Marty was one of 31 malnourished and neglected Alaskan malamutes found in a home last summer. He was taken in by a rescue organization in Michigan that nursed him back to health. He returned to Durham this week to live with the deputy who saved him
Sheriff’s deputy Dakota Beck of the Durham Animal Services Division deals with dogs every day in her professional life. But Marty was the first one she brought home.
Last July, Beck found the dog caged in a home crammed with 30 other Alaskan malamutes, a breed similar to huskies, that were all malnourished and covered in their own excrement. “He literally jumped up and hugged me,” said Beck. “And that’s when he melted my heart.”
After months of rehabilitation and multiple surgeries in Michigan, Marty was reunited this week with the officer who helped save him seven months earlier.
The story began with a call about a husky running loose on Sybil Drive on the east side of Durham, which led Beck to a home with a horrible smell lingering on the front porch. Through the window, she saw dozens of sickly dogs in cages – some whimpering, others unresponsive. Beck obtained a warrant to seize the dogs, and a crew from animal services stayed up all night transporting them to the Animal Protection Society of Durham.
The dogs were immediately treated for malnutrition, dehydration and burns from the urine that covered them. The woman hoarding the malamutes, Sandra Lehto, was charged with 28 counts of animal cruelty and barred from owning animals.
After the rescue, calls flooded in to offer the dogs new homes, and all the dogs were places with rescue groups or families. Marty was sent to The Southwest Michigan Husky Club to be rehabilitated.
“Marty was kind of like a toasted marshmallow. Rough on the outside, but soft on the inside,” said Suzanne Sarlls-Hartwell, president of the organization. “We knew he was going to be hard to place because he was older.”
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Sheriff’s deputy Dakota Beck of the Durham Animal Services Division deals with dogs every day in her professional life. But Marty was the first one she brought home.
Last July, Beck found the dog caged in a home crammed with 30 other Alaskan malamutes, a breed similar to huskies, that were all malnourished and covered in their own excrement. “He literally jumped up and hugged me,” said Beck. “And that’s when he melted my heart.”
After months of rehabilitation and multiple surgeries in Michigan, Marty was reunited this week with the officer who helped save him seven months earlier.
The story began with a call about a husky running loose on Sybil Drive on the east side of Durham, which led Beck to a home with a horrible smell lingering on the front porch. Through the window, she saw dozens of sickly dogs in cages – some whimpering, others unresponsive. Beck obtained a warrant to seize the dogs, and a crew from animal services stayed up all night transporting them to the Animal Protection Society of Durham.
The dogs were immediately treated for malnutrition, dehydration and burns from the urine that covered them. The woman hoarding the malamutes, Sandra Lehto, was charged with 28 counts of animal cruelty and barred from owning animals.
After the rescue, calls flooded in to offer the dogs new homes, and all the dogs were places with rescue groups or families. Marty was sent to The Southwest Michigan Husky Club to be rehabilitated.
“Marty was kind of like a toasted marshmallow. Rough on the outside, but soft on the inside,” said Suzanne Sarlls-Hartwell, president of the organization. “We knew he was going to be hard to place because he was older.”
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That's beautiful! The power of love is known for all of God's creatures!
Should be Malamute adopts officer as his companion after she saved his life!
The woman who caged them should have been fined & jailed, not just forbidden to own dods any more
this makes me so happy
Marty passed away Feb 2017 - Run Free Marty Man <3