The author is the director of Rebel Dogs Detroit, a radical no-kill rescue collective based in the heart of Detroit.The mission is to aid the epidemic of stray dogs through rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming. This sponsored content is paid for by a supporter of the organization.
By Juniper Fleming
Rescued dogs
Rebel Dogs Detroit is its own kind of rescue - serving the strays and the people of Detroit.
At Rebel Dogs we believe that every dog deserves a chance to live their best life. While we rescue and adopt many well-behaved, able-bodied dogs and puppies, our main objective is to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome dogs that would most certainly be at risk of euthanasia if they were not in our care.
Some of our dogs make incredible recoveries to the point where you would never guess they had been mistreated. Their behavior or appearance at the time of adoption does not resemble the dog we caught.
Yet, others will have lifelong difficulties including physical impairment, emotional scars and behavioral issues. Our main concern is the welfare of the animals we care for, and we take adoption extremely seriously.
We will always be sure the adopting family is a good match for their new pet and that they are prepared to continue the dog's rehabilitation, if necessary. Post-adoption support is a vital cornerstone of our work.
Additionally, when a dog comes into our care, we are signing them a new lease on life. This means we do not euthanize a dog who has quality of life. Because many of our dogs have suffered extreme trauma, neglect, or abuse at the hands of humans, some may never fully recover, be well-enough or adjust properly to be adopted out.
True No-Kill Program
Rescued dogs
As a true no-kill we keep our promise to care for these dogs and continue their treatments despite their lack of "adoptability", because we truly believe they deserve to be cared for and loved regardless.
As an all volunteer-run organization without a brick-and-mortar shelter we have been able to save and adopt out over 1000 dogs in the less than three years we have been in operation. We answer the phone 24/7 to rescue dogs when other organizations won't. We take on serious medical cases that others turn away or would choose to euthanize.
We know our potential to help the neglected and abandoned dogs of our city will exponentially grow when we have a shelter location. So, for the past year we've been working intensely on making that a reality. We have purchased the construction of two pre-fabricated shelter buildings, fitted to our needs.
What happened?
Well, we were lucky enough to find a donation of land that was going to work perfectly for our prefabricated kennel buildings. We were in the process of beginning development when lightning struck. This week the landowner was notified that the city will be taking the property for eminent domain purposes.
Nothing can be done. We were a mere matter of months away from opening a new shelter in the heart of Detroit, where it is very much needed, and now we find ourselves without land.
We are obviously devastated, but we can't stop. The dogs are counting on us and have no other hope. So, we are humbly reaching out to our beloved Detroit community, which we view ourselves as very much a part of, in hopes we can quickly find a new location where our shelter project can continue!
Need to Find Other Land
We need at least a half acre, but ideally 1-2 acres of land. The parcel needs to be zoned either industrial (zone M1-M4) or commercial (zone B6 only). We are working with a shoestring budget, so the more creative solution the land owner is open to, the better. Lastly, we need to move quickly on this.
Feel you have a lead for us? Great! Please reach out ASAP! Additionally, we are also looking for community partners to work with on the construction and project development of this endeavor, so if that sounds like you, please also reach out.
We need to do better for the dogs of Detroit. Let's come together as a community and make this shelter happen! We are so grateful for all the support and love we receive everyday and we know we can make this happen! We have to!
Contact us at:
Rebel Dogs Detroit: 313-338-4398 or write to Info@rebeldogsdetroit.com (rebeldogsdetroit.com)
