08/09/2026
New Beginning for this Sweet Girl 💕🐾
We had been seeing posts about a Great Dane running around Farmington Hills on Saturday, but unfortunately, no one from our team was available to help at the time. By Tuesday morning, we saw a post on For The Love of Louie saying she had been hit by a car. We felt awful—and yes, a little guilty—that we hadn’t been able to step in sooner.
Then came a plot twist.......
Someone working at the urgent care commented that the story wasn’t true. She said she was literally looking at the dog out the window, watching her run up and down Grand River all day. In the heat. Like it was her full-time job.
Now we were really worried.
So Kim headed out to the area to see if we could help secure this girl before something bad actually did happen. Several amazing women in the neighborhood had been tracking her movements—behind the cancer center, near the old Walgreens, around the urgent care, and through multiple side streets. She kept circling the same general area, which made us think she had likely been dumped and no one was actively looking for her.
Step one: set up a trap.
Step two: immediately watch that plan get complicated.
While we were setting things up, people started chasing her (because of course they did), and she ended up crossing Grand River and running into the median. We lost sight of her and decided to place the trap behind the urgent care, where she had been hanging out.
Spoiler alert: not a great location.
There was constant foot traffic between the apartments and the urgent care, and people kept stopping at the trap. Well-meaning folks were even leaving food out for her—which, while kind, makes trapping about as effective as trying to diet in a bakery.
So the next day, we moved the trap.
We got word that she had been resting in someone’s backyard, and thankfully, the homeowner agreed to let us set up there. With help from some awesome neighborhood girls, we relocated everything. It turned out that several of the backyards weren’t fenced off from each other, so she had her own little highway system—and yes, multiple yards had chickens. Surprisingly, she had zero interest in them. Honestly, we were impressed.
She showed up at the trap Wednesday night, sniffed around, then casually went back to her usual nap spot like, “Nice try, humans.” She stayed all night and then resumed her neighborhood tour the next morning.
When she ignored the food in the trap, we knew she was being fed elsewhere. Between the feeding and the chasing, we realized this could take a while. It started to feel very familiar—hello, Dune flashbacks. (For those who remember, he was on the run for eight weeks, plus an extra three weeks to trap him… because people kept feeding and chasing him. Sound familiar?)
So we did what we could: we stayed out there, educated people, and put up signs everywhere saying: “DO NOT ENGAGE OR FEED DOG! TRAPPING IN PROGRESS!”
Slowly but surely, people started listening.
Meanwhile, every time she was spotted, her tongue was hanging out, she was getting thinner, and the heat was relentless. We knew we had to act fast.
She visited the trap three more times over the next couple of days. We loaded it with food—inside, outside, under the door, across the threshold—you name it. She ate everything except the part that required actually going into the trap. It became very clear: she was not falling for the 72” trap.
So, we made the call to switch to the Missy trap.
On Sunday, Kathi brought her dog Sunny out along with a squeaky toy. Our girl showed interest and even followed them for a bit—progress!—but then got distracted when things got noisy again.
By this point, fewer people were chasing her, and Kim was getting steady calls with sightings. Things were finally starting to work in our favor.
On Monday, we saw her approach a man at the apartments. If he’d had food, he might have been able to secure her right then and there. We got permission to set up a trap at a nearby house, hoping the quieter setting would help.
It didn’t.
Too much activity again.
So we went back to our original (better) location plan.
Then came Tuesday morning—the turning point.
Kathi arrived early and spotted her. She grabbed a ball and started playing. And just like that, the dog engaged. She chased the ball, came close, took food from Kathi’s hand, and even allowed some petting. But the second a slip lead came into play? Nope. Not happening.
Enter Robert, a nearby resident who offered his fenced yard.
Kathi basically said, “We’re going for it,” ran toward the yard—and the dog followed her right in.
Game on.
Kathi managed to corner her and get a slip lead on. It was immediately obvious this dog had never been on a leash before. She rolled like an alligator trying to escape, but we were able to get a second slip lead on her and help her settle down in the corner. She was absolutely terrified, but never aggressive.
After about three hours of working with her and figuring out next steps, it was decided she would go to Oakland County Animal Shelter.
Getting her into the car? That was a team sport.
It took four people, three slip leads, and a towel under her belly to lift her in. But once inside—with the air conditioning on—she relaxed completely. Total angel.
She truly is an amazing girl. Sweet, gentle, just very scared. She received her vaccinations and is now safe. We’re hopeful a rescue will step up soon to place her in a foster home where she can finally decompress and learn what it means to be loved.
Kathi named her Diamond—and it fits perfectly.
We’ll continue to share updates as we get them.
A huge thank you to Farmington Hills PD, Corewell Security, Paige, Andrew, Gabby, Kimberly, Katie, Kristi, Morgan, Robert, and everyone who called in sightings, helped with signs, and supported this effort in any way.
This one truly took a village.
And now, thanks to that village—Diamond is safe, secure, and ready for her new beginning.
There are a couple videos in the comments
