Former shelter dog helps save girl, 3, found in Mich. field

DETROIT — Almost one year ago, "Petunia" arrived at a Michigan animal shelter with broken legs, broken ribs and a stomach full of carpet. This week, the dog is credited with saving a 3-year-old girl's life.

The former shelter dog — now named "Peanut" by her new family — was adopted from the Delta Animal Shelter in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Delta Animal Shelter, based in Escanaba, Mich., shared an image on Facebook of Peanut on Monday with a letter written by her new family that has since been shared more than 2,600 times as of early Wednesday afternoon.

The letter, written by an unnamed woman, said Peanut was "going crazy" one morning at the family's house, "running up and down the stairs barking and yelping." The woman said her husband took Peanut outside, where she started "barreling" into the field behind their house at full speed.

There, the man found the 3-year-old girl alone and curled up in a ball, naked and shivering near Rapid River, Mich., in Delta County. Rapid River is about 419 miles northwest of Detroit and about 125 miles northeast of Green Bay, Wis.

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"He scooped her up, wrapped her in his sweatshirt, and brought her inside," the woman wrote. "He called 911 and reported the incident. By the time the ambulance and police arrived, the little girl could only say one thing — 'doggie.' "

The Delta County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the story and said the girl is OK, according to the Associated Press. Authorities say they found the parents nearby in a residence with “unsafe and unsanitary living conditions.”

The girl and another young girl were removed from the home. Prosecutors are reviewing the case.

"Thanks to Peanut, a little girls (sic) life was saved today," the woman wrote. "She has been such a blessing to us, and now to others. Words cannot express how grateful we are that we have Peanut in our lives and how amazing she is. She is a part of our family now and thanks to wonderful people like you at the shelter, she is alive. Without her, not only would she have been gone from this world, but the life of this little girl might have been taken as well."

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Brian Manzullo on Twitter: @BrianManzullo

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