DETROIT – It was a gut-wrenching discovery inside a home on Detroit's east side, leaving a local realtor nearly in tears, unsure of what to do next.
“I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do,” the realtor said in a cell phone video, clearly shaken after stumbling upon an emaciated dog in the basement of a home on Courville Street, where she said the dog’s alleged owners were being evicted.
“To leave her in a cold, damp basement in her own feces is repulsive. It’s unacceptable,” said Theresa Sumpter of Detroit Pit Crew Dog Rescue, who rushed to the home on Tuesday (April 8).
“I said, ‘Are the owners going to surrender the dog?’ Otherwise, I was going to call law enforcement, and she said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Are you there right now?’ And she said ‘yes,‘” Sumpter said.
Once inside, what Detroit Pit Crew rescuers found was heartbreaking.
“We walked through a back door down into (a) very dirty, disgusting basement where there was a lot of feces. It was very cold, damp, and dark,” Sumpter said.
Sumpter said the dog was too weak to bark and barely able to stand. Curled in a corner of the basement, she weighed just 30 pounds, about half of what she should. Rescuers immediately rushed her to receive emergency medical care.
The pup’s temperature was dangerously low, her eyes sunken, and her body weak.
“This is a device that blows heat,” Sumpter showed Local 4, as they tried to warm her frail body.
Now named Faith, the roughly two-year-old dog is receiving fluids, bloodwork, X-rays, and round-the-clock care at Advanced Animal Emergency in Clinton Township.
Erika Erickson: “Is she gonna make it?
Sumpter: “I don’t know. All we can do is pray.”
Despite her dire condition, Faith began showing signs of life late Wednesday, April 9, 2025, even managing to eat for the first time. She also managed to stand up and take a few steps around the hospital.
“I feel like this miracle, but she is up and moving,” Sumpter said.
Local 4 also visited the alleged owner’s home on the east side, but despite hearing people moving inside and receiving a call from one of the alleged owner’s relatives, we have not been able to make direct contact or get explicit answers about who owned the dog and why she was in such neglectful conditions.
Meanwhile, we have also reported the case to city officials and the Detroit Pit Crew.
Detroit Animal Care and Control told Local 4 they are actively investigating the situation and have someone assigned to Faith’s case.
“I personally will go to any lengths to save this dog,” said Sumpter. “Really, I feel like this should rise to the level of a felony charge; that’s what I would like to see here. Whether she lives or dies, this dog should not be in this condition, and the people who had her should not be allowed to have animals in the future either.”
As of Wednesday evening, Faith’s rate of survival has increased to 50% from 25%.
Click here to see updates on her condition and or to donate.
Other ways to donate can be found here.
Venmo: @Detroitpitcrew
Cash App: $Detroitpitcrew
Checks can be mailed to:
Detroit Pit Crew
P.O. Box 3111
Center Line, MI 48015
