Kind Homeless Man Helps Out An Abandoned Dog In Need
Some of the most moving stories start with a small act of kindness, and this one begins with a homeless man holding a tiny Chihuahua close on a cold day in Salt Lake City. The dog had been abandoned on the side of the road, but Ron refused to leave him behind, wrapping him in a blanket and keeping him safe while he sat by a freeway exit asking for help.
That is how Angel Janes first noticed him. She stopped to offer him a cigarette, saw the little dog in his lap, and quickly realized this was not just a man asking for money or work, but someone doing everything he could to care for an animal that needed him.
What happened next helped both of them in ways neither expected. Read on.
The man, named Ron, asked if she could give the dog a loving home.
He said he had spotted a woman dumping the dog out of her car onto the busy highway only hours earlier, and fearing for its safety, Ron scooped it up.
"Just in this brief time we spoke, I was inspired by this heartfelt person," Janes said in an interview. "He was just trying to do right so this dog 'wasn’t homeless like me.'" It was clear that the dog was in loving hands, but Ron admitted the dog deserved more than what he could offer.
Although she was unable to rehome the dog herself, Janes did what she could to find him a home.
She shared the story with her friends on Facebook, and from there, Kathleen Dallmann reposted it onto a page for local animal lovers, informing everyone where Ron and the dog could be found.
"A few minutes after I posted it, a lady was on her way to pick up the dog to foster him," Dallmann said. "She offered Ron $50 as a show of her gratitude for keeping him safe. He said, 'No, I just wanted to do the right thing.' But she insisted he take it."
It was obvious to everyone that all Ron cared about was helping the little pup have a better life and a loving home.
"He was in tears because he was able to help the dog find a home," Dallmann recounted. "He said he knew what it was like to be homeless, and he didn’t want the dog to be homeless." And then, everything began to change for the better...
That small moment turned into something much bigger.
Things got better for the dog, and for Ron too!
The woman who picked up the Chihuahua was prepared to foster him for as long as it took to find him a home, but that didn't take long at all! A woman named Casity Guyer and her daughter heard about the dog and immediately wanted to meet him. They hit it off and adopted him, naming him "Lucky Louie."
"He is doing really well," Guyer said, adding that Lucky Louie can now feel safe. "He's not going anywhere."
But what about Ron?
Lucky Louie's adoption was the icing on the cake for everyone, but the story isn't over yet.
"I was so happy that things had worked out for the dog, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Ron," Dallmann said. "He didn’t even have a place for himself. So, I started a GoFundMe page for him. I didn’t know if anyone would donate, but after getting the word out, it reached $500."
The fundraiser is still ongoing, but so far, Dallmann has withdrawn around $400 to give to Ron.
"He was in tears," Dallmann said. "He couldn’t believe that the community would do something so nice for him. When I handed him the money, he wanted some of it to go to the dog’s care. But I told him it was just for him."
Ron has spoken with Dallmann about how he came to fall on hard times, and she believes in him and thinks that his desire to find a stable job and turn his life around will come to fruition. He used the funds he received to get off the street for the night and to buy a cell phone so that he can stay connected and seek out job opportunities.
The community response kept the story moving.
Here is the video of Ron after he received the money donated by the community. He was so thankful!
Ron has spoken with Dallmann about how he came to fall on hard times, and she believes in him and thinks that his desire to find a stable job and turn his life around will come to fruition. He used the funds he received to get off the street for the night and to buy a cell phone so that he can stay connected and seek out job opportunities. "Having a phone can significantly improve one's chances of finding employment, as it allows for better communication and access to resources," said Dr. Susan David, an expert in emotional agility. "Everyone deserves a second chance, just like the dog."
If you'd like to support Ron or connect with Kathleen Dallmann, please visit this link.
For the moment a lone woman followed a mysterious cry and found a wounded puppy in snow, read this.
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