Sad State of the Economy: Homeless won't leave pets to get off streets

This is an article from today's Nashville Tennessean newspaper (which I read on-line daily, because I love Nashville). It's outrageous that so many people are homeless in this country. Thankfully, we'll be getting new leadership that doesn't cater to the rich anymore. Regardless, people NEED their pets even in extreme hard times. Our pets ARE our children. This will really make you think, and make you thankful for what you do have.
Laurie Green, founder of the Southern Alliance for Animal Welfare, checks out Mike and Rebecca's elderly spaniel, Sheba, at Tent City, a homeless encampment in Nashville.

November 17, 2008
Homeless won't leave pets to get off streets
By Jennifer Brooks
THE TENNESSEAN
The leaves are falling, the nights are cold and Carolyn Garton would like nothing better than to move out of her makeshift shelter in Tent City and into a nice, warm house. But not without her Sunshine.
"She's my baby. God brought her to me," said Garton, pulling Sunshine into a hug. The black and tan shepherd mix thumped her tail and wriggled closer to lick her owner's chin. Garton, who's known around Tent City as Mama Bear, has been homeless for two years. Sunshine's been by her side for most of it.
"She was brought to me at a hard time in my life," said Garton, who took in the abandoned puppy on a bleak, rainy day a year and a half ago. A look around their camp shows the lengths she's gone to provide for her pet. Sunshine has her own pillow and a nest of blankets in the tent they share. Volunteers have donated kibble, veterinary care and flea drops — enough to ensure that the homeless pet is living at least as comfortably as her homeless person.
FULL STORY: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20081117/NEWS01/811170332