The past couple of years haven’t been easy on Leslie Green. She’s suffered
multiple health crises and struggled with PTSD, but she had her dog King by
her side, and he was there for her throughout everything. She had a stroke,
and he was alongside her as she fought to relearn speech. She was in pain,
struggling to get out of bed, but he kept her active during recovery. And when
she started to have mini heart attacks in her sleep, King began alerting her in
middle of the night.

“He has taught me sympathy, empathy, and compassion in a way that a human
has not taught me. Having him here gives me peace of mind. He’s more than just
a pet for me, he’s saved me in many ways.”

When COVID-19 hit, Leslie had all but given up hope. On top of everything
else, she had recently discovered she had thyroid cancer and was in the midst
of treatment. She was immunocompromised and struggling financially in the
face of the pandemic. She’d look at King and wonder how she could feed both of
them. And so, she made a decision and began to go without food for herself so
that King could eat.

“It doesn’t take much to feed them, but when you’re down to nothing, it’s a lot.”

And then, Leslie found out about our free pet food assistance program for
those impacted by COVID-19. She realized she could drive up to our Alpharetta
location, open her trunk, and have someone put King’s next meals safely in
her car. She realized she didn’t have to wonder where his next meal would
come from anymore.

“It’s given us peace of mind… It’s not a handout, it’s a hand up from the Atlanta
Humane Society helping me.”