At 4 in the morning, with nowhere else to turn, a newly homeless man named Curtis wrapped a blanket around his injured pit bull and lay down beside her on the cold concrete outside a vet clinic, refusing to leave her side until help arrived.
The pup, a sweet and playful pittie named Princess, had been hit by a car one night in May.
With no money for an emergency vet visit, Curtis knew his only option was Angels of Assisi, a nonprofit shelter in Roanoke, Virginia, that offers accessible veterinary care to families who need it most.
So the two of them camped outside the clinic’s doorstep for hours, waiting for the doors to open, unaware that a security camera was quietly capturing every moment of his devotion.
“Folks will go to great lengths to help their animals,” said Lisa O’Neill, executive director of Angels of Assisi.
For Curtis, there was never really a choice to make. “I felt that was my duty,” he told The Dodo. “Ain’t no ifs, ands or buts. I found it necessary to console my dog at that time. Princess means a whole lot to me. We’re inseparable family.”
When the clinic opened, staff rushed Princess in immediately. She could barely walk, one of her front legs was dislocated and her teeth were injured.
The team managed to pop the leg back into place without surgery, though Princess is still healing from nerve damage in her back legs. True to their mission, Angels of Assisi didn’t charge Curtis a single dime.
“You get the best possible care no matter what you can afford,” O’Neill said. “We believe that animals deserve that. And all families, regardless of income or situation, deserve to have the love of an animal.”
Now on the mend, Princess is trotting again, wobble and all, and lighting up every time Curtis visits with food and playtime.
The clinic hopes the two will be reunited for good, but whatever happens next, they’ve made one thing clear: Princess will always be looked after, and so will the man who never left her side.
Have you ever gone to great lengths to care for your pet, even when times were hard?
Source:
thedodo – “Dog Dad Sleeps Outside Vet Clinic To Get Help For His Injured Pup”