Last August, in a neighborhood near Detroit, a young puppy’s life nearly ended before it had truly begun. Just 7 months old, the pup was found lying in a cardboard box, battered and barely clinging to life. His head was grotesquely swollen, and he could barely move. The Good Samaritans who found him took him to local police, who then contacted Detroit Pit Crew Dog Rescue (DPC) — an organization known for rescuing the most desperate of cases.
“He didn’t even look like a dog — I truly could not believe it,” said Theresa Sumpter, founder of DPC. “He looked like a little Frankenstein.”
They named him Courage.
At the vet, the full extent of Courage’s injuries was revealed. His jaw was broken, the bone under his eye cracked, and the infection in his head raised fears of permanent brain damage. It was clear that he had been beaten and then dumped like trash.
Still, DPC refused to give up on him — and neither did Lisa Rettino, the woman who would later become Courage’s forever mom.
Lisa and her husband, already parents to two rescue dogs, saw Courage’s story on Facebook and felt immediately connected.
“If this little guy pulls through,” Lisa’s husband said, “we’ll take him — no matter what his special needs are.”
Courage defied the odds. After weeks of treatment and recovery, he went home with the Rettinos through a foster-to-adopt program.
Despite everything he’d endured, Courage was gentle, trusting, and full of love.
“He immediately decided I was his person,” Lisa said. “He followed me everywhere like a little duckling.”
He also bonded deeply with the Rettinos’ other dogs — especially Gracie, who became like a mother to him.
“She let him do anything. He’d walk under her, bite at her paws, and she’d just lick him and let him be,” Lisa laughed.
At first, Courage didn’t even know what toys were. But with time, he learned how to play, run, and just be a dog. He even learned fetch and tug-of-war.
What surprised Lisa most was how Courage held no fear or resentment from his past. No signs of trauma. No fear of people. Just love.
“He’s the happiest dog I’ve ever had,” she said. “He wakes up with his tail wagging and just wants to be loved.”
In January, one of his legs had to be amputated due to lingering injuries, but once again, Courage bounced back — literally.
Now, he zooms around the yard, full of life and energy.
“He’s your typical pittie now,” Lisa said. “All puppy, all the time.”
Courage’s story is a testament to the power of compassion, the resilience of animals, and the healing that comes from love. Despite the horror he survived, Courage now lives every day with joy — a reminder that even in the darkest moments, hope is possible.