Stray Dog and Her Puppies Turn Abandoned Detroit Home Into Makeshift Kennel

A garbage-strewn garage behind an abandoned home on the west side of Detroit has become a makeshift kennel for a stray dog and her puppies.

"The mother had the puppies, and when it started raining she needed shelter for them," said neighbor Lotonya Little. "I mean, she's a good mother, and she put them somewhere safe where they're supposed to be. And they've been in there ever since."

Little told FOX 2's Bill Gallagher that she thinks there are ten puppies now, five boys and five girls.

The litter has created a nighttime nuisance for people in the neighborhood.

"The puppies are crying all night, and the mom is trying to protect her puppies," said Kim Thompson, whose daughter lives next door. "It's real noisy, and then they're really small and they run out into the street and you're fearful that they might get run over or something."

Neighbors have tried to get the dogs rescued. Little said that nothing has been done, even though she has contacted Detroit Animal Control and the Detroit Humane Society several times.

A spokesman for the Michigan Humane Society said the case was referred to Detroit Animal Control, but apparently no one came out to check on the dogs.

The Humane Society said it will now send an investigator to see what can be done for the animals.

"They can't survive too long," Little said. "They need food now."

Neighbors told Gallagher that the house has abandoned for two years, and they've been trying to get the city to save the dogs and tear it down.