I've written her an e-mail of thanks, yesterday upon hearing the good news. Thank you for bringing this to the fore, brother!
Posted on 11/09/2001 9:08:45 AM PST by B4Ranch
Homeless man is pleased to be reunited with his dog SOLANA BEACH -- Robert Thomas Northcut, a homeless man who has walked the city's streets for a decade, got a little impatient yesterday as he waited to be reunited with his dog. "All I want is my damn dog back," he repeated while crouching in front of the Do-It-Yourself Dog Wash. A couple of his Solana Beach friends, including Chris Tatum, owner of the dog wash, were there to wait with him. He relaxed when T.J., his German shepherd, arrived from the animal shelter in Carlsbad, where the dog had been held since last week. "I got him back," Northcut said as he walked T.J. -- or T.J. walked him -- along Acacia Avenue. "Everything's fine now." Yesterday, the county's Dangerous Dog Task Force decided it would not issue a notice declaring the dog a public nuisance for barking and lunging at city and transit workers in Solana Beach. County animal control officers say T.J. bit a man in May. Lt. Dean Maier, the animal control officer who made the final decision, could not be reached yesterday for comment. Lt. Danielle Spilker, who previously handled the case, said she wasn't sure why the task force chose to release the dog. "Usually when they release them at this point, there's not enough of a case," Spilker said. Northcut, 49, was arrested last week on outstanding warrants. He had been cited earlier for trespassing on a city-owned median where a World War II memorial sits. Northcut, who said he's a Navy veteran, and T.J. had set up camp beside the concrete memorial on Plaza Street near South Coast Highway 101. T.J. was taken to the county animal shelter in Carlsbad when his owner was arrested. Although Northcut was released after a few days, the dog was held until the task force could further examine the case. Jennifer Lynch, a Vista attorney who appeared in court on Northcut's behalf, paid a $25 impound fee and a $17 licensing fee to release the dog. The money had been donated by the public. Residents and veterans who wanted to help had flooded her office with calls and e-mails. "I'm not sure why (the task force) released the dog," Lynch said. "I can only hope that people's concern helped in getting the dog back sooner rather than later." Northcut admits his dog has bitten people. He says T.J. is "feisty" and protective of his master. The dog had been abused before being rescued in Tijuana and nursed back to health by Northcut and Tatum. When Lynch arrived with the dog yesterday, Tatum promptly muzzled him. "We don't want any more problems," Tatum said as T.J. tried to knock the muzzle off with a paw. "He'll just bounce around for a little while, but he's going to get used to it."
NAMMARINE:
It's difficult to understand your attitude about a fellow vet, but it's obvious you're completely out of touch with the real world.
This man is not a beggar in the traditional sense, and I'll bet he rarely, if ever, begs. He more than likely feeds himself and TJ from garbage which other people throw away.
He is not a con artist like most beggars.
He has simply decided to separate himself from society for his own reasons which we don't know and probably would never understand.
In spite of your implications, we do NOT as a society have an adequate means of caring for these types of individuals.
He doesn't want a job; he doesn't want a house or a car; he doesn't want to be a part of society.
His reasons for defending the memorial are really none of our business.
Just as he has earned the right to live like he does, he has earned the right to support his idea of America in the way he sees fit.
You, sir, would never have made it out of boot camp in one piece in the "old Corps".
Either your attitude would have been adjusted, or you would have found a permanent home in sick bay.
A BTTT bump for those words. Well said.
I've written her an e-mail of thanks, yesterday upon hearing the good news. Thank you for bringing this to the fore, brother!
My pleasure, B4.
They sound like really nice folks.
Thanks.
Such good news about the reunion!
A homeless Vietnam Vet and his dog were a familiar fixture by our Safeway store several years ago. One day he was alone. I asked him where his dog was, and he said that someone stole his dog as he slept.
He thought his dog was stolen by a do-gooder who "thought" he could give the dog a "better home". That Vet told me that his dog "ate better than I (the Vet) do!" The customers of Safeway would give him groceries and a box of dog biscuits.
There was another dog by his side several days later, and I didn't want to ask for details, where he got the dog, etc.
g
;-)
'nother bump!
g
as someone once said..."It's never too late to do the right thing"
I slept better last night knowing these two would be reunited.
Just saw the pictures you posted and they brought tears of joy to my eyes.
Your efforts on behalf of Mr. Northcut and T.J. have been outstanding. God bless you.
A thank you e-mail to Miss Lynch and Mr. Georges has been sent. They did a great job, too!
 James Adams, who says he is homeless, brushes his cat, Sparkle, while sitting on a corner near Union Square waiting for spare change in San Francisco. (Eric Risberg/AP Photo) |
A Picture of Despair
HUD Tries to Understand the Homeless; Nearly 12,000 Surveyed  W A S H I N G T O N, Dec. 8 — A massive government survey of homeless people in America has revealed that most have suffered severe hardships in their past but are able to escape the cycle of despair and poverty with help from social services.
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Source: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/homeless991208.html
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Overview of Homelessness
About one-third of the adult homeless population have served their country in the Armed Services. On any given day, as many as 250,000 veterans (male and female) are living on the streets or in shelters, and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year. Many other veterans are considered near homeless or at risk because of their poverty, lack of support from family and friends, and dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in overcrowded or substandard housing.
Right now, the number of homeless male and female Vietnam era veterans is greater than the number of service persons who died during that war -- and a small number of Desert Storm veterans are also appearing in the homeless population. At this time, scientific studies indicate that there is no known, direct connection between military service, service in Vietnam, or exposure to combat and any increased risk of becoming homeless. Family background, access to support from family and friends, and various personal characteristics (rather than military service) seem to be the stronger indicators of risk of homelessness.
Almost all homeless veterans are male (about three percent are women), the vast majority are single, and most come from poor, disadvantaged backgrounds. Homeless veterans tend to be older and more educated than homeless non-veterans. But similar to the general population of homeless adult males, about 45% of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness and (with considerable overlap) slightly more than 70% suffer from alcohol or other drug abuse problems. Roughly 56% are African American or Hispanic.
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