Veteran ends up homeless, Pender Co. shelter helps him keep his dog

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — It’s an ongoing problem, according to the Pender County Animal Shelter Manager Jewell Horton, they’ve seen people struggle since Hurricane Florence to find housing, housing that will accept pets or ones with affordable pet fees.

“While we haven’t seen a huge change in that recently, all through COVID we have had a lot of people who have faced housing challenges with their animals,” Horton said. “For us, it’s heartbreaking when a family has to make a choice of do I keep a pet or do I have to go and move somewhere and leave my pet behind?”

When people find themselves in these situations, Horton said there seems to be a lot of judgment on social media, claiming they would never leave their animal behind and would do anything to stay with their animals.

“I always say, until you’ve walked a mile in somebody’s shoes you can’t judge them. It is incredibly hard to find housing that allows for pets now. If you can, it’s not always affordable,” she said. “Rental properties period have skyrocketed in the last few years, then when you add in pet deposits and a monthly fee, it is a lot. Then you start talking about size and breed restrictions, it’s a huge challenge and there’s not a lot of resources.”

One dog that recently found its way to the shelter is named Deacon. His owner is a veteran that lost his home, ending up at the Good Shepherd Center in Wilmington. Horton said it was obvious the dog was well-loved and well-taken care of from the start.

The day after Deacon arrived at the shelter, the veteran showed up tearfully pleading that they wait to re-home Deacon for a couple of months until he could find a place to live. Unfortunately, as a municipal shelter, that’s not something Horton could do.

“He just asked if he could take Deacon on one last walk and say goodbye. He had all of us in shambles…he just…I mean, what do you do? It could be any of us. It could be our family members,” Horton said.

Eager to help, Horton made a call to a local, veteran-owned rescue. She explained the situation and asked if they had space for Deacon. Although the county couldn’t help pay for his stay, she said she would help figure out the funding to keep him there if necessary.

The rescue told her not to worry about the money and they would absolutely take care of Deacon for a few months until the veteran was able to get back on his feet.

More than a shelter, Horton said this is why they do what they do. They want more than anything to get animals back to their loving homes. Reuniting is always the goal if possible, adoption is second.

“We can’t help everybody, but we definitely made a difference in that situation,” Horton said.

The veteran and the rescue that came to the rescue wanted to remain anonymous, but Horton said the veteran has been able to visit Deacon regularly and the pup is doing very well.

After posting about the situation on social media, Horton said there were a lot of people that came forward wanting to help people who find themselves in similar situations, needing someone to care for their animal for a few months until they can stabilize their situation.

“That’s not something that the county can necessarily get involved with but I really hope that somebody sees that on there and maybe can run with that,” Horton said. “Maybe one of these non-profits or something and can make a network of people that can help people in that situation because it’s not just that gentleman and Deacon. There are so many people.”

If you would like to sponsor an animal or would like more information on the Pender County Animal Shelter, visit their Facebook page.