Dog rescue group ‘The KARENS’ save pets left out in the freezing weather

Using a moniker that had bad connotations, two women created a team and transformed it into a positive acronym: K9 Animal Rescue Emergency Networking System.

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    The average temperature outside in Metro Detroit is 18 degrees, endangering the lives of pets left outdoors.
    
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    Two Detroit-area women teamed up to bring doghouses, straw, coats, food and more to dogs outside.
    
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    The KARENS come by appointment or respond to distress calls from neighbors or witnesses who spot dogs left outside.
    

• 
  The average temperature outside in Metro Detroit is 18 degrees, endangering the lives of pets left outdoors.
  
• 
  Two Detroit-area women teamed up to bring doghouses, straw, coats, food and more to dogs outside.
  
• 
  The KARENS come by appointment or respond to distress calls from neighbors or witnesses who spot dogs left outside.
  

DETROIT (FOX 2):FOX 2 teamed up to save the lives of dogs on a snowy morning with wind chills in the teens.

We’re rushing against the clock and the weather by piling on bales of straw and donated dog houses. Encouraged by a picture of a lone dog in the cold, his entire world is a 30-pound chain wound around a post in an empty field.

The KARENS are on their way to provide assistance.

The backstory

“So we have everything from bowls to crates to bring dogs in, blankets for inside, dog coats, we have toys, we have bones,” stated Chantal Rzewnicki.

Using a moniker that had bad connotations, two women created a team and transformed it into a positive acronym: K9 Animal Rescue Emergency Networking System.

They dedicate their free time to rescuing helpless animals.

The KARENS: Melanie Thomas and Chantal Rzewnicki, left

Chantal Rzewnick declared, “I’m a huge lover of dogs,” It’s devastating; I spent around two years working at animal control.

“It’s heartbreaking to pick up, to peel a dead body, a dead dog off the ground, is sad.”

Look more closely:

We traveled to the east side of Detroit. Although the dog in question is not present, the KARENS are given the all-clear to take action after speaking with the dog’s owner.

“Hey Ronnie, I’m the one you talked to yesterday, I’m gonna set one up where your girl was in the yard,” Melanie Thomas said.

Straw and a new dog housing.

“We try to fill it up a good amount,” Rzewnicki stated.

We see another dog in poor condition at the same spot.

Rzewnicki remarked, “He’s definitely on the thin side,” Do you believe that we could simply place the dog house next to it?

“I’m going to make him a meal.”

Our first stop was directly across the street. An outside dog on a thick metal chain is a common sight for The KARENS.

What’s the goal here? Remove the bulky chain and swap it out for a lighter tie-back. It’s up to the dog and the owner, of course.

After receiving permission from a neighbor, the KARENS set to work. With a new home and a shorter chain, “Big Ma” the puppy finds some respite.

It could be necessary to take more daring action at the next stop.

“If they don’t answer the door, what we’re going to end up doing is either jumping over the fence with the house or leaning over,” she continued.

In a tin shack, Rocco is freezing. Another dog owner is not home, and I’m hungry with freezing pillows and blankets for comfort.

The KARENS are granted entrance by a neighbor.

This dog’s life could use a straw, a better shelter, a comforting pat, and other little adjustments.

Every week, the KARENS usually visit 20 to 30 households similar to that one. A follow-up with an appreciative pet owner is their last destination for today.

Tim Washington stated, “You just don’t know how much they helped me.” “They stopped by while we were all off work during the pandemic. They had wooden dwellings, which they chewed to pieces, so they got houses for the dogs.

“They are a boon. They truly are a boon. They arrived on schedule. They are quite beneficial.

“I’m able to sleep at night,” Melanie Thomas declared. “Out here, we are concerned about the dogs. They have nothing, and many people are currently having difficulties.

“All it takes to improve a dog’s life is a doghouse and a bale of straw, and it also provides the owner a new perspective on being a pet owner. They don’t have to choose between feeding their animal and themselves. It gives us a positive feeling. We simply have a passion for it.

What you are able to do:

They undertake all of their outreach by phone, through referrals, or simply by spotting a stray dog while out and about.

The KARENS eventually hope to acquire a building to accommodate homeless canines.

The KARENS, however, are still working to save one dog at a time. Please visit their website at or by if you would want to assist.

The Source: The KARENS, a dog rescue organization, and the dog owners they have assisted provided the information for this story.