The homeless man sat outside of a 7-Eleven in San Diego. Kwane Stewart had walked by him before, ignoring him, as so many of us do, but this day was different. Stewart, a veterinarian at a nearby animal shelter, was struggling. He was burned out and thinking about quitting his job. It was 2011, and in a lingering recession, the shelter was full — too full — as desperate people increasingly gave up their pets. If animals weren't adopted after seven days, they were euthanized. On some mornings, Stewart says, he and his colleagues euthanized 50-60 animals by 10 a.m.
“I felt like I couldn't go into work,” he says of that day at the 7-Eleven. “And I turned and saw that this homeless man had a dog. I don't know that I had noticed the dog before, but I saw the dog that day. I introduced myself and said, ‘It looks like your dog has a skin issue.’
