Hi! I’m Jess, the owner of a dog daycare/boarding called House of Wag in Fort Worth, TX. Last month, we got our first visit from Hut the dog. We knew he belonged to a homeless man living at the back of an empty property on a nearby street we frequently drive down. After returning Hut to his owner, Hut decided he really liked it here and started just bringing himself to daycare every day. I had told his owner that he was welcome to bring Hut in, free of charge, if he ever needed a place for him to hang out while he needed to go places Hut could not. Hut clearly heard this and took it upon himself to show up pretty much daily from then on. I had gotten his owner’s number and would text him when he’d show up. Sometimes Hut would just leave the place his owner had taken him to, to watch him, by jumping the fence and heading over. I post his videos on our social media outlets and everyone quickly fell in love with Hut and his visits. Sometimes Hut would wander if we didn’t notice he was here in time. So I got him a Fi, so we could track his movements and always be able to locate Hut. Over that month, we’ve also gotten to know Hut’s owner, David. While early life decisions may have gotten him in the homeless state, over the last year or so he has been trying to get his life together and straightened out. Unfortunately, his luck is not the greatest, especially with trustworthy people; so many times when he’s started to see a light, something happens and he has to start all over again.

Monday, 6/2/25, I got to witness a crew hired by the city take and throw away everything he owned because the homeless are not allowed to set up a long-term living area. They can put up a tent at night, but it must all be cleared by morning when it’s on city or public property. Because they weren’t bothering anyone, and it was pretty set back on a property, and the neighbors were all fine with them being there, it was a little surprising and definitely out of the blue. They barely waited long enough for him to tear down the tent and grab his things. By the time we were able to get what we could as they were actively throwing it away, all they were left with was a tent, a bed and frame, a cooler, and his backpack. The only clothes he had were the ones he was wearing.

David does work some odd jobs here and there. But because he doesn’t have a secure place to store his belongings, leaving anything for an extended period of time opens it up to being stolen. Many times he’s saved up and gotten a collection of tools to start a tree trimming/yard work side business, but each time someone promises to hold something and it vanishes. He just wants to get his life together and have a safe space for him and Hut, so he can have a chance to not have it taken away again. He’s asked me to help him with a GoFundMe for a small mobile home, something he could drive and have wheels to get a steady job, and have a safe and secure place to lock up his things and for him and Hut to sleep at night. While I understand anyone’s hesitation to help out our homeless neighbors and the public’s immediate reaction to place blame and say it’s their fault, etc., people can change and sometimes they just need that one person who believes in them to help push them to believe in themselves. If you’ve made it this far, thank you! So I’m helping to try to raise funds for that small RV, some extra for insurance and to get it legal, and some to help pay for the insurance it’ll require until he can get on his feet and pay for the insurance himself.