Alicia was driving along the Arkansas highway on her way back home when she passed an elderly man on his bike. As Alicia got closer, she noticed he was carrying a group of disheveled stray dogs in the makeshift trailer behind him. The man was having a hard time pedaling.
Alicia kept on driving by, but there was something about the sight of the man, struggling with all those dogs in the heat, that stuck in her mind. She told herself that if she ever saw the man again, she would stop and help.
“God must have put this man on that road at that time for a reason because as I was returning to town I saw him,” she recounted on Facebook.
Feeling fate was working its magic, Alicia pulled over alongside the man and struck up a conversation.
She learned the man, Steve, had been homeless since 2001. When asked about the 10 dogs in his trailer, Steve’s story touched Alicia so much that it set off a chain of kindness that left everyone dumbfounded.
While driving home in Arkansas, Alicia saw a man pedaling his bike and carrying 10 dogs in a makeshift trailer.
Neither Alicia nor the man had any idea their encounter would change their lives forever.
Once they got to talking, Alicia learned that Steve has been homeless since 2001. Over the last 14 years, he’s dedicated himself to taking in animals who are neglected and in need of love.
Steve and his beloved dogs were in the midst of a 2000-mile journey to see his girlfriend in Indiana.
That night, he planned to set up camp so the dogs could rest.
Steve found a kinship with stray dogs; just like him, they had no home.
Steve found a sense of family with the dogs, and home became wherever they were, as long as it was together.
But Alicia couldn’t leave the man and his pack. She and her mom took to Facebook and reached out to animal lovers around the country.
Within two hours, donations flooded in.
It was a kindhearted animal advocate named Kelley who volunteered to drive Steve and the dogs to their destination in Indiana.
Steve and the dogs also were gifted with a safe motel room, food, and a warm bed.
The pups were treated like kings and queens, and they could not have been happier.
Steve and his girlfriend were also connected with an animal hero named Angela, who runs an organization that specifically works with homeless people and their pets.
Angela became the family’s savior, working with them every day since their arrival.
Steve will also be getting a new trailer for himself and his dogs so that his family will never be homeless again.
He continues to be blown away by the unexpected acts of kindness and remains in touch with Alicia and her mom.
Steve will receive assistance in spaying and neuter the dogs. His pups will be provided with all the medical care they need and deserve.
Meanwhile, Alicia set up an online fundraiser and raised tens of thousands of dollars.
Now, with fans and followers around the country.
Donations poured in so that Steve and his dogs would be safe and happy for many years to come.
“If it wasn’t for every single one of you, this man might still be pedaling down the road not knowing what hardship he might hit next.”
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