Recently a couple of strange dogs were wandering around on Sherwood Road, just south of Arkona. They kept within a relatively small area of a few hundred yards, and it became clear that the reason they were not moving on was because they were waiting for whoever dropped them off to come back and pick them up. They did not know that they had been abandoned.
The next day, they were still in the area, and the Sumpter PD was called. Two officers came out and attempted to capture the dogs, one of which was very aggressive and protective of the other. The officers displayed great ability and compassion in dealing with the animals, but the dogs were too frightened, being in a strange environment and around people they did not know, so they did not get close enough to be taken.
The officers picked up two cages from the “Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue,” located nearby on Arkona Road, and set them up on a nearby property. Meanwhile, neighbors posted messages on Facebook and Nextdoor, and within minutes some neighbors came by and tried to pick up the dogs, or feed them, without success.
One of the people checking out Facebook that afternoon was Kim from “Lost & Found Monroe Michigan Pets.” She and her husband Rick volunteer their time and specialized equipment in finding and rescuing lost and abandoned pets. They showed up in the area, and managed, after a while, to cage both dogs just as the sun was setting.
They dropped the dogs off at Friends of Michigan Animals Rescue that night, where they were met by an employee and another officer from Sumpter PD, who, conincidently, had recently adopted a rescued pet himself.
The interaction of the police officers, Kim and Rick, and the volunteers at FMAR, along with the residents of the area, was a perfect example of how cooperation is often key to getting things done. By the way, the two dogs lost most of their aggression after being captured and allowed themselves to be petted, and are in the second-best place they could possibly be, while waiting to find themselves in the very best place, after being adopted.
Sumpter Township resident