Nikki walked alone in the rain in Detroit with a stuffed animal between her teeth.
Some time earlier, she had happily walked alongside her owner, but he died unexpectedly, leaving the German shepherd all alone. Unable to understand his absence, she began wandering the streets, clinging to the only object that connected her to home. When rescuer Gail Montgomery and her team finally managed to catch her after several days of searching, Nikki refused to let it go—not even inside the rescue vehicle.
At the shelter, veterinarians found heartworms, stomach damage from eating plastic, stones, and twigs to ease her hunger, and deep depression. While they stabilized her, the volunteers washed and stitched up the stuffed animal and gave it back to her. Nikki curled up on it and slept for the first time in weeks. Her story went around the world, stuffed animals and donations poured in from everywhere, and the Christiansens, who took her in while she recovered, eventually adopted her for good.
