Hi everyone, it’s Ayelet, board member here at Paws Give Me Purpose Inc. With the holiday season approaching and the temperature dropping, I wanted to share something with all of you.
About a week ago, I ran out of milk, so I took a quick walk around the corner to the CVS nearby to grab some. It started to rain as I walked and I wished I had taken an umbrella with me; it started out like any other day for me, until I approached CVS and outside was a homeless man. While this is very common in Philadelphia, this man wasn’t sitting there alone. He held an umbrella, not over his own head, but over the head of a Pit-bull sitting next to him. The cardboard sign he held up read, “Hi I’m Micah, my pet human and I have fallen on some hard times. Anything helps.”
My heart instantly shattered, Micah looked so much like Bailey here at Paws Give Me Purpose, the same color, those big eyes, pointed ears, it was uncanny. I thought I went to CVS for milk, but I bolted in there grabbing things like a maniac. Gloves, blankets, snacks that were both human and dog friendly, a bag of dog food, plastic bowls, bottles of water, gatorade, socks, I grabbed it all. I went outside to hand the bags to Micah and his owner and we talked about Pits and how sweet they really are. I gave him some pets and well wishes and I went off on my way. It wasn’t until I got home to my apartment that I realized, I had forgotten the milk.
I thought about Micah a lot this last week and wondered if I would ever see him and his owner again — well I did, and that day was today. I walked over to CVS to grab a few things and there they were sitting outside; Micah, a big baby sitting in his owner’s lap. I grabbed the things I needed and immediately grabbed some treats for Micah and some dried fruit for his owner. When I came out to give them their bag, I knelt down to Micah and he sniffed me for a moment, his tail began wagging happily and I received kisses as he wiggled out of his owner’s lap. My heart exploded he remembered me. It was that moment that I thought “I can’t believe this sweet baby is homeless, I can’t believe his owner who seems to love him so much is homeless”.
I ran home to do some googling and found out some alarming facts. According to Pets of the Homeless, 3.5 million Americans are homeless and 5-10% of them have a dog or cat. In some areas of the country, the rate is as high as 24%. Micah is not the only homeless dog in Philadelphia, and no matter where you are reading this, please know that there is very likely a homeless human with a four legged friend nearby.
So why am I sharing all of this with you? Because this holiday season I’m encouraging you all to give. Whether that’s leaving a saucer of milk out for that stray cat you see every day, getting a blanket for a homeless human being and/or asking a homeless pet owner what you can do for them and their pet. I know not everyone is in a position to give, but I promise that even an acknowledgement is very often appreciated — especially from our four legged friends.
If you or anyone you know does not live in a city area and would like to donate to the homeless and homeless pets, you can send over boxes of items to Paws Give Me Purpose with a note that says “Season of Giving”. If you would like to send over a donation for us to purchase items for them, please make sure to notate that it is for “Season of Giving” and we will grab toys, food and blankets as well as make sure that your donation is given to a nearby shelter so that people and animals like Micah and his owner will receive them.
Paws Give Me Purpose Inc.
2 Jade Lane
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002