Jose was a Gulf War Era Navy veteran who found himself facing hard times and needed a helping hand. After losing his job, facing a divorce and ultimately becoming homeless, the only thing good in his life was his two Jack Russell terriers, Lady and Copper. Jose contacted Dogs on Deployment to help him find a foster home for his dogs while he enrolled into the Veteran Affairs Department’s Job Rehabilitation Program. We shared his plight, and the call to help a homeless veteran and his dogs brought forth amazing support.
Lady and Copper’s photo shared across social media sites to try to find a suitable foster home.
Another veteran who empathized with Jose’s situation offered her home not only to Lady and Copper, but also to Jose. The local news channel WTKR 3 covered this generosity on their segment, “It’s the Good News†and gifted Jose and the volunteer one month of rent. Unfortunately, Lady and Copper proved to not be dog friendly and could not be housed with the volunteer’s dog long term. Once Jose enrolled into the Veteran Affairs Department’s Homeless Shelter, he had to find another foster.
Because of the dogs’ heightened stress of a constantly changing environment combined with their senior age and health concerns, it was important to find a stable living situation for them. In order to ensure Jose could keep his dogs and in the best interest of Lady and Copper, Dogs on Deployment sponsored their stay at Holly Ridge Manor and Let’s Go Pet Care for over a month until a suitable foster home could be found. Dogs on Deployment partnered with another military pet foster group, Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet, in order to find the best home for them until Jose could afford a home of his own.
As of January 2013, Jose has been able to afford an apartment, hold a steady job and care for his two dogs. We’re very happy for his reunion and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
