Abandoned Dog Waits a Month for Owners, Rips Open World’s Heart

DETROIT, MI — Boo-hoo over Boo no more. Photos of the forlorn dog, curled up on a mattress in front of an abandoned Detroit home, traveled around the cyber-world faster than you can spin about to grab a tissue to dab that tear slipping down your cheek. Don’t fret. Boo is going to be just fine now.

Boo, the name given the dog in the social media frenzy, has a compelling life story, especially the past month of it. That’s when his owners abandoned him. They were evicted from the Detroit house they were renting in the vicinity of Six Mile Road and Wyoming Avenue, and their belongings — and their dog — were placed at the curb. Boo’s family came back and took some of their possessions but left him behind.

Boo hung around for about a month, just waiting — perhaps looking down the street, as if every passing car might be occupied by his family coming back for him. The mattress was his anchor.

And that’s where Detroit Youth & Dog Rescue founder Dustin Oliver found the dog, believed to be a 2- to 3-year-old American Staffordshire terrier, on Oct. 16.

Oliver snapped some photos, blasted them out on Facebook and now Boo is also a bona fide media sensation. The loyalty shown by a dog to a family obviously far less loyal to him tugged at the world’s heart. NBC’s “Today” show picked up the story from local media. So did the BET network. And Oliver’s email inbox overflowed.

“I’ve never gotten hundreds of emails about one dog before,” Oliver told The Detroit News.

“Boo just tugs at your soul. He was committed to waiting for them to come back,” Oliver told the newspaper. “That’s why Boo was staying close to the belongings and the mattress he possibly slept on and the smells he was comfortable with and knew.”

Oliver was scrolling through his Facebook feed when he happened on a picture of of the pitiful looking dog “by chance.”

“I thought, ‘oh, my God,’” Oliver told The Detroit News. “I saw a picture of a dog in need and I headed out the door within five minutes.”

Initially, Boo was having no part of Oliver — or any other human. He spent about 11 hours sitting nearby and talking quietly to the dog, but ultimately it was a Sausage McMuffin from McDonald’s and other treats left by neighbors that bridged the gap, Oliver told WWJ/CBS Detroit.

Finally, when he was able to get a leash around Boo’s neck, the two sat down on a blanket and “had a conversation,” Oliver continued. “There are a lot of new articles out there showing dogs can understand you. I told him he was safe, he would never get hurt again, he can trust humans, no one is going to leave him again.”

Oliver was flummoxed by the dog’s homeless status. The dog obviously had been part of someone’s life. “There are numerous reasons why people do it,” Oliver told the radio station. “They might have known he was heart worm-positive and just left him.”

Oliver has already spent about $1,000 for veterinary treatment of Stage II heart worm. Boo will be fine, but the treatment is expensive. On Sunday, a “That’s My BOO Fundraiser” fundraiser will be held from 3-8 p.m. at Firebird Tavern, 419 Monroe St., Detroit. If you cannot attend but would like to help Boo, you can donate here.

Boo will be ready for adoption in about six months, but for now he is under the doting care of a foster “mom” who feeds him steak every night. “He’s doing absolutely fabulous, he struck the jackpot,” Oliver told WWJ/CBS Detroit.

Oliver established his nonprofit group, Detroit Youth & Dog Rescue, in April 2014. Since then, the group has rescued about 100 dogs that have been placed in foster homes and also serves homeless populations by providing holiday dinners and youth mentorship services.

Photo of Boo courtesy of Detroit Dog & Youth Rescue, used with permission