Homeless with a Dog

If you were homeless and living with your dog in your car and the temperature was predicted to drop to zero, would you give up your dog to go into a shelter?

Before you say, of course! think about it.

***

You and the dog have been together for a long time, four or five years. The dog sleeps with you every night, curls up next to you, keeps you warm, waking only when he senses something amiss outside the car. A noise, a person approaching, the police.

The other folks living in cars near yours know your dog and call him by his name. Sometimes, in the summer, they play fetch with him. He wags his tail at everyone, but they all know he’s your dog. Your true dog. Your family actually.

Your dog likes whatever food you offer, sits in the passenger seat and eats part of your burger from McDonald’s, never trying to make a grab for the fries, just waiting patiently for his portion. You buy kibble at the gas station when you can and always stay on the lookout for food he might like. You’ve even scraped up the money to take him to the vet for his rabies shot and to get checked out. You don’t go to the doctor, but you make sure he does.

You take your dog for walks when it’s nice out. People stop to pet him, tell you what a great dog he is, and, in that moment, you feel like you could be that person’s neighbor, someone normal with a house and a yard just out walking his dog like normal people do. The dog makes you feel like you could belong somewhere besides in a car with a bunch of other people living in their cars. Like you have a future maybe.

Because of all these things, you decide that it isn’t worth it to go into a shelter that won’t allow dogs. You decide to just stick it out. Get more blankets from somewhere and hunker down for a week of zero-degree weather. You decide staying together is more important than being warm. So, you take that risk, but the people offering shelter think you’re crazy. And you think they’re right. But that doesn’t change anything.

***

You probably feel the same way about your own dog. You just never had to decide between keeping your dog or a having a warm place to stay. It’s a terrible choice to have to make.