Recently, I reconnected with an old work colleague from several years prior, and upon, discovering that he was recently unemployed and unhoused without options for help. I agreed to let him move him to one of my spare bedrooms in my house in Irmo for a set period of time and co-managed his goals for that period and the benchmark tasks that ensured the plan to get him back on his feet within the allotted time period. I began to notice patterns and “red flags” that I knew to be associated with relapse including rationale thinking, making decisions emotionally or even on an alternative view of reality or the circumstances. In December, I traveled to Ohio to coordinate the senior living community that would allow me to remain in my home and be closer to my sisters and their families. When I returned home, he had a puppy tied to post in the yard and I told him to find a place for the puppy as I wasn’t able to care for him — including obedience training, regular active play and even showing affection - as bending at the hip, remaining balanced on uneven ground, and even lifting the dog due to a condition that magnifies the sense of pain in nerve receptors for normal and customary daily activities. I reminded him that he a week left to remove his personal effects from the property and, I told him to leave the dog if he had been unable to secure housing, employment and transportation and I would do what I could to find the dog a good home equipped to provide the dog with the love, affection, and housing that the dog deserves. He was under the influence of something, but shoved me backwards down my own stairs and told me he had no plans to leave. After calling the police, he was aggressive and threatening towards the officers and was eventually detained, removed and permanently banned from this property. I began to explore options for getting the dog a routine that would foster a healthy environment for a puppy this young that is a loving companion dog who loves getting petted, kissing kids in the neighborhood, and has learned commands and tricks quickly and while those have offered some stimulation, I am physically unable to remain standing after some of excited jumping from successful ball retrievals. He’s a purely natural mix of pit, who is at a much higher risk of unhealthy environmental responses developed as a result of propensities that could be prevented and alter the course of his young life. He deserves the absolute best. All dogs do. And this is the first time in my life that I am ever having to consider “returning” an animal — a situation I find to be a vile and disrespectful response to my selfless kindhearted effort to improve his life. I know that it’s not my dog, but I still will not abandon a dog that has become reliant on me to feed, stimulate and nurture in the absence of accountability from the person who did and is gone; however, I know that I am frail, physically unstable and unable to ensure he gets the care he deserves — and that is what’s best for him. **** Breed: Pit Lab mix **** Pet Link: https://www.nokillnetwork.org/adoption/pet_detail.php?petid=2181003&flag=1