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STAYING PAWSITIVE How one nonprofit is helping underserved neighbors and their pets BY HA NNA H LEE | PH OTOGRAPH Y BY BETH M AN N
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durhammag.com
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october/november 2018
EUS. GRECIAN KING of the gods … and also an adorable, palm-sized, Pit bull-mix puppy. A chestnut-colored furball who walked up to Veronica Terry and her daughter, ClaVonna, 21, at a bus stop. For the Terrys, a family of nine, having Zeus was a breath of fresh air. He brought a new excitement and light into their home. From the beginning, it was clear that Zeus Adonis Terry – that’s his full name – had found where he belonged. “ClaVonna and I instantly looked at each other and knew,” says Vernicia, 19, another daughter of Veronica and her husband, Clarence. “I guess you could say we have thing for Greek gods and Adonis, well, is this really handsome guy.” Zeus was immediately welcomed into the family – he jumped into the children’s laps, gave out plentiful kisses and cheerfully galloped around in circles. But after that first week, he slowed down. He stopped eating and drinking and didn’t move much at all. And then one morning, Veronica found a trail of speckled blood that led to the 8-week-old puppy. Mighty Zeus had suddenly fallen. “It was like, ‘What is going on?’” Veronica says. “It looked like someone had given birth.” The family was afraid for their new addition. They discovered it was the lifethreatening parvovirus, but they didn’t have the money to prevent the infection from killing him. So, they turned to the folks that had helped them out when they first found Zeus: Beyond Fences. Initially, the Terrys tried to locate his owner through flyers, but when a week passed by with no responses, Clarence called the shelter, and even the sheriff. “We can’t have a dog inside,” Clarence says. “I can have a dog outside, but I can’t