After helping save the life of a sick kitten, a stray dog named Bret Michaels has found a new home -- with rock star Bret Michaels.
Bret, a 6-year-old Husky, caught the attention of the Poison frontman following a viral media post from the Nebraska Humane Society that detailed how the pup saved the life of a kitten by donating his blood. The kitten, who had been brought in as a stray with its siblings, was suffering from flea anemia.
“Dr. [Katie] James, one of our veterinarians, remembered a little trick that canine blood can be transfused into a cat,” Alec Rose, a digital marketing manager for Nebraska Humane Society, told “Good Morning America.” “That's where Bret Michaels [the dog] came in because we knew the kitten needed a blood transfusion, and we knew we didn't have time to find a suitable feline donor. Dr. James remembered that Bret Michaels had just had bloodwork done the other day and had pretty healthy levels, so they knew that he would be a suitable donor without needing to do any extra testing.”
After two blood transfusions, Thorn, who is named after Poison’s hit 1988 single, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” is doing better, and Dr. James is fostering the kitten along with two of its feline friends, Bop and Star, also named after Poison songs, “Unskinny Bop” and “Shooting Star.”
James plans on fostering the cats until they are old enough to be adopted, according to Rose.
Rose said they decided to share the story of Bret Michaels, the dog, on the shelter’s social media pages, and that’s where Bret Michaels of Poison saw it.
"I was immediately moved by the incredible story of Bret Michaels (the husky) saving the life of Thorn the kitten with the blood transfusion at the Nebraska Humane Society and could not have been more honored to adopt him,” Michaels said in a statement to ABC News. “I've had pets ever since I was a child. Being diagnosed with type one diabetes at the age of six, it is family & friends, along with pets, music, sports and incredible fans that have kept my spirits rocking. I couldn't work fast enough to adopt this husky and extend the awesome quality of little Bret Jr's life."
After his team reached out to the Nebraska Humane Society, Michaels adopted the husky mix on Saturday.
Since Michaels is currently on his “Parti-Gras Tour,” he has yet to meet the pup in person, but Rose said the rocker knew he wanted to make sure the husky mix was adopted as soon as possible.
“He didn't want him sitting here in the shelter for any longer. So he sent a friend of his here on Saturday to get him,” Rose said.
In an Instagram post, Michaels introduced the husky mix to his fans and followers, writing, “My friends - meet li’l Bret Michaels, the husky and also Roses & Thorn, the kitten he saved 🐈 along with the incredible human beings & staff that worked so hard to save & improve pet lives.”
“It takes a village of awesomeness & now I have a new mission…to find an incredible home for the kitten!” Michaels added.
Rose said the viral response to the story of Bret Michaels, the dog, and musician Michaels’ interest in adopting him was a surprise, to say the least.
“We couldn't have anticipated that it would have that response. I remember as we were in the vet office taking pictures of the transfusion happening and talking about, ‘Oh, we'll post this on social media,’ I remember making a comment along the lines of ‘Wouldn't it be cool if Bret Michaels saw the story?’ And then, three days later, I'm like, ‘I called it!’” Rose recalled.
Rose hopes the Husky’s story inspires others to consider animal adoption.
“Taking home a shelter dog has a lot of benefits, not just for the dog but for you as well,” Rose said. “If you have space in your home and in your heart to take home a rescue pup, I'm sure they would very much appreciate it.”
As for how Bret Michaels, the dog, got his name in the first place, according to Rose, it was from the good Samaritan who found him and brought him to the Humane Society.
“We were in the middle of picking some rock star-themed names for a lot of our animals. And it just so happened that the person that brought him in was named Bret Michaels. So it just fit,” Rose said of the dog’s name.
