She Fell Behind On Her Rent And Was Evicted: Now She’s Living In Her Car With Her Two Big Dogs And The Temperature Is Going To Hit Negative 10 Degrees Tonight

Waterville, Maine. Peggy and her two senior dogs are in a challenging situation for the second time in two years.

After getting behind on her rent payments, Peggy was forced to relocate her small family to their beat-up ’05 Trailblazer in need of almost $1,000 worth of repairs.

Last winter, this small family just scraped by while living in her car, but she knows that her sweet dogs deserve more, and that she would also benefit from an RV or camper van with more protection from the elements.

Let’s meet the rest of Peggy’s family; Jinx is 9 years old, and Peggy saved him from a kill shelter a day before he would’ve been euthanized more than eight years ago.

Her other pup is a sweet 15-year-old lab named Sammy she’s had since his puppyhood.

Peggy has suffered from various health problems in the past few years, and her only source of financial support is Social Security Disability Income. She has been fighting diabetes and had a triple bypass a few years ago.

Peggy explains the resulting complications of these co-occurring conditions; “icky sores on my legs due to the swelling from congestive heart failure, & cuz that wasn’t enough, lost the sight in my left eye due to a blood clot & walk with a cane.”

Between paying for her own medical bills and those that came along with taking care of two older dogs, Peggy became overwhelmed.

GoFundMe; pictured above are Peggy’s dogs Jinx and Sammy

Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.

Unable to pay rent without sacrificing the necessities, like food and medical care, they were evicted and spent their first winter in the Maine cold.

Peggy shares that it’s difficult for her to ask for external support, but she doesn’t know if they will make it through another winter living in these conditions.

Tonight, the temperature is set to reach negative ten degrees.

“Asking for financial help is not a skill I have, I’ve spent a lifetime advocating for others,” she wrote. “Friends keep saying I need to do this, it’s time we get help.”

Ultimately, Peggy wants to find an RV or camper van that meets her basic needs; a bathroom, room for a bed, and a place to keep food away from the dogs.

GoFundMe; pictured above is where Peggy currently lives with her dogs Jinx and Sammy

She’d love one with a stove since she misses cooking and baking. And once Peggy is no longer in survival mode 24/7, she’ll be able to get back to the things that bring her joy, like crafting and crochet.

Peggy describes it best on her GoFundMe, “I’m a simple person with simple needs just trying to outlive my dogs. I can’t imagine how Sammy would fare at the pound. Jinx came out of one, but I can’t imagine the trauma after having a home for so long…”

The fundraiser is almost halfway to its $10,000 goal, and Peggy is one step closer to building a better life for herself and her dogs. You can check out Peggy’s story on her GoFundMe.

If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe.