Have you ever considered that it’s often the people who have the least that also have the most to give?
A homeless man named Patrick barely had a roof over his head, but he had an abundance of love for others.
Although he lived as a homeless man, it was never even a possibility that he would abandon his beloved dog Franklin.
Patrick made sure Franklin ate before he did, even if it meant he went hungry for days at a time.
One day, however, Patrick and Franklin found themselves in a serious and scary situation.
That’s when a friend named Wilma Price stepped in and, in an act that moved Patrick to tears, saved Franklin’s life.
When Wilma Price came out of a Walmart store in Texas, she noticed Patrick standing with a cardboard sign. He wasn’t asking for food, or a job… instead he had an unusual request that forced Wilma to take a closer look.
His sign read: “Dog in Pound. Need Help”.
As a dog lover, Wilma couldn’t simply walk on by. She stopped and talked to Patrick, who explained he needed money so he could retrieve Franklin, who had been taken by the authorities.
Wilma could see how desperate Patrick looked, but she didn’t have much money on her, so continued on to her car.
Halfway there, though, Wilma halted – she simply couldn’t forget the words on the sign.
She knew she couldn’t just leave Patrick and his poor dog. Instead, she opted to go back.
“I looked at him and I couldn’t get over it,” Price told CBS News. “He looked like a little boy standing there lost.”
Wilma asked Patrick to give her the full story and he explained how he’d been in trouble with the law for trespassing.
As a result, Patrick was forced to spend two nights in jail and Franklin was taken away from him.
The dog was classified as a ‘stray’ and so placed in the animal welfare system, completely alone and without the only owner he’d ever known. When Patrick was finally released from jail, the authorities told him it would cost $120 to get Franklin back – $10 for each day the animal had been there, plus the cost of updated vaccinations.
Patrick told Wilma that he would not leave town without his dog – it was all he had in the world, and vice versa. There was the added risk that Franklin could be euthanized if nobody wanted to adopt him from the shelter he was in.
Collecting Franklin
Wilma could barely believe what she was hearing. It was clear to her how much Patrick loved his dog. She therefore felt compelled to help him and so contacted a friend to pool their money together. With the required cash, she took Patrick to the shelter.
They made a pit-stop at the pet store first so that Patrick could pick up everything he needed to sufficiently look after Franklin once he had him again. Patrick was equipped with a water bowl, dog food and toys.
Eventually, Patrick was reunited with his four-legged companion. He cried when he got to see Franklin again.
He was left eternally grateful with Wilma’s generosity. After all, she was simply a stranger he had met two hours before.
“You did more for me than most people have done in my life,” Patrick reportedly told Price. “You don’t know how much I thank you.”
But Wilma wasn’t done there. As the owner of a pet store, she was inspired by Patrick’s love for his dog and so set up a collection page where people could donate to help put Patrick on his feet again.
Although Wilma is quick to wave off the praise she received for helping Patrick, she encourages everyone to never “judge a book by its cover”.
The meeting with Patrick opened her eyes to the fact that everyone deserves a second chance. Remember, you never know when you may need a help.
Like and share this story if you were touched by Wilma’s good deed!
