Last week, as temperatures plummeted below freezing, a pit bull mix named Emmy was left outside alone. Abandoned in Ecorse, Michigan, during a blizzard, this scared senior dog had no choice but to curl up and hope for someone to find her.
Thankfully, rescuers spotted her just as a thin layer of snow began to settle on her fur.
“She’d been outside for a day and a half in the cold,” Lauren Boesen, board member for P.O.E.T. Animal Rescue, told The Dodo. “It was about two degrees Fahrenheit with 30 mph winds.”
A Team Effort to Save Emmy
Currently under the care of P.O.E.T. Animal Rescue, Emmy’s rescue was a true team effort—several agencies worked together to get her to a vet for the care she desperately needed.
Friends of River Rouge Animal Shelter was the first to hear about Emmy and posted an urgent call for help. The director of a local spay and neuter clinic, The PAWS Clinic, saw the post and stepped in to transport her to a vet. Emmy was taken to Pet Care Clinic Lincoln Park, where a veterinary team gave her a full examination.
“She was severely emaciated,” Boesen said. “Everyone thought she wasn’t going to make it.”
In addition to being underweight, Emmy had fleas and pressure sores on both her elbows and knees. The vet team estimated her age at 8 or 9 years.
“She was probably kept in a cage for a long time,” Boesen said. “She definitely had a rough past.”
Emmy’s Transformation
After further evaluation, the team decided Emmy needed immediate care at an emergency vet clinic, and P.O.E.T. Animal Rescue stepped in.
“A couple of our board members dropped everything to pick her up from the vet and drive her to the emergency clinic,” Boesen said. “They said she was curled up in a ball in the back of the car.”
Just hours after being rescued, Emmy was in the care of an emergency vet team, who focused on warming her up and treating her wounds.
In no time, the emergency vet team fell in love with her.
“They said she perked up quickly and that she was the sweetest girl,” Boesen said. “She always greeted people who came in to care for her by wagging her tail.”
By Saturday morning, Emmy’s temperature was stable, and she was ready to head to a foster home. When Boesen picked her up, she was amazed by how much her personality had blossomed in just 24 hours.
“She came out to the lobby with her tail wagging,” Boesen said. “She greeted us and started crying for others to pet her.”
Boesen and Emmy stopped by P.O.E.T. Animal Rescue before heading to her foster home, and she made herself at home immediately.
“One of the first things she did was climb onto the sofa when I took her to our shelter,” Boesen said. “I was shocked.”
Boesen could see that Emmy was ready for a loving home, and an experienced foster family was eagerly waiting to welcome her with open arms.
Though her foster home is temporary, Emmy is already receiving the love she deserves. Just two days after her rescue, she was nestled under a Christmas tree with her foster dog siblings, wearing matching holiday pajamas.
A Bright Future Ahead
In a few weeks, Emmy will be available for adoption, and Boesen hopes her next home will be her forever one.
“She’s the most loving girl,” Boesen said. “She deserves the world.”