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Lifestyle & Human Interest

Dog Miraculously Rescued from Beneath Rubble After Home Explodes

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A pit bull named Miracle is alive after a house explosion in Detroit, Michigan, left her buried underneath a heavy pile of debris.

Six people were hospitalized after a fire and house explosion the night of Jan. 4 that fire officials believe was caused by a natural gas leak, WXYZ-TV reported.

Emergency response crews heard a clinking chain in the backyard and began an intense search and rescue mission to try and find the pet who they believed was on the other end of the chain.

As they suspected, a dog had been buried alive underneath the rubble, and rescue crews worked feverishly to save her life.

“There was a ton of people trying to dig her out from underneath the debris. It was very intense,” Theresa Sumpter, director and founder of Detroit Pit Crew Dog Rescue, told WXYZ.

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“People were literally just throwing bricks off of her,” Sumpter said. “I saw people picking up a microwave and getting it off of her. There was shingles, anything that would come off a house, siding. All of that was on top of her.”

When the dog emerged, she appeared to be in good spirits.

With the humans in the home hospitalized, the dog — renamed Miracle by her rescuers — was taken to Advanced Animal Emergency, where it was determined that she had a broken pelvis.

During the dog’s medical exam, Sumpter and her colleagues became concerned that Miracle had not been well cared for in quite some time.

The dog was very thin, with bones protruding out of her spine and ribs.

The fact that she was found attached to a chain in the backyard during the Michigan winter suggested Miracle’s day-to-day living conditions were not ideal.

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“We are concerned that whoever was caring for her was not taking proper care of her,” Sumpter told WDIV. “We do see that her body condition is not good. She should definitely weigh more.”

Sumpter said it is too early to determine whether or not Miracle will go back to live with her original owners.

Of the six people involved in the explosion, five of them were being treated for burns.

Given the overall condition of Miracle’s health upon arrival, Sumpter said her forever home is something that will be up for discussion when the time is right.

“She will be held on stray hold. She’ll be with us for a while, while she’s recovering,” Sumpter said. “We’ll see if somebody tries to claim her and we’ll deal with that at the time.”

For now, Miracle needs a lot of rest and, thankfully, is expected to make a full recovery.

“We were just so happy to see that she was alive and that she’s going to go on to live a very happy life,” Sumpter said. “We’re going to make sure of it.”

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A graduate of Grand Canyon University, Kim Davis has been writing for The Western Journal since 2015, focusing on lifestyle stories.
Kim Davis began writing for The Western Journal in 2015. Her primary topics cover family, faith, and women. She has experience as a copy editor for the online publication Thoughtful Women. Kim worked as an arts administrator for The Phoenix Symphony, writing music education curriculum and leading community engagement programs throughout the region. She holds a degree in music education from Grand Canyon University with a minor in eating tacos.
Birthplace
Page, Arizona
Education
Bachelor of Science in Music Education
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Lifestyle & Human Interest




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