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“I will go to jail before they take my dog,” said an emotional Diane Ritchey. “That’s a part of me as much as anything. The dogs are as homeless as we are.”

Ritchey, 47, was one of hundreds of homeless people living in a tent city outside of Sacramento, Calif. When the government began to dismantle the tents and move people to better facilities, many of those who had lost everything  but enough odds and ends to pull together a make-shift shelter drew the line at losing their pets. The California government finally relented and established a kennel. 

Fortunately, Rockingham County is not home to a tent city. But in today’s economy, more people are finding it difficult to feed both their families and their pets. When the choice comes down to feeding a child or a dog, a parent has to take care of the child. That can mean making the heartbreaking decision to hand a beloved pet over to the county animal shelter, which has a  high rate of euthanasia. 

“If people are hungry, we know their pets are hungry,” said Linda Santell, a Reidsville graphic artist. Santell volunteers with Food for Furry Friends, a project of the Animal Protection Society of Rockingham County. 

Linda joined the group in October when she bid for and won the job of creating the logo for the fundraising campaign for the new animal shelter.

She and her husband Tony have no children and lost their beloved 14-year old German Shepherd, Calla, last year.  Linda said, “I wanted to do something with my love for animals.”

Linda envisions the group working with area food banks to distribute food to people and their pets at the same time.  She hopes charities will want to join in pet food drives and mentioned that she had recently bought dog food on sale for $4.99 per bag.

“That amounts to .33 cents a pound.  That’s something anyone who wants to help can do, at least once in a while.”    

The APSRC started a pet care assistance program in 2007 to help with emergency veterinary care, spaying, neutering, and other services for low income pet owners.  In the past year, demand for pet food has increased dramatically.

The group is trying to divide the county into sectors and put together a team within each area to pick up, store, inventory, and distribute food.  “We’re trying to build a net.  We don’t expect anyone to be a doer of all things.  What we need are little drops to fill the bucket,” said Linda. 

Currently, the organization distributes 500 pounds of dog food and 200-300 pounds of cat food each month.  “If we had the donations, we could easily give away 1,000 pounds of dog food each month.  The need is there,” Linda said.  There is an application form to qualify for assistance.

Linda and Tony’s involvement in the program has brought them more than the satisfaction of helping with a good cause.  They recently adopted a mixed breed from the shelter that they have named Sarah.

“As soon as we walked in, she locked eyes with Tony.  I could feel the energy, the cosmic tumblers clicking into place.  It was meant to be.”  Fortunately for both the Santells and for Sarah, she beat the odds for a homeless dog in Rockingham County. 

I know that when I’m down, a tail-wagging, face-licking hello from my dog Bill never fails to make me feel better.  With a little help from those of us who still have jobs, maybe those less fortunate will be able to hold on to their furry friends.

Joni Carter lives in the Bethany community. Contact her at writetojonicarter@gmail.com