05/24/2026
Our hearts are broken, but in honor of her, we won’t stop giving the hard ones the chance they deserve.
We lost Isabella this week. She never found the perfect, permanent home, but one thing I can tell you, she had a home in the dozens of hearts who loved her most here at
For over two years, our team loved her and we kept her safe. We washed her purple unicorn that she trusted and loved and we kept trying.
We taught her every thing we knew, we managed her behavior, we showed her the world. Isabella gave us every effort she could.
However, her behavior management was never able to transfer into a home successfully. Despite special foster homes, her resource guarding and behavioral issues proved unsafe for Isabella and those who loved her.
The shelter is a highly managed place with a trained team. The general public, even those trained in animal behavior and psychology based training, doesn’t always compare.
Continuing to ask Isabella to meet us at a place of safety she couldn’t reach was unfair and her quality of life and frustrations continued.
Dogs aren’t meant to spend their whole lives in shelters.
If we could have loved Isabella healthy we would have, but sometimes that’s not the way the story is supposed to go. Isabella was home with us at and she learned so much. The truth is, I think she’s teaching us more right now. Sometimes, letting go is the biggest act of love. Sometimes working through our own hurt, so we don’t hurt the animals we love by mistake, is compassion.
Responsible euthanasia isn’t a dirty act at Detroit Dog Rescue. I never want to hide their lives or market promises that aren’t true. In a world full of click bait that uses just a moment of a rescue story to try and sell us that narrative that every story can be a success, I understand we shoulder the responsibility of the truth in rescue here in Detroit.
No-kill means that we save at least 90% of the treatable animals that come through our doors. At Detroit Dog Rescue, where we don’t really have the option to turn dogs away or only hand pick who we save, it also means we work damn hard to give the tough ones a chance. It’s often a long process with a lot of planning and thought.
I’ve always shared with my team that No-Kill also means the adopters, volunteers, and the public who trusts us as animal experts, don’t get killed or hurt either, and that both, dogs and their adopters, are set up for a successful quality of life. There are two ends of the leash that we are responsible for. If we really love the “rescue breed” then we also must shoulder the responsibility of reality.
I also believe that there are two ways to see reality. Isabella was never going to thrive in a home, but the truth is, she was home. Detroit Dog Rescue became home. It wasn’t the walls, the kennels, or the yard she called home. In her reality, it was the patience, the compassion, the gentle touch, and the understanding each volunteer gave her for years.
Everyone here let Isabella be exactly who she was while keeping her behavior managed. She knew love, she knew kindness, and she knew safety.
Euthanasia isn’t a dirty act when it’s done with thought, love and compassion. Giving up without a chance to learn from each other is far worse.
Fly high with all the purple unicorns stuffies, sweet girl. We’re still so proud of you. You were always meant to GO BE GREAT. 🦄 💜
Kristina Millman-Rinaldi
Detroit Dog Rescue
Executive Director
