Brett Nicholls became homeless 18 months ago. He suffers from spinal nerve disc compression and has been unable to hold a job. His 15-year-old dog, Molly is his constant companion, remaining faithfully by his side through thick and thin ever since she was a tiny puppy.
But in the late hours of Saturday night, Molly went missing.
With the help of Nicholls’ community members – both online and off – the two “best mates” have not only been reunited, they are safely off the streets!
Nicholls was camped near an Adelaide, Australia mall late Saturday night when Molly became lost. Good Samaritan, Nichole Kopp and her partner spotted her around 1:30 AM and brought her to a nearby veterinary clinic.
Molly is microchipped thanks to a wonderful non-profit organization called Paws & Pals. They assist Southern Australia’s pet owners who have fallen on hard times by providing fostering services, education and veterinary care. The goal is to keep pets with their loved ones and out of shelters.
Unfortunately, Molly’s microchip was a dead end for locating Mr. Nicholls. The contact information associated with the chip’s registration led to a local homeless shelter, but Nicholls had been “sleeping rough” rather than staying at the shelter.
Molly’s new friend, Nichole Kopp took to Facebook, posting a snapshot of the dog. Meanwhile, others got wind of Nicholls’ plight and created a Facebook group called Molly’s Mates for the soul purpose of locating the missing senior dog.
With several thousand shares, tips and comments pouring in, Molly’s identity was soon confirmed. One of the Facebook detectives, Sharon Callus, located Nicholls to give him the great news. He had spent the day searching for Molly and was beginning to think he would have to wait until Monday to enlist help to find her.
Nicholls told Adelaide Now:
“I was sitting there and this woman (Sharon) came and showed what was going on on Facebook, got a picture of Molly to help the search and five minutes later she said someone had found her.”
Callus drove Nicholls to the veterinary office where he and Molly shared an emotional, heartwarming reunion. But the people of Adelaide were not finished with Nicholls and Molly! To ensure that they stayed safe, warm and together, donations were put toward a motel room for the pair.
A GoFundMe page was started to help Nicholls obtain a house bond. Not only did the fund reach its $3,000 goal – it far exceeded it, collecting $4,500 to date! Those touched by the story have also been calling the motel to pay for additional nights for Nicholls and Molly.
Mr. Nicholls told Adelaide Now that he is overwhelmed by the incredible support of his fellow man. He has been accepted into government housing and can move in soon. Thanks to all the friends they never knew they had, Nicholls and Molly have the means to stay off the streets until their new home is ready!
H/T to AdelaideNow.com
Featured Image via Facebook/Skye Taylor
