Three handwritten pages, a bottle of water, and a pit bull chained to the flagpole. That was what firefighters from Station 8 in Fort Worth, Texas, found in the early hours of May 16. The dog was named Jake. The man who left him there is named Tom: 65 years old, a disabled veteran, twenty months living in a camp for homeless people after his landlord did not renew his lease.
In the letter, Tom explained that he wanted to try to rebuild his life, but that with Jake by his side he could not access the help he needed. “Jake is pure LOVE!”, he wrote. “I have nothing but my little Jake”. And then, the sentence that broke the hearts of those who read it: “It was the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life”.
The firefighters could not find an adoptive family for Jake, so they decided on something unusual: to adopt him themselves. But the story did not end there. 🐾 The department’s HOPE team went out to look for Tom, found him at the camp, gave him a medical checkup, and the organization Operation Texas Strong got him a trailer with a spot in a park east of Fort Worth. Tom now has a roof over his head. Jake now has a home. And Captain Dusty Sides made it clear: they would be very happy to see them reunited someday.