Bright Point Rescue

Today we learned that we lost a very special dog who was loved by so many but no one more than his family. As many of you may remember, Dre was the very first dog rescued by PROUD Detroit (which later became Bright Point Rescue). His sweet face was on our original logo (which meant he was also on all of our PROUD Detroit apparel).

On January 29, 2015, Dre was found running down West Grand Boulevard in southwest Detroit. I received a call from a concerned person who had witnessed him running in the street and was worried that he would be hit by a car. My son and I immediately headed out to find him. It was a cold day in Michigan and Dre was hungry. It didn't take much to get him into the car - just a little canned food and some gentle encouragement.

We fostered Dre, who ultimately caught the attention of a wonderful family who would end up being his adopters and forever guardians. This boy went from an underweight and dirty street dog with no one to love him to a pampered pooch who enjoyed living on the Detroit River, taking boat rides, going on many adventures, and being so very loved for every one of the rest of his days. What a blessed boy he was.

Dre will always be one of my favorite rescue tales for so many reasons. His "happily ever after" story is the type of outcome we wish for all dogs - to have someone to love and care for them for all of their days.

Our hearts go out to Dre's family. We share in your heartbreak but we are so glad that Dre had you to love him. Thank you for choosing him. Thank you for loving him. We will cherish the memories. 💙

Dear friends and supporters, it’s time for an announcement that I’ve been dreading. Late last year, we stopped doing intakes and halted our outreach work. A medical issue forced me to take a break from rescue and focus on my health.

As those of us in rescue know, rescuers’ roles are very reactive. When there is a need - for rescue, for vetting, for action of any kind - it typically needs to be done immediately. I have spent years dropping what I was doing to assist animals in need and have loved (nearly) every minute of it. I rescued independently for years prior to officially starting PROUD Detroit in 2015, which later became Bright Point Rescue.

Unfortunately, I am unable to continue the task of operating Bright Point Rescue due to health issues. This realization makes me incredibly sad, as I love the work we do at BPR, but there is a time to prioritize one’s own needs and, for me, that time is now.

The animals that were in our care when we hit “pause” have been adopted. We provided some spay and neuter services in the community to spend down remaining funds. Our supplies were donated to groups that we’ve worked with through the years and outreach supplies were delivered to those in need in our community. If you gave in any way, rest assured that your gifts benefited animals in need in our community.

I want to thank each and every one of you who have supported us through the years, whether you shared our posts, called for assistance for an animal in need, donated to our mission, volunteered, fostered, and/or adopted a PROUD Detroit or Bright Point Rescue animal. So many lives (canine, feline, AND human!) have been enhanced thanks to the work that we have done together. Together we have saved lives and taken some pathetic “before” stories and turned them into awesome ever “after” stories. I will miss having such a large part in those transformations.

Please know that the need is great and there are countless ways to make a difference to animals in need. Volunteers, fosters, donors, and adopters are desperately needed throughout the animal rescue community. If you are interested in giving your time, talent and/or treasure, we recommend some of our favorites: Dog Aide, Friends of the River Rouge Animal Shelter, TAILS, The PAWS Clinic, NW Detroit Blessing Boxes, and Detroiters Helping Each Other are just a few of the amazing organizations improving the lives of so many animals through outreach, rescue, and other services.

I was going to post a bunch of pics to show the animals we've helped through the years, but I decided to just post some of the ones that became mine and let supporters share their own stories. If you would like to share your story about fostering, adopting, or working with PROUD Detroit/Bright Point Rescue to save an animal, we would love that - please drop it in the comments along with a pic.

Thank you for making our past 11 years wonderful and for making such a difference to so many. ❤️

With gratitude,

Niki and all of us at BPR