When a family moved out of their home in northwest Detroit, they took their belongings and left everything they didn’t want behind in a pile on the curb — including their three-year-old pit bull mix, Boo.
Left Behind, Not Forgotten
According to neighbors, the family returned once to retrieve additional belongings from the discarded pile. They still didn’t take Boo. For nearly four weeks, he waited outside the empty house, sleeping on an abandoned mattress that had been dumped along with the rest of the family’s unwanted things.
He wasn’t entirely alone. A neighbor, later identified in reporting as Liz Marie, had been feeding him and reached out to every rescue organization she could find in the area — without success, according to KENS5. Eventually, she posted a photo of Boo lying among the discarded belongings to a Facebook page for dogs, pleading for help. The post gathered more than 20,000 likes.
A Rescuer Willing to Wait
That photo eventually reached Mike Diesel, founder of Detroit Youth and Dog Rescue. He drove out to see Boo for himself — and quickly realized that simply approaching a scared, abandoned dog wasn’t going to work.
Diesel arrived on a Sunday afternoon and stayed until 1 a.m., talking to Boo and offering him different foods to slowly build trust — an 11-hour first session with no guarantee it would work. He came back the following day and was finally able to get a leash around Boo’s neck.
“As far as building up the trust that started Sunday the 16th at 2:30 p.m. when I arrived and I stayed that night until 1 a.m. talking and getting acquainted with Boo and feeding him different food items,” Diesel said, describing the process. Reflecting on Boo’s reaction once trust was established, he added: “Boo has warmed up to me in an amazing way already and truly shows and proves the love of the pit bull and trust they have in humans.”
A Health Scare Discovered at the Vet
Once Boo was safely in Diesel’s care, a veterinary exam turned up something serious: Boo was diagnosed with stage two heartworm disease, a potentially life-threatening parasitic condition transmitted through mosquito bites that, left untreated, can cause lasting heart and lung damage. He began treatment immediately and was reported to be recovering well.
Why This Case Struck a Nerve Online
Part of what made Boo’s story spread as widely as it did was the detail of the mattress and pile of belongings — a stark, visual reminder that the family had made a deliberate choice about what to keep and what to discard, and Boo had ended up in the second category. Diesel later set up a way for the public to contribute toward Boo’s veterinary costs after the story drew wide attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is heartworm disease common in abandoned or stray dogs? It’s more common in dogs without consistent veterinary care or preventive medication, since heartworm is transmitted by mosquitoes and prevention requires a regular prescription treatment — making strays and abandoned dogs disproportionately at risk.
How long does it typically take to build trust with a frightened abandoned dog? It varies enormously by the individual dog’s temperament and history, but cases like Boo’s — requiring many hours of patient, low-pressure contact before a leash can even be attached — aren’t unusual for dogs who’ve experienced abandonment or trauma.
What should someone do if they find an abandoned pet in a similar situation? Contacting local animal rescue organizations, providing food and water in the meantime if it’s safe to do so, and — as this case shows — sharing clear, respectful photos through community or rescue-focused social media pages can genuinely help connect an animal with the right person to help.
Sources: KENS5, Fox 5 New York, WILX, and Global News, cited above.
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