12 | MAY 7 • 2020 

Detroit Dog Rescue responds to needs 
of furry friends during COVID.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Jews in the D

W

ith the coronavi-
rus crisis keeping 
many Michiganders 
indoors due to Gov. Whitmer’
s 
Stay Home, Stay Safe order, 
there is a unique opportunity to 
foster or adopt dogs.
Experts say it’
s good for both 
dogs and humans, as dogs have 
the power to help alleviate 
stress, anxiety and depres-
sion in humans. According to 
the Anxiety and Depression 
Association of America, a phe-
nomenon known as the “pet 
effect” shows how pets, includ-
ing dogs, can have a positive 
impact on their owners’
 mental 
health. 
A 2016 survey by the Human 
Animal Bond Research Institute 
of 2,000 pet owners showed that 
74% reported mental health 
improvements from pet own-
ership.
The benefits don’
t stop there, 
though — another 54% of pet 
owners reported physical health 
improvements from pet own-
ership.
“I think there are a lot of 
people out there who are sitting 

at home and are compelled to 
help,
” said Kristina Millman-
Rinaldi, executive director of 
Detroit Dog Rescue, the first 
and only no-kill shelter in the 
city of Detroit. “Dogs can help 
us get through this.
”
The 37-year-old West 
Bloomfield resident, who 
launched Detroit Dog Rescue in 
2011, said a closure of shelters 
due to the virus means that first 
responders are contacting her 
organization for help with stray, 
abandoned or injured dogs.
“There isn’
t a shortage of 
dogs who need help out there,
” 
she said.

FOSTERING A FURRY FRIEND
While Detroit Dog Rescue is 
in need of essential supplies 
such as paper towels and 
bleach wipes, another way 
local residents can consider 
helping is by fostering a dog.
The shelter is asking for at 
least a six-week commitment 
to minimize contact between 
staff and foster families. Their 
volunteer program is generally 
made up of 80 people putting in 

800 hours per week, but those 
numbers have been severely cut 
due to the stay-at-home order. 
Millman-Rinaldi now has a staff 
of eight paid employees taking 
on all of the work.
Therefore, applications are 
assessed on a safety protocol 
basis. Detroit Dog Rescue 
determines how and when staff 
can do a home visit, which is a 
crucial early step to the foster 
process. Applications can be 
filled out online via its website.
“We are used to dangerous 
situations,
” Millman-Rinaldi 
said. “Detroit Dog Rescue start-
ed during Detroit’
s bankruptcy, 
during the foreclosure crisis. We 
are used to tough times and this 
is no different.
”
Still, the organization is mak-
ing it work. 
Detroit Dog Rescue has fos-
tered 80 dogs since the begin-
ning of the coronavirus crisis, 
a 50% increase from its usual 
monthly numbers. The shelter 
provides crates, food, toys and 
medical care. They ask foster 
families to provide two things 
in return: love and a home.

TOP: Three rescued DDR dogs find out 
what life is like in a foster home during 
quarantine. MIDDLE: Over 300 foster 
application came in when the Stay 
Order was released. Reba was one of 
the first fostered in Detroit while her 
foster is on leave. BOTTOM: Thanks to 
public support dozens of Detroit dogs 
have found their homes during the 
pandemic.

COURTESY OF DETROIT DOG RESCUE

Quarantine’s

Friends
BEST