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In our series Seeking Change, we are exploring the different ways people in our state our trying to help push along change in their communities.We'll hear from people who have a lot of support for their causes and people who are going it alone.We'll hear from folks in big cities and small towns; people who are making change for a few people or a few thousand.We will post a new Seeking Change segment here every Monday. Or you can hear them on-air during Morning Edition at 6:35 a.m. and 8:35 a.m.

Rescuing dogs in Detroit

Courtesy of Detroit Dog Rescue

As we continue our Seeking Change series, Michigan Radio’s Christina Shockley spoke with Daniel "Hush" Carlisle, co-founder of Detroit Dog Rescue (DDR). The former hip-hop artist and producer drives through the streets of Detroit looking for stray dogs, which are then vetted, housed, boarded, and fostered before beginning the adoption process.

How do these dogs get into this situation? Carlisle told us:

“With the plight of what’s going on in Detroit. This is something that has been happening over decades and I believe, in my honest opinion, that probably over 80 percent of these animals have been domesticated at one time and they just become victims of what’s going on. A lot of these dogs are left on the streets – they are kicked out of their homes.”

Carlisle said this has been “an emotional rollercoaster.”

So what’s the key to rescuing dogs? “You have to have a passion for the animals…you grow to like the personality of every dog.”

According to Carlisle, “You have to almost become that dog and put yourself into that mindset of that dog to really know what he’s thinking.”

DDR estimates 50,000 homeless and stray dogs live in the city’s streets. Thanks to an anonymous $1.5 million donation, Detroit Dog Rescue has begun building the city’s first no-kill shelter.

- Arielle Mellen, Michigan Radio Newsroom

Christina began her career in radio at Michigan Radio while a student at the University of Michigan. She was a producer and researcher for The Todd Mundt Show, and then hosted Weekend Edition.
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