Spencer Parks, 33, rubs noses with his year-old, pound Staffordshire terrier mix, Duchess, in their hotel room on Friday, Jan. Parks, who has lived in a tent for about three years, refuses to give up Duchess. As the cold weather started to hit, animal lovers came together to secure a hotel room for Parks and his four-legged companion. For two years now, Maria Wood has kept tabs on a young man named Spencer Parks and his loyal, go-everywhere companion Duchess. Parks was homeless, living in a tent in a small stand of woods right off a major road thoroughfare.
Especially when the daytime high barely cracks 30 degrees. C,, a nonprofit dedicated to animal welfare, because she thought Wood might be able to help. Wood and other animal lovers mobilized every resource they could think of — including reaching out to me — because they knew that Parks would not leave Duchess even for a night. They raised enough money to pay for several weeks at a budget motel that allows pets.
Dog people from as far away as Maine sent blankets, a handmade sweater for Duchess and made sure that food and medicine would not be an issue. Not that feeding Duchess was ever a problem.
She was always well cared for, to the point where Parks often made sure she was fed before he was. I know I could find a place to live. I love her. She had cancer and her vet did everything humanly possible to keep her comfortable right up to the end. And when the time came last month, Parks sat with her and said goodbye. He lived for her. And he reached back out by leaving her a couple long messages. As many of us know, losing a beloved pet is devastating.
It takes a while to work through grief to acceptance; having supportive friends and family nearby helps. Now imagine how difficult that would be without the security of long-term shelter while dealing with chronic health problems. The son of a former Greensboro resident charged in connection with an assassination attempt on President Trump in September entered a guilty plea to one of five child pornograpy charges as part of a deal offered by federal prosecutors.
