Grassroots Effort by Local Couple Helps Heal Abused Dog

Throughout the metro St. Louis area there are a number of organizations dedicated to animal rescue efforts, such as Stray Rescue and Gateway Pet Guardians. Operations such as these are crucial in helping abused, abandoned and neglected animals, but there are also individuals who serve as pet foster parents, rally for animal rights and save animals from abusive situations.

St. Charles County residents Michelle White and Brad Weicht are two people whose joined effort to save one abused dog has made quite an impact on the community.

Between the two of them, White and Weicht have rescued, fostered or otherwise saved dogs, cats and a few ducks.

Neither White nor Weicht are strangers to helping out an animal in need. The animal lovers have four dogs, Guinness, Ghetto, Sadie, and Sophie and one cat, Wrigley, all of which were rescued.

Both Weicht and White have a dog, Guinness, involved with Dock Dogs, a competitive sport for dogs. White said last year was her dog Guinness’ first year participating in Dock Dogs. She also said one of her main goals in having Guinness compete with Dock Dogs is to get people to think about rescue dogs in a different light.

“Guinness is a good way to advertise rescued and pound dogs, he’s a pound puppy and he’s in the top two in his competitive zone,” White said of the dog’s athletic abilities.

Through their work with Dock Dogs and shared love of rescue pets, the two came together and were able to save another dog from an abusive home. Last November, Weicht said he found a black Lab puppy that had been severely abused and was unable to walk.

“He had clearly been kicked, and his leg was broken,” Weicht said as he recalled the condition of the dog, now named Ghetto.

White said when she heard about the level of abuse the canine had been subjected to, she knew she had to do something. Thanks to the power of the Internet, and the kindness of fellow animal lovers, White said she was able to raise money to pay the vet bills by sharing the dog’s story on Facebook.

“I just put it out there on Facebook and asked my friends if they could do anything to help,” said White of the effort.

Weicht said as the word spread across the web, checks began coming into the vet’s office from as far away as Ohio and parts of the Northeast.

“It was a situation where people came together," White said. "My friends shared Ghetto’s story, and their friends shared it with their friends."

All total, the viral fundraising efforts brought in $4,000 toward Ghetto’s vet bill. Because of the extent of the abuse and the amount of time the dog spent in surgery, the bill totaled $5,000, White said.

Today Ghetto is a healthy, happy and active dog. The only physical evidence the pooch bears of his former life of abuse is a missing tail, which was broken and had to be removed.

White said thanks to Ghetto’s popularity on Facebook, the page has evolved into not just helping one dog, but helping other animals in similar situations.

“It’s started a much bigger thing, Bi-State Pet Food Pantry has asked to use Ghetto’s Facebook page, and we’ve been able to collect money for other abuse and rescue cases,” White said.

White said she wants to be a foster parent for rescued animals in need of a good home. Now that he’s made a recovery, White said if the right person came along, she may let Ghetto be adopted so she will have the opportunity to take in another animal in need of care.

“There’s not enough people out there to foster animals, but I like doing it, it makes you feel good,” White said of being a dog foster parent.

To find out more about Ghetto, like his Facebook page.