When the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey left people and pets of Houston displaced, one homeless man gave up the comfort of a bed to help groom animals in need.
When Hurricane Harvey hit the city of Houston, Texas, its residents were left to evacuate or seek shelter high above sea level. For those who call the streets home, like 59-year-old Stanley Baizle, finding refuge wasn’t easy, but thanks to a temporary shelter at the George R. Brown convention center downtown, he, and countless others, were able to find a safe space to sleep for the night.
But Stanley Baizle isn’t like most other people. Despite having walked 24 miles to reach the center, Baizle didn’t pause to rest once he got there. Instead, he looked around and saw a certain group of Texans pwho needed a type of help he was willing and able to offer.
Baizle noticed a group of volunteers from an organization called Your Hipster Pet, who was at the scene providing care to the four-legged evacuees of the area.
“Someone who is an evacuee said, ‘I know how to groom,’ and so I gave him some clippers,” said owner Sasha Von Troetsch, in an interview with ABC 13. She initially planned to bathe dogs found wading through flood waters but took Baizle up on his kind offer.
A former pet groomer for 29 years, a position he worked his way up to from cleaning cages, Baizle has since fallen on hard times and has been homeless for the last two years. He spends some of his days providing grooming services for those living around Cullen Park but is looking for permanent work in a stable environment in an effort to get off the streets.
Thanks to the efforts of Baizle, Von Trostsch, and an additional team of volunteers, a devastating situation was made a little more comfortable for a fortunate group of dogs.
If you’re interested in helping Baizle in any way, Von Trotsch is inviting anyone to contact her through her company’s Facebook page.
