According to the Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative, 72% of renters struggle to find pet-friendly housing, and 69% report that pet-related fees, like monthly pet rent and annual deposits, are the primary barrier.
And unfortunately, when people are experiencing homelessness, those barriers only increase.
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that 25% of unhoused individuals have animal companions, and 22% reported being unable to enter shelters with their pets.
After 23 years of marriage, Lisa Wilson of Spruce Pine, North Carolina came face to face with those issues. This year, after her divorce was finalized, Wilson struggled to find an affordable, pet-friendly rental in her town.
Towns across Western North Carolina had taken substantial damage from Hurricane Helene in 2024, and Spruce Pine was not immune. Wilson told the Washington Post that market for rental properties had become extremely tight.
Ultimately, she was forced to choose between housing and her dog, Eddie, whom she’d adopted as a puppy 11 years prior.
Courtesy of Lisa Wilson
Heartbroken, Wilson surrendered Eddie at the Mitchell County Animal Rescue.
She visited him several times a week to take him out for walks. One day, when she returned from a walk in tears, Katie Elkins — the executive director of Mitchell County Animal Rescue — asked her how she could help.
“[She] shared that she had surrendered him because of her living situation and that she didn’t want to give him up,” Elkins told the Washington Post. “But she was just kind of stuck.”
So, Elkins turned to the Best Friends Animal Society for help.
The national nonprofit provided the rescue with a grant that was specifically designed to help prevent pets from entering shelters due to barriers like moving expenses.
Mitchell County Animal Rescue also took to social media to share Wilson and Eddie’s story, and the community responded with an outpouring of support.
Together, Best Friends Animal Society — and Wilson’s larger community — helped raise roughly $18,000 for housing and moving expenses.
“Today was Lisa’s moving day,” the Mitchell County Animal Rescue posted to Facebook on September 17. “She moved into her new home. The movers came. The boxes came. The furniture came. And as soon as the movers were finished, where do you think Lisa went? Straight to the shelter to get Eddie.”
“Because a new house isn’t home without Eddie,” the rescue emphasized.
Courtesy of Lisa Wilson
Elkins said that they were blown away by the support they had received.
“A few weeks ago, I wrote a post because I didn’t know what else to do. Lisa needed a pet-friendly home where she and Eddie could stay together. I asked you to help us find one,” Elkins wrote. “And then all of you showed up.”
“You shared their story all over the world. You donated. You offered places to live. You offered help moving. You called. You messaged. You cheered them on. You cared about a woman and her dog you had never met.”
Today, Lisa has a home. And Eddie is right there beside her.
“I wish I could somehow put into words what it feels like to watch this story come full circle,” Elkins said.
The rescue shared photos of Lisa and Eddie at their new home, with Eddie’s tail wagging.
Lisa Wilson and Eddie at their new house. Courtesy of Lisa Wilson
“You kept a family together,” Elkins wrote. “You gave Lisa room to breathe, recover, and begin again. And you made sure that when she opened the door to her new home, her best friend could walk through it beside her.”
“From Lisa. From Eddie. From every single one of us at Mitchell County Animal Rescue: Thank you. Thank you for believing that helping animals sometimes means helping the people who love them, too.”
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Featured Image: Courtesy of Lisa Wilson
