jews d
on the cover
in
the
Dog-Gone
JOYCE WISWELL CONTRIBUTING WRITER
JERRY ZOLYNSKY PHOTOGRAPHER
Detroit Dog
Rescue saves the
city’s stray dogs
through adoption,
retraining.
ABOVE: Sam and Kristina and Cookie.
K
ristina Millman-Rinaldi had a rough childhood that included
episodes of abuse and being shuttled from house to house.
“I bounced around in my childhood, but wherever I was
there was a dog,” she said. “Now, when I rescue one, I see a piece of
myself in them.”
As executive director of Detroit Dog Rescue (DDR), Millman-
Rinaldi, 34, does a lot of rescuing. Last year, the nonprofit rehomed
396 dogs and helped another 1,500 with free vaccinations, food for
needy owners and spaying/neutering to stem the proliferation of
stray dogs roaming the city.
Detroit Dog Rescue is the city’s first and only no-kill shelter. That’s
no small feat when you consider Detroit is estimated to have more
than 50,000 stray dogs, some of which have been cruelly abused,
neglected and/or used in fighting. The city’s 23 animal control officers
can’t begin to keep up with the problem; nearly 90 percent of the dogs
they pick up are euthanized.
Millman-Rinaldi, who lives in West Bloomfield, is one of several
Jews involved with the organization, which, she said, fits squarely
with traditional Jewish values of giving back.
“I had an amazing Jewish grandma who instilled my faith and
taught me that being Jewish means that giving back is always a prior-
ity. That’s what led me to animals and helping others,” she said. “At
Detroit Dog Rescue, we see so many people from the Jewish commu-
nity becoming interested and involved with the dogs of Detroit. It is a
great feeling to have the community I come from support the organi-
zation I belong to.”
DOG DAYS
One of those supporters is Samuel Finn, 20, who is currently doing a
four-month internship with DDR. The student of public policy at the
University of Michigan and a former president of Michigan Region
BBYO calls the internship “the most fun I have ever had working.”
continued on page 12
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August 3 • 2017
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