Lisa Wilson did not want to give up Eddie.
She adopted him as a puppy 11 years ago from the Mitchell County Animal Rescue in North Carolina.
“I can’t explain to people what a special dog Eddie is,” Wilson said. “He’s precious.”
Eddie was shy when Wilson first brought him home, but over the years, he came out of his shell and let his silly side show. The two came to rely on each other.
“He’s such a cut-up,” she said, laughing. “He’s a nut.”
After Wilson and her husband separated in 2021, Eddie was a source of comfort.
“I would lay on my bed and cry, and Eddie would lay beside me,” Wilson said.
As part of her divorce, Wilson needed to sell her house or buy her husband out. She hoped to stay in the house with Eddie, but earlier this year she realized she wouldn’t be able to afford it. She put the house on the market and starting looking for a place to rent.
She said since Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage in 2024 to her town — Spruce Pine, North Carolina — the market for rental properties has been tight.
After a lengthy search, Wilson said she found a place she could afford, but the landlord didn’t allow dogs. She tried to find a place for Eddie to stay while she figured out next steps, but when nothing panned out she reluctantly brought him back to the animal shelter she had adopted him from 11 years earlier.
“I was heartbroken,” Wilson said.
She couldn’t bear to be apart from him, so she would visit Eddie at the shelter several times a week and walk him. Every time she left, she said, she would cry.
Katie Elkins, the executive director of Mitchell County Animal Rescue, noticed Wilson’s distress when she brought back Eddie after a walk and asked the staff about it.
“They shared that she had surrendered him because of her living situation and that she didn’t want to give him up,” Elkins said. “But she was just kind of stuck.”
Elkins decided to help.
“People loved on him, people talked about how cute he was, we had several people who almost adopted him,” Elkins said. “And it just didn’t seem right because she wanted him.”
Elkins had just gotten a grant from the animal welfare group Best Friends Animal Society that included funds for “intake diversion” — meaning covering costs for vet bills or moving expenses so people can keep their pets rather than surrender them.
Elkins spoke to Wilson and asked if Elkins could post on the shelter’s Facebook page to seek leads for pet-friendly housing. She also offered to have shelter volunteers help with Wilson’s move, and said the shelter could help cover Wilson’s security deposit.
Wilson agreed, and Elkins posted on Aug. 24. The response was immediate and overwhelming, they both said, and people weren’t just offering leads on housing. They were sending donations to the shelter for Wilson and Eddie.
In a matter of days, the shelter raised about $15,000 from hundreds of people who wanted to help Wilson with housing and moving costs.
“I’m just in awe of all the people who have donated,” Wilson said. “All I wanted was my baby back. I didn’t expect any of this. Each person that’s given, I don’t know how to say thank you. It’s amazing.”
Wilson has several recommendations for pet-friendly apartments she can afford, and she plans to pick up Eddie as soon as she signs a lease. In the meantime, the shelter put him on hold so no one else can adopt him, though he can still be fostered and go with a volunteer for a day outing.
“I think people need to know that this can happen,” Elkins said. “I think people need hope and to remember that there are people that will help.”
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