I saw a man at the end of the exit ramp in tattered clothes, dirty with tousled hair. He had a sign with him that said “Homeless, please help”. He was bent over an adult black Lab with white fur tinging its eyes, the dog lying on the only possession the man had – a purple nylon jacket. The man was petting the dog, rubbing it under its ears. As I was pulling away in my SUV to continue on to work, the man kisses his dog on the nose and picked up his sign and held it to his chest. The dog continued to lay on the jacket, panting – almost in a smile.

I see homeless people with their signs quite often, but this being the first time I’ve seen one with a pet.