent medical care. Without a doubt, it was a matter of life or death!
Gradual Recovery
As soon as he arrived at the shelter, Bentley was hydrated and put on a gradual feeding schedule in order to not overwhelm his stomach. Luckily, he slowly began to recover his weight.
As Rinaldi said, “_He just needed to eat, and there was nothing in that basement, except for wood scraps that he was chewing on_”.
Adorable Little Pooch
The animal caretakers at the shelter were surprised at how well-behaved the dog was. “_She’s very sweet, and he was eager to meet people_,” claimed one of the workers.
“_It sounds kinda funny, but she was thankful to be rescued, and so thankful to be out of that hole_”, one of the rescuers said in an interview.
Fundraising Campaign
As Bentley began his recovery, the caretakers at DDR launched a fundraising campaign in order to finance the dog’s medical expenses.
They publicized the campaign via Facebook and Instagram, where they uploaded posts asking for donations via PayPal. Luckily, dozens of people sympathized with the cause!
Alive And Kicking
After the first two weeks, Bentley had already gained plenty of weight as well as recovered his lost energy. In fact, she was looking better than ever!
What is more, after proper treatment, she also recovered from the injuries he had in his skin. The caretakers at DDR are real-life heroes!
A Sociable Dog
Besides, Bentley loved to play with the other rescued dogs in the shelter and he never missed an opportunity to run across the fresh grass.
But the good news didn’t end there! About a month after her rescue, something unexpected happened…
The Facebook Post
The rescuers at DDR had always figured that Bentley had once had a home; after all, he did have a collar! But little did they know that his family had been desperately looking for him all across town all this time.
But one day, Bentley’s family saw one of the dog’s pictures on DDR’s Facebook page, thus realizing he was alive!
The True Story
As it turns out, Bentley had been stolen from his backyard during Easter day. Sadly, the dog didn’t have a microchip, but his family printed pictures of him all over their neighborhood.
Maybe, the abductor panicked when he saw Bentley’s pictures glued on every single street post, thus abandoning her in the basement.
Family Reunion
One month passed and they still hadn’t found any clues as to the dog’s whereabouts. The family had almost lost their hopes, so when they saw Bentley’s picture on DDR’s Facebook page, it was the happiest day of their lives.
> “_They had been looking for her for a month, so it was a happy reunion yesterday,_” a rescuer said.
A Happy Ending!
Even though Bentley hasn’t fully recovered yet, he’s happy to to be reunited with the people he loves most. “_Everybody was just so happy, and extremely heartbroken over it_“, said one of the rescuers.
Luckily, Bentley and his family had the happy ending they so much deserved!