The Karens dog rescue team race against time for abused Rottweiler

The Karens dog rescue team race against time for abused Rottweiler

The dog rescue group The Karens received an emergency call on Sunday night. They took a wrong turn at the right time and found an abused rottweiler with a chain around his neck and open wounds. FOX 2 joined them on their call. 

FOX 2 - According to the dog rescue group, The Karens, animal cruelty is on the rise in Detroit. It could be a dog chained up, malnourished or abused. 

The Karens are Chantel Rzewnicki and Melanie Thomas. They formed a team using a name with negative connotations, turning it into a positive acronym: K9 Animal Rescue Emergency Networking System.

FOX 2 followed one such case playing out over the holiday weekend. A warning — some of the video in this story is very graphic and will be disturbing for some viewers, especially children.

The backstory:

On Sunday night, an emergency call came from The Karens. The dog rescue duo took a wrong turn and ended up at the right place in time to rescue a prisoner.

"See how his collar is embedded into his actual skin," said Chantal.

This is Bruno. A Rottweiler existing on a chain secured by bolts. Living in filth, guarding an auto shop on the city's east side at Whittier and Balfour.

After suffering years of abuse, it resulted in the dog having open wounds.

"So when we turned the corner here, right here, he was curled up," Chantal said. "All you can see is the little black he dug himself to get out of the cool. We started giving him treats, and noticed the embedded choke chain in his neck.

"We are hoping to get this dog removed, one way or another. We’ve contacted all the authorities possible. We’re hoping to get him removed."

The Karens waited at the site for five hours hoping to remove the dog.

"Animal control showed up. DPD showed up, but at the end of the day animal control decided Tuesday would be the better day to try to get a search warrant. That didn’t sit well with us," Chantal said.

Without permission to remove Bruno, he's forced to live another day tethered to a chain buried in his neck. The Karens reluctantly leave him, not knowing if he'll make it through the night.

"It was heartbreaking," she said. "I was frustrated at the end of the day. I went home in tears. You can fight and fight and fight, but if nobody shows up, this is the thing we battle.

"So, I called the one and only Lori. She’s just, I was at a loss and I was you know what, 'I’m gonna try this and put the effort in and see if somebody can do something,' so I chose Lori and here we are."

Lori Pinson, FOX 2: "You know I've always got your back."

"We appreciate it," she said.

The next day, the Karens make a second attempt to move Bruno — this time running into the shop manager. They get him to surrender the dog to them before police and animal control arrive.

"We got here sooner, and we made it happen sooner," Chantal said. "If you see something, say something, speak for the voiceless. These dogs are prisoners in their own backyards. Be their voice."

Bruno’s long road to recovery started just 19 miles from his former life. Doctors at the emergency clinic clipped and cleaned the wound, and finally removed the 30-pound chain that’s been his life for four years.

Related: 

• Detroit dog rescue team The Karens hit the streets in the summer heat
• Dog rescue group The Karens save pets left out in the freezing weather

Several hours later, Chantal returns to pick Bruno up.

"They had to use bolt cutters to actually remove the chain and they sutured it up, got two drain tubes, so all that fluid build up will eventually drain out of those tubes," Chantal said.

The surgery cost? In the thousands, paid for by the Karens through your generous donations.

The prognosis?

"He should recover well with some time," Chantal said. "He just has to heal up and we’ll give him some time to adapt to life," Chantal said.

And hopefully get adopted by a loving family. If you'd like to help the Karens continue their rescuing efforts, go to their website HERE.