BY JACK MUELLER
Clarkston News Intern

We’ve all been there – panic swarms us as a little hole in the fence combines with the perfect escape plan for your favorite four-legged friend.

Usually the kids start by crying, fearful Buddy or Lucky aren’t going to come back. Fortunately for Metro Detroit dog lovers, Michael James, along with his crew at Lending a Helping Paw Dog Rescue, are superheroes in this field as they specialize in finding and capturing free-roaming pups.
You likely saw the thousand-plus posters pasted all around town, “Lost, Fearful Dog.” Jack, as he is now known as, is a youthful four-year-old Maltese/Yorkie mix.
He was seen several times within Clarkston and Lake Orion, but his horrid past created a sense of fear in Jack, and he became difficult to capture.
When dogs are fearful, they will avoid people at all times and at just eight pounds, reeling Jack in was a difficult feat due to his ability to slip through crevices.
James and Lynn Sprietzer Fiedor were the lead trappers on this case.
Once in good hands, James and his team then brought Jack to the vet to ensure his safety. There, he was found to be disease-free despite the two and a half months of roaming the area.
Jack was scanned for a microchip, but none was found and still to this day no owner has stepped up.
The people of Lending a Helping Paw generously used their funds to get Jack his vaccines and a place to stay.
The pint-sized pup is still in the process of getting to full health and will be up for adoption in due time, still with a road to full recovery ahead.