Dog Who Finds Newborn Abandoned on Porch Receives PETA Award

Second Heroic Mutt in the Area in the Past Three Months

For Immediate Release:
June 2, 2014

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Sometime after 4 a.m. on Sunday, May 25, Port Huron resident Leslie Green took her dog Ruby Mae outside. The dog went straight to the neighbor’s porch, where someone had abandoned a newborn baby who was wrapped in bloody blankets and whose umbilical cord was still attached. Authorities who tended to the child—whose body temperature was reportedly dangerously low—believe he would have died if he had been discovered much later. For saving the baby’s life, Ruby Mae will receive a Heroic Mutt Award from PETA.

This is the second time in three months that PETA has awarded a heroic dog in Michigan. In March, a dog in the Detroit area received a similar award for alerting his guardian that a burner on the gas stove had been left on with no flame.

“Dogs are more than our best friends—they can be our heroes, too,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA hopes this incident will inspire people to value their animal companions, because each one has the potential to make a dramatic difference in our lives, just like Ruby Mae.”

PETA is sending Ruby Mae a framed certificate and a “doggie” bag containing an eco-friendly squeaky toy, a Nylabone, a comfortable harness to wear on walks, and a box of vegan dog treats.

PETA’s gift basket is an acknowledgment of the many rewards of sharing our lives with animal companions—and the importance of acknowledging their devotion by becoming the best guardians possible. The group encourages anyone with the time, willingness, ability, and resources to care for a dog properly to adopt from a shelter, rather than contributing to the homeless-animal crisis by buying from a breeder or a pet store.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.