Becky Jones is seeking answers and justice for her 16-year-old teacup Yorkie named Ellie, which Jones says was stolen from her Warren driveway Oct. 12 and suffered what appears to be chemical burns before being dropped off at an emergency veterinary clinic days later.
Jones said Ellie dropped a pound from her usual 5 to 6 pound weight when the clinic in Warren received her.
But Ellie is bouncing back, up to 5.7 pounds, and may be able to go home Friday, Oct. 23, after being treated at an Oakland County veterinary hospital.
"She started eating yesterday and she's been eating really well and walking round the clinic and she's looking really good," Jones said of Ellie on Thursday, Oct. 22.
Warren Police Lt. John Gajewski said police have an open investigation
into the incident, and a detective has been assigned to the case.
Mia Freedman, a veterinary technician at UrgentVet Warren at 13 Mile and Mound roads in Warren said she was working the day that Ellie was brought in and did the intake, but she was unable to comment because of the ongoing police investigation.
Jones said a woman dropped off Ellie at the Warren clinic saying the dog had been hit by a car. She said the woman's description is similar to the description of the woman who her neighbor saw get out of the passenger seat of a car and take Ellie from Jones' driveway on Marsha Place days earlier.
Gajewski said the clinic did not obtain contact information for the person who brought in the dog.
Dr. Kari Beer, an emergency and critical care specialist at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services in Bloomfield Hills who has been helping to treat Ellie, said Ellie came to the hospital with a low temperature, low blood pressure, low blood sugar and wound on her back and trunk that were not typical and almost looked like a burn.
Beer said the wound was red and inflamed, and Ellie had lost all of the hair over the top of her trunk. She said Ellie's owners shared recent photos of Ellie, in which Beer said Ellie looked like a normal, yet older, Yorkie.
Beer said Ellie was given sugar supplements, heat support and wound care and responded quickly to the supportive care.
She said it looks like something was applied to Ellie's skin, creating a chemical burn with severe inflammation. She hoped the application or chemical burn was an accident and not malicious, "but you just never know."
Beer said Ellie will need some wound care once released, but overall, she's happy with how she has improved, saying it was "touch and go at the start." She said Ellie may have a scar and loss of hair, but the tiny pup is enjoying wearing a sweater.
"She's a tough little cookie," Beer said.
Jones said the cost of Ellie's total care could reach $16,000. Nearly $6,000 has been raised through a GoFundMe that Jones said was organized by her friend. Beer said donations also have been coming into the hospital and that Jones has been appreciative.
"We see a lot of hard things in veterinary medicine," Beer said, "it's nice to see good things."
Jones, 63, said she and her husband were in the backyard watching Monday Night Football when her husband went to take the trash to the street. Their other Yorkie, Lola, usually follows him to the road, Jones said, but Ellie doesn't.
Jones said she was in the garage and her husband returned from taking out the trash when he got a phone call from their neighbor asking if they had their dog because his wife thought the dog was stolen.
Then, Jones said, they couldn't find Ellie. She said they went up and down the street, knocking on doors to find her without success.
Jones said she was told by her neighbor that a car pulled up, a woman got out of the front passenger side of the dark-colored sedan, ran onto the driveway, grabbed the dog and took off. Jones said she and her husband didn't see anything as it was dark. She said the overhead garage door was open, but a van parked in the driveway blocked their view.
She said there were posts about her missing dog on social media as well as a $1,000 reward, and on Oct. 16 she said that she posted that the police were investigating.
The next day, Jones said she got a call from the emergency clinic in Warren that a woman brought in Ellie and that the dog was in critical condition. Jones said she was told that a Good Samaritan brought Ellie in because she had been hit by a car. Jones said Ellie was identified through a microchip.
Jones said she kept Ellie wrapped in a blanket and plastic pad and talked with her on the way to the veterinary hospital in Oakland County. Once there, Jones said, she was told that Ellie more than likely had no food or water and been kept outside.
"There's more than one person out there who knows what happened," Jones said, adding: "They should be held accountable."
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 586-574-4841.
Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan woman says dog was stolen, had chemical burns before return
