Emotional Support Animals Are Real
How I kept my dog while I was housing insecure and living in a shelter — and how he kept me going
Moonie the corgi came into my life as a rescue. My brother’s friend was his caretaker, but she neglected to walk or feed him. Right before she moved out of town, my mother took him in. The only problem was that our apartment building didn’t allow for pets, so she paid for expensive doggy boarding on a daily basis to keep him safe.
At the same time Moonie entered my family’s life, I was inpatient at a mental hospital in Manhattan. My disability of schizoaffective disorder had me cycling in and out of hospitals frequently, so this was routine. After my discharge, a kindly fellow patient named Evelyn let Moonie and me stay at her apartment in Chelsea for a month, while I tried to find my own place. She had some advice:
“I have a friend in real estate. He told me there’s an organization called Breaking Ground. They have swanky apartments in the city, old refurbished hotels and stuff, the rent is subsidized. You’re on disability, right? See if you can get in with Moonie.”
Research showed that this was not an option. There was a long waiting time to get in, and it looked like my Social Security payments were not enough income to qualify. Evelyn shared…
