Dog News

Happy Ending for Detroit’s Trashcan Dog

by Katherine

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A two-year-old Maltese mix dog was found inside a garbage can in Detroit, Mich., on March 9, 2014. He had visible signs of abuse. He was underweight, dirty, his fur was matted, and he had urine burns all over his body. But within six weeks, the abused little dog went from life in a trashcan to a loving home in the suburbs, when Cindy Nelson-Pouget adopted him.

The abused dog was found by a concerned citizen who was walking his own dog near Grand River and Warwick St. The man heard a whimper coming from the garbage can and under some trash was the weak and scared little dog.

Photo courtesy Michigan Humane Society
Photo courtesy Michigan Humane Society

 

The Michigan Humane Society was called and the canine was rescued. He was shaved, cleaned, and nursed back to health. The Human Society named him Edgar and opened an investigation hoping to capture the person(s) who tossed the little dog into the trash.

Thanks to media coverage done by ABC 7 Nelson-Pouget learned about the abused pet and fell in love with him. She called The Humane Society every week to check on the dog and on April 16, 2014, she adopted Edgar making him an official member of her family.

Edgar is now named Ricky, he has a four-legged sister named Lucy, and many neighborhood friends.

“It’s easy to love him,” said Nelson-Pouget. “He is happy, he is playing, he is bouncing. We are happy we found him and he found us and he is going to be with us forever.”

Animal cruelty investigators are offering a $2,500 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest. If you know who abused Ricky, please call the MHS Cruelty Hotline at 313-872-3401.