Detroit dog recovering after owner allegedly poured hot grease on him
By Randy Wimbley
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DETROIT (WXYZ) — A loveable Labrador-Pitbull mix named Memphis should be singing the blues after its owner is said to have doused it with hot grease, but now he’s happy, playful, and on the road to recovery and adoption.
“He should not be as loving, as caring, and as happy as he is, but he’s a wonderful, wonderful dog,” Jacqueline Smith said.
“Just goes to show you how amazing dogs are and most people don’t deserve them,” Tracy Honstain said.
Honstain and Smith from the animal rescue, The Great Lakes Bully Brigade, say it all happened in Detroit a couple of weeks ago.
They acquired Memphis from Detroit Animal Care and Control last Saturday because the dog’s injuries require more care than DACC is equipped to handle.
A spokesperson for DACC said a concerned citizen brought Memphis in after seeing its owner throw hot grease on the dog. The Bully Brigade says before that happened, the citizen reported previous instances of abuse, but they never got any traction.
“He would’ve died in that backyard a slow, miserable death,” Honstain said if the citizen had not intervened.
The Bully Brigade says Memphis contracted heartworms under his previous owner’s care, and they believe he was scalded with hot grease on two separate occasions. Woodhaven Animal Hospital is providing Memphis with advanced treatment.
“These are pretty bad injuries. Very painful. On one side of his body, I would say close to 80-90 percent,” Dr. Lucretia Greear of the Woodhaven Animal Hospital said. “Bully Brigade reached out to us because we are using stem-cell regenerative medicine to help repair and rebuild this damaged skin. We’ve also already completed his heartworm treatment.”
“There is no reason for this dog to even like people. He should hate all humans at this point, and he doesn’t. He still sees hope in us, so the least we can do is give him every chance that we can,” Dr. Greear said.
Memphis could be fully healed and ready for adoption in a month. DACC is investigating the scalding allegations and will hand over its findings to the Detroit Police Department once finished.
To support The Great Lakes Bully Brigade, click here: greatlakesbullybrigade.org/#how-to-help
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