DETROIT – Local 4 confronted the owner of a dog that was found dead in a Detroit garbage can.
On Thursday, March 13, 2025, Erika Erickson was looking into the dog’s death and spoke with Chantel Rzewnicki and Melanie Thomas, co-founders of Karens Animal Rescue.
They said they contacted Detroit Animal Care and Control in May 2024 about this particular dog owner. DACC officials went to the home and found two emaciated dogs, removing one of them and leaving the other, according to Rzewnicki and Thomas.
“Two new brown dogs, extremely emaciated, covered in flies,” Rzewnicki said.
They said more dogs appeared at the home after DACC’s visit. In February 2025, a dog was found dead in a garbage can, they said.
“It’s heartbreaking … to pull a 30-pound, emaciated, frozen, dead dog with food on top of it,” Rzewnicki said. “It’s mentally exhausting, and this year, it’s been traumatizing.
“We’ve emailed everyone. The higher-ups in DACC, the city, and we can’t even get a response. That dog is dead because of them -- because they didn’t do their job.”
The pair said the dog was originally healthy and provided with food, shelter, and care through their help. But the owner’s cooperation was inconsistent, they said.
“Dogs would come and go,” Rzewnicki said. “It was like a revolving door. The main dog was constantly pregnant, having litters of puppies. And where were they going?”
If you need assistance or would like to contact the Karens, click here.
Confronting the dog owner
On Thursday, Erika went to the owner’s home on Crane Street near Marcus Avenue on Detroit’s east side.
The owner came outside and spoke to our crew for about three minutes.
“Can we talk to you?” our photographer asked when she came out.
“My dog ran away and came back, frozen,” she said. “I put him in the garbage. Then they came back here, took him out. They’re thinking I killed my dog. My dog ran away.”
“Can we get your side?” we asked.
“No, because they’re lying anyway,” she said.
“Who’s lying?” Erika asked.
“I don’t know them by name,” she said.
“When did the dog freeze to death?” Erika asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “He ran away. He ran away. I had two dogs. Both of my dogs ran away. One of them came back. I had a dog house on the side.”
“How many dogs do you have?” Erika asked.
“I have none now,” she said. “They ran away. I didn’t do anything to my dogs. I did not kill them. One day it was freezing outside. It had nothing to do with it. I did not kill no dog. I put the dog in the trash can because it was in the back in the dog house, frozen. He broke his leash.”
“Well, I don’t understand where all your dogs are now,” Erika said.
“Because they ran way,” she said. “What am I doing? One I had ran away. I had her for seven years.”
“The dark brown, blackish dog?” Erika asked.
“The dark brown one,” she said. “Had her for seven years. Two sets, three sets of puppies.”
She said the women with Karens Animal Rescue thought she was torturing her dogs, but that’s not true.
“I don’t torture dogs,” she said. “I love my dogs. I’ve got pictures with my dogs, taking pictures of them one my first birthday. I don’t know why they have a problem with me.”
“Why was the dog so skinny?” Erika asked.
“He ran away,” the owner said. “I can’t help that he ran away. The brown one, when she came back -- I was surprised she came back. She came back limping down the street. She looked at me.”
She said the neighbor and the mail carrier would agree that she treats her dogs well. She said she took in a dog when a teacher at the nearby school couldn’t care for it anymore.
“So all your dogs ran away?” Erika asked.
“The last two,” she said.
“How many dogs did you have?” Erika asked.
“Two,” she said. “I only had one. My nephew brought one because he couldn’t care for her because he’s moving out of town. That’s the one that ran away.”
“Did Animal Care and Control take one of your dogs?” Erika asked.
“That was the one that was at the school,” the owner said.
“Why did they take it?” Erika asked.
“I can’t take care of three dogs,” she said.
At this point, the owner went back inside and shut the door.
You can watch the entire exchange in the video below.
Detroit’s statement
Here is a statement from Crystal Perkins, the city of Detroit’s general services director.
On May 20, 2024, Detroit Animal Care and Control (DACC) received a tip regarding potential dog breeding and concerns about a dog being chained inside a cage on the porch of a home located on the 9000 block of Crane. That same day, an animal control investigator was dispatched to the location. Upon inspection, the dogs appeared healthy but were found to be unlicensed. The owner expressed frustration that the dogs were being feed without her permission.
On September 20, 2024, DACC received another tip alleging that the dogs were being starved. An investigator responded immediately and noted a decline in the dogs' conditions. The owner voluntarily surrendered the malnourished dog and declined to relinquish the other two. The investigator issued multiple citations, provided a list of low-cost veterinary resources, and supplied the owner with two bags of dog food.
A follow-up visit on September 25, 2024, indicated progress in the dogs' care, with noticeable improvements. Another check-in on October 9, 2024, confirmed significant weight gain and better overall health. Given these improvements and the absence of further complaints, there was no immediate reason to conduct additional visits.
On February 25, 2025, DACC was notified by the KARENs Organization that a deceased dog had been removed from the trash at the same address. This incident is now under further investigation.
Crystal Perkins, city of Detroit general services director.
