An abandoned house in Detroit has been a sad location for years. It’s a common dumping site for irresponsible pet owners and breeders, and the community often steps up to rescue the abandoned pup every time new barking noises are heard from within.
But when Bentley the five-year-old St. Bernard was dumped there, it took days before he was found. Neighbors contacted animal control officers with the city, and they and the Detroit Land Bank Authority – the organization managing the home, rushed in to assist.
They found the pup trapped in the basement which had long since lost its stairs, locked in the dark with no way out. Officers had to scale the walls down to him and extract him.
The Detroit Dog Rescue rushed to the scene to provide medical care to the frightened pup. The dog looked like a walking skeleton, being 40 pounds underweight, and he was very dehydrated, deathly ill, and collapsing every few minutes. If he’d spent any longer in that basement, he may not have survived.
Luckily, fluids and a slow feeding schedule was all the pup needed to recover. He began doing better very quickly. Rescuers noticed he had a collar on, and the pup’s sweet and relaxed nature made them wonder – did he have a loving family before? And if so, what happened to them?
DDR posted a picture of Bentley on their Facebook page, and a miracle happened. Someone reached out and said they recognized him immediately as their own pup.
Bentley had been stolen from the backyard of his home in Easter, and his family missed him dearly and had been looking for him non-stop for a month! They detailed every aspect of him that they remembered, including a small, almost indiscernible cut on his ear.
Bentley is finally home with his family, who plan to have him microchipped, and although it’ll take some time for him to be back to normal, he’s happy to be where he belongs once more.
Images & Feature Image Source: Detroit Dog Rescue