Oklahoman Sacrifices Health for Loyal Companions

By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An Oklahoman down on his luck has sacrificed everything for his dogs, including his health.

David Harwell first lost his social security pension, then his home. For the past several months, he has been trying to care for himself and his eight dogs. Harwell's dogs mean more to him than anything and he said that's why he has been starving himself just to take care of his faithful companions.

"It's my family. I can't see being without them," David Harwell said.

Harwell has been living out of a van with his dogs moving from one truck stop to another.

"I sold all of my stuff. I sold my tools, everything I had. I don't have nothing left to sell," he said.

Rod Goodhue runs an animal rescue for pit bulls and has tried to help David's dogs when he can, but he said Harwell's needs are far greater than what he can handled on his own.

"He was just put in a situation where it was get out and move on and this is where we find him," said Rod Goodhue. "I don't know where we go from here. We need to have someone with a bigger picture than what we got."

Harwell recently ran out of the few hundred dollars he had left and has now been forced to go to extremes to make sure his dogs are fed.

"I try not to eat. I smoke and drink soda to keep from hurting so I have money for them," Harwell said. "Mostly we just sit in the hot sun."

He said he will continue to sacrifice if that what it takes to care for his dogs.

"They're real special dogs. I keep them because I love them and they're my babies," Harwell said.

Harwell also suffers from chronic seizures, which is another reason he said he can't get rid of the dogs. He said the dogs can actually alert him before he is about to have a seizure.

A fund has been set up at all Bank of Oklahoma locations in David Harwell's name.