"It looked like they tried to kill her," said Sarah Birkel about Friday's attack on her 14-year-old dog that occurred when someone broke into her home in Hamtramck.
When Birkel, a caregiver, returned home from work early Friday evening, she opened her front door and noticed an odor that smelled like bleach.
She then noticed her back door was open, the light was on in her bedroom, and some kind of substance was caked on Abbey.
Birkel quickly realized that there was a large stain on the kitchen floor and an empty bottle of Drano nearby.
The intruder, or intruders, had doused the senior dog with the Drano.
Abbey was also limping. And Birkel noticed that the broom was broken. It appears it had been used to assault Abbey.
The thief got away with Birkel's jewelry that was in a jewelry box in her bedroom.
The rest of the room had been ransacked. And as heartbreaking as Abbey's injuries are, Birkel fears what else could have happened.
"If the Drano wasn't back there, would they have taken a knife and slit her throat and stabbed her?"
Birkel rushed Abbey to an emergency veterinarian where immediate care included the flushing of Abbey's eyes, a bath, and treatment for corneal ulcers caused by the chemical burns.
Birkel is now providing around the clock care for her beloved dog that includes medication for her eyes, possible internal damage, and pain.
There is a $2,500 reward for information that leads to the person who assaulted the dog.
Anyone with any information is urged to call Hamtramck Police at 313-876-7800.
