MAY 7 • 2020 | 13
Millman-Rinaldi’
s goal is to foster another 100 dogs, but there is
no real limit, she said.
“Dogs are our best friends,
” she said. “They know all of our
secrets. They know when we need some exercise, they know when
we need a break mentally.
”
Both humans and dogs can benefit from foster interaction, she
said. Humans are given incentive to exercise, get outside and walk
the dogs, an added benefit with many stuck at home. There is more
time than ever to give dogs attention, too.
It also gives children an opportunity to play. There is the aspect
of companionship, as well, which is especially rewarding in times of
social distancing and for those who may be quarantining alone at
home.
Many of the dogs who have gone into foster homes are thriving,
Millman-Rinaldi says.
“They’
re getting to hear things in a home they normally wouldn’
t
hear in a shelter, the sound of a dishwasher or playing children. All
of those things will prepare them for forever homes.
”
Danielle Zuccaro, 38 of Royal Oak, has been fostering with
Detroit Dog Rescue for three years. She decided to foster a pair of
dogs, Ace and Peanut, during the coronavirus crisis.
“
As we started to react to COVID, I knew my employer would
move me to working from home, which makes fostering multiple
[dogs] a little easier,
” Zuccaro said. “I knew COVID would drasti-
cally slow down our ability to adopt dogs, but not slow down the
number of dogs that needed to be rescued.
”
Having multiple foster dogs keeps her busy, and she walks them
every night, which helps maintain a good work-life balance while
working remote. “Fostering, especially during the stay-at-home
order, is a great way to improve your mental health,
” Zuccaro said,
Foster families who decide to adopt their dogs will be able to do
so free of charge for the time being, due to a partnership between
Detroit Dog Rescue and the Grand Rapids-based BISSELL Pet
Foundation that will waive the usual $250 adoption fee while fund-
ing lasts.
HELPING FIRST RESPONDERS
A second partnership between Detroit Dog Rescue and Canine
to Five, a dog boarding, daycare, grooming and training ser-
vice with locations in Midtown Detroit and Ferndale, will offer
doggy daycare and boarding services to first responders free of
charge.
“I previously worked at Beaumont Hospital and I knew, when
I worked 12-hour shifts, my biggest worry was who was going to
take care of my dog,
” Millman-Rinaldi recalls. “Now we have people
staying overnight at the hospital, paramedics doing double shifts,
firefighters doing 72-hour shifts. And my thought was, ‘
What about
their dogs?’
”
Called “Pay It Forward,
” the initiative has covered $6,000 in
daycare and boarding costs to date, which are paid by Detroit Dog
Rescue. In return, Canine to Five donates 10% of funds back to
Detroit Dog Rescue, a situation Millman-Rinaldi calls a “win-win.
”
First responders can contact either location to set up service.
Detroit Dog Rescue chose to work with Canine to Five because
of its proximity to local hospitals such as Henry Ford Health System
and Beaumont.
“When Detroit Dog Rescue approached us about the idea, we
thought it was brilliant and jumped at the chance to participate,
”
said Liz Blondy, owner of Canine to Five.
First responders are “drained,
” said the 45-year-old Detroit resi-
dent, who grew up attending Temple Israel. “Drained often means
barely having the energy to take care of yourself, much less a dog.
This allows Canine to Five to help care for the dogs of these essen-
tial workers so they can care for Detroiters.
”
The support for Detroit Dog Rescue in the Jewish community
has been overwhelmingly positive, Millman-Rinaldi said.
Core values of Detroit Dog Rescue such as responsibility and
tzedakah were instilled in her through her Jewish faith and grand-
parents, she explained. Millman-Rinaldi attends several synagogues,
including Temple Beth El, Adat Shalom and Temple Israel.
The organization has also partnered with various Jewish initia-
tives including BBYO and AZA community service projects.
“We are so grateful that we have so many amazing supporters
who are sending us cards,
” she said of the Jewish community, “and
writing us letters of support on social media.
“I’
m extremely proud of my team because this shows why for the
last 10 years, Detroit Dog Rescue has survived. Because when it’
s
time to get it done, we really get it done.
”
Jews in the D
“Dogs are our best friends.
They know all of our secrets.”
— KRISTINA MILLMAN-RINALDI
LEFT: The Detroit Dog
Rescue Team is still rescuing
dogs with the City of Detroit,
Detroit Police Departments
and at the request of Detroit
Firefighters. MIDDLE: Thanks
to the Bissell Pet Foundation
adoption fees have been
waived (while funds last)
to existing fosters. RIGHT:
A newborn puppy rescued
during the pandemic and
being syringe fed by Kristina
Millman-Rinaldi
COURTESY OF DETROIT DOG RESCUE