Detroit captures, cages playful dog who won kids' hearts

DETROIT — A playful stray dog who won the hearts of some Detroit school children and teachers Wednesday is being kept by the city's animal control department despite attempts to adopt the dog.

"This dog has a home if an owner can't be found," said Erica Brehmer, a teacher at the Detroit Waldorf School. "It shouldn't be put to death."

Unfortunately for Brehmer and the kids who are still concerned about the dog — they named it Jenga — animal control rules prevent them from claiming the dog right now. Brehmer said she's willing to adopt the dog herself.

The yellow pitbull-mix was playing with school children when animal control officers responded Wednesday afternoon to a call about a stray dog, Brehmer said. The dog's bright white teeth and playful nature gave off a youthful vibe. (Brehmer said some teachers checked the dog's temperament before allowing the children to play with it.)

Despite the children's pleas, the animal control officers captured the dog and hauled it away.

Brehmer and another teacher began making calls to city offices and the Humane Society but could not put a claim on the dog in case its owner never showed up. Brehmer said she was frustrated because she was transferred to several different departments and given conflicting information along the way.

"I know there's a lot of dogs and not a lot of homes. Most dogs that go into a shelter — an animal control situation — are euthanized," Brehmer said. "I understand why they picked the dog up like that. It still was upsetting for basically everybody who witnessed it."

Brehmer said a fifth-grade class at the school is drafting a letter to animal control saying the incident was upsetting.

Harry Ward, head of Detroit Animal Control, said this type of situation, unfortunately, is common.

State laws that govern the department's operations don't allow Brehmer or anyone else who isn't the dog's owner to stake a claim on an animal immediately. Ward said the department must keep stray dogs without identification for four business days. If they are unclaimed, animal control evaluates the dog. Dogs fit for adoption are made available to the Michigan Humane Society; the rest are put down.

The Humane Society visits Detroit animal control weekly and decides which dogs to accept into its adoption program, Ward said. The animal control department does not run an adoption program, he said, conceding that an outdated website says otherwise.

Ward suggested those concerned about Jenga's fate adopt a dog from the Humane Society to make room for more dogs in the adoption program.

"Do something for all the dogs, instead of getting focused on the one dog," Ward said.

A spokesman for the Michigan Humane Society could not be reached.

"I know to the world this one dog is important. I want the world to know there are 38 other dogs that will come in over one or two days," Ward said. "People need to pull back and look at the bigger issue."