Many people find solace in their pets. Animals are innocent and pure, one of the only wholly good things in this world. Yet, so many of them are wronged by humans, by abuse or abandonment. There has been a rise in homeless animals in our country. Over seventy million animals are homeless right now in the United States alone. Workers at DAWG (Detroit Animal Welfare Group) are combating this pandemic by rescuing as many as they possibly can.

DAWG is a no kill non-profit group saving abandoned animals in need. They run only on donations and grants. They are located in Macomb in Bruce Township, approximately thirty miles from Fraser. It was started in 2011 by a woman named Kelley LaBonty, who runs it out of her home on her fifteen acres of land.

They rescue a plethora of animals, not only cats and dogs. On site, they have a horse, a goat, four pigs, three chickens, two turkeys, two raccoons, three deer, three cats, a possum, a squirrel, a pigeon, and twenty-two dogs, 11 in the kennel and 11 in the home currently. The deer roam freely on the property and the other animals live in a heated barn.

“We get our animals from all kinds of places, even all around the country, if they need a home, we try our best to provide that for them here until they are adopted. We are not allowed to rescue bats, skunks, or birds of prey. But if we run across them, we can transport them to a wildlife rescue that can care for them,” Kristen Books, a volunteer, said.

Books and her two daughters come up at least two nights a week and are always there on the weekends.  There are about 120 dedicated volunteers that come and help as often as possible.

“I was trained to be able to give the animals penicillin shots and wrap the birds’ wings. I had to watch a bunch of training videos, but it’s very rewarding to be able to help them,” Natalie Books, Kristen Books’ eldest daughter, said.

All of these animals have different stories and interact differently with each other.

“Dapper, our goat, and Harley, our shetland pony, were saved from being sent to market in Canada for meat. Dapper loves Harley. They used to share a stall, but Harley wouldn’t let Dapper eat, so they’re neighbors now. Harley is Dapper’s best friend, but I don’t think it’s mutual to Harley,” Kirsten Books laughed, “All of our animals we have right now have all been saved, none of them were our pets, but now it’s hard to not get attached, but it’s amazing to see them find their forever homes.”

There is currently an apartment being built and renovated on top of the barn to do a new testing program on animals to see how they would react in different home life situations, such as having dogs interacting with cats. One man is currently working on it everyday on his own since getting a contractor would be an extra expenditure that would be taking away from care of the animals, which is pretty costly on its own, according to Kelley LaBontly.

“Vet bills alone are about 100 thousand a year. Then added on food and toys and beds and collars and hay and harnesses, it all adds up to around 140 thousand a year, not including the heat bills. We spend around 886 dollars a month on propane for the heaters in the kennel and the barn, but we usually run out before the month is up and have to use space heaters,” LaBontly said.

DAWG is the only no-kill animal shelter in Macomb. It is a nonprofit organization so it can be difficult for them to make ends meet at times, but they manage to provide a great facility for their animals and accept as many as they can accommodate, once Kelley LaBontly took in fifteen animals in one day.  

“Our goal is to one day not be needed. That one day, there won’t be any homeless animals around. We’re trying to get more land so that we can have a bigger building.. That’s our short term goal. We’re very blessed to be able to help all these animals find homes. We try our best to make sure they get good ones. We check the houses, and the vets they have in mind and everything to make sure the situations are right.”

DAWG is a great facility for these animals. They all seem happy and comfortable and it’s amazing to see them open up after having been through such traumatic experiences prior to being rescued. They are truly getting first class care there. If any of our Ramblers are looking to adopt loving animals, please contact junior Natalie Books for more information.