Homeless Man Saves 5 Stray Puppies — 'I Just Want Them To Be Given A Chance'
His selfless act of kindness resonated with the community.
Caio / Pexels An animal shelter in Fayetteville, North Carolina, received five surprise guests, dropped off by an anonymous man who wanted to help in the only way he knew how.
A homeless man saved 5 stray puppies from being abandoned and brought them to the local animal rescue.
The Fayetteville Animal Protection Society shared the note that accompanied the litter of puppies, which was written by the anonymous homeless man who rescued them. The man explained that he fed the puppies’ mom whenever he was able until he discovered that she’d been the victim of a tragic accident.
“Please help,” the note read. “I found these puppies sadly after noticing a local stray dog, that I would often feed when I could, dead by the road … She had been hit by a car.”
“I knew from feeding her she had puppies somewhere, and finally after searching where I would usually see her, I found them,” the note continued.
The man apologized for not being able to take care of the puppies, but his own dire circumstances meant he struggled to survive, too.
“I’m sorry for leaving them like this, but I myself am homeless and cannot afford to care for them,” he revealed. “I just want them to be given a chance, [that] their mother, like myself, was never given,” he wrote.
Photo : Soumyadip Adak / Pexels
“Please do not think poorly of me, but it felt wrong leaving them in the cold waiting on a mother that would not be coming home,” the man concluded, before he signed off, “Sincerely, a homeless man.”
A report from the National Alliance To End Homelessness analyzed the most recent data on homelessness rates until 2022, finding that rates of homelessness have been rising since 2017, with an increase of 6%. The report found that 582,462 people were experiencing homelessness, which comes to about 18 out of every 10,000 people.
While shelter systems work tirelessly to find beds for homeless individuals, the report noted that 40% of people who are homeless live unsheltered. People who are chronically homeless are unsheltered at an even higher percentage — 62%.
The contributing factors to homelessness are complex and varied. The report revealed that 22% of the homeless population in the U.S. are chronically homeless, meaning that they’ve experienced long-term or repeated incidents of not having shelter. Six percent are veterans and 5% are youth under 25 years old.
For a person experiencing extreme hardship to help another living creature in trouble is a symbol of hope in a hard world.
The man’s act of kindness didn’t go unnoticed. The Fayetteville Animal Protection Society noted that they’d received multiple offers to help the anonymous man if he decides to come forward.
The puppies — named Chance, Fate, Serendipity, Kismet, and Fortune — were named to acknowledge the good deed that saved their lives. They’re available for adoption, all thanks to one man’s selflessness.
One can only hope that as the puppies find their forever homes, the man who rescued them also finds a place to call his own.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.