Teacher Lives in Car So She Won’t Have To Give Up Her Dogs

Animal lovers are often asked the rhetorical question whether they would give up something valuable, such as housing or food, so that they could keep their pets. Hillary Barrows was really put to the test and is actually living in her car so that she is able to keep her two beloved dogs, Robbie and Cleo, according to METRO.

Barrows, 57, spent eight years teaching English across Europe before returning to Kent, England, in January. She rented private accommodations for a while. Unfortunately, she was unable to find employment and her money ran out. She was offered emergency council accommodation — but only if she gave up her two dogs, according to the Daily Mail, as they were not welcome in the public-supplied housing.

So now home has become her 20-year-old Alfa Romeo auto in a 24-hour Asda car park in Canterbury. Her Pharoah hound Robbie and Labrador Cleo, dogs rescued during her travels, are her only family in England, and she is committed to not giving them up. Her 89-year-old mother Becky Barrows lives in Vancouver, Canada, and the remainder of her family had emigrated to New Zealand.

The big-hearted teacher rescued the dogs while in Spain. Dog lovers can understand not abandoning their canine companions even in difficult times. Barrows stated the following, according to METRO.

“When I came back I had my own money and privately rented in Herne Bay, but ran out of money. I was offered emergency housing but the dogs were not allowed to come with me and I won’t go anywhere without my dogs. The only place I could stay was my 20-year-old Alfa Romeo. I decided to drive to Canterbury because the Salvation Army have really helped me and fed the dogs, and there is a public toilet nearby. There is a…[paid per] time shower room that I use once a week. The RSPCA [animal shelter] have been out to visit the dogs twice and they have no problem living in the car.”

The generosity of Asda workers are what she depends on now. They provide her with free hot water as well as leftover breakfast items from the supermarket’s café. She called the workers “lovely” and noted that she makes soup with the hot water provided. The Salvation Army also has helped her feed her precious dogs. And she goes to a 24-hour McDonald’s to charge her laptop and phone, so that she can continue seeking employment.

She has recently been approved to receive a job seekers allowance and housing benefit, but was informed that she is not a priority because she had been out of the country for a long time. Unfortunately, that means, for now, she can’t afford regular meals if she also wants to feed her beloved dogs, and she stated the following, according to METRO.

“I can only afford one meal every other day, just so my dogs don’t go without food.”

She’s begun the lengthy process of applying for a housing benefit and has started a GoFundMe campaign so that she can raise money for a deposit on housing. The link is here. As a British citizen, she’s entitled to the benefit, but there’s a three-month wait. She is afraid that she won’t be hired for the teaching profession she loves, and said the following, according to the Daily Mail.

“The way I feel, I might be living in this car forever. Who in their right mind would hire a teacher who lives in a car? I just want to get back to work, get a house and somewhere safe for my dogs. I can barely sleep, I am lucky if I get more than three hours sleep a night. It is making me very depressed. If it wasn’t for my old car I would literally be on the streets. I have never been on benefits in my life before, I have a degree I have diplomas. I am in a no-win situation. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me, I just want someone to give me a hand-up. I don’t want to beg but what else can I do? I cherish my UK passport. Now I just want a home. I would like to say a great big thankful to everybody who donated [to the GoFundMe campaign], from the bottom of my heart. Hopefully this time next week me and my dogs can have a home.”

Dogs are also loyal to their owners. Some even save their owners’ lives. A violent, drug-using criminal broke into a home in Wyandotte, Michigan. The homeowner, Sarah Powers, was home alone at the time. When Powers exited her bathroom, she saw a man violently punching her beloved 11-year-old golden retriever, Sadie. The home invasion ended because of Sadie’s heroic actions, as the dog held the criminal back, according to an article in the Inquisitr.

[Photo Courtesy GoFundMe]