Wounded pup's tale inspires people to help
Dog shot during owners murder gets vet bills covered.
IVORY POINSETT knows there are bad people in this world and she knows there are bad people right here in Philadelphia.
She knows this because one of them killed her brother last month and has yet to be caught.
But after Poinsett shared her brother's story - and the story of his dog, Rhino, who survived being shot during her brother's murder - Poinsett knows there are a lot of good people in Philly too, some of whom stepped up to cover Rhino's $2,800 vet bill last week after reading his story.
"The person who killed my brother is still out there - you have people like that out there - but you have a lot of good people out there too," Poinsett said. "The overwhelming support has been truly amazing."
Poinsett's brother, Nakia Pyatt, 41, was shot to death Jan. 16 after a masked gunman kicked down the door of his Frankford apartment. Police have listed the motive for the shooting as robbery, but have not identified or arrested any suspects.
On the night of Pyatt's murder, Rhino, his 7-month-old boxer-pit bull mix, was shot in the groin by the intruder. Following the chaos, Rhino hid under Pyatt's bed while investigators and Pyatt's family milled about his apartment.
It took six hours for Rhino to emerge from under the bed, surprising everyone at the scene. Poinsett, 37, believes that the dog was shot while trying to protect her brother.
Given her brother's love for his dog, and the dog's love for her brother, Poinsett agreed to adopt Rhino, even though the vet bills for his bullet wound were estimated at around $2,800.
Poinsett took out a loan to pay the first $1,100, and she set up a GoFundMe page to try to raise the rest of the money.
After Poinsett shared her story with the Daily News on Friday and with other news outlets over the weekend, she was able to raise the full amount needed to fund Rhino's recovery.
"The one thing I've been telling everybody is that with everything going on in Philadelphia, it's a wonderful feeling to know that there are a lot of people who are very supportive here," Poinsett said.
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