Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times

Lee Walters and his dog, Little Bit, had been primarily living out of Walters’ car, so Christiansburg Baptist Church gave him a temporary home at the Dogwood Lodge Motel in Radford and helped him take Little Bit to Radford Animal Hospital.

How to help

• What: Christiansburg Baptist Church is sponsoring a combined yard and bake sale from which proceeds will benefit Walters and Little Bit.
• When: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday
• Where: Salvation Army’s parking lot, 760 Roanoke St., Christiansburg
• Contact: 392-2741
• Donations: The church also is accepting donations mailed to: Little Bit c/o Christiansburg Baptist Church, P.O. Box 6327, Christiansburg, VA 24068

RADFORD -- Lee Walters had steady work, a home and a dog he loved. In retrospect, life was good.

But then he had a misunderstanding with his boss. Unable to find another job, the 49-year-old waiter from Bloomsburg, Pa., began to live off his savings. Eventually, those ran out.

In December, he lost his mobile home.

With just days before Christmas, he found himself and his dog, Little Bitch, living out of his car.

Together, they headed south to look for work -- and warmer weather.

Walters ended up landing a job in Winchester for three weeks, until he says he was let go when he told managers there that back problems prevented him from doing heavy lifting. He then drove to the Wytheville area, looking for waiter jobs at truck stops along the way, but he said finding employment when you have no permanent address is difficult.

Walters had no luck finding work in Virginia, so after about six months, he decided to return to his hometown.

"That's when my car went haywire," he said.

Two weeks ago, his car broke down in Christiansburg at a Shell station, after he stopped for a soda. He said police began to ask him questions and made him feel uncomfortable, so he caught a cab to Radford and got a room at the Dogwood Lodge Motel. Walters' car was deemed beyond repair by local mechanics, and Walters did not have enough money to get back home any other way.

When Walters got to Radford, he walked to the Sheetz station to get food and met a man whose wife and mother-in-law attend Christiansburg Baptist Church.

"A couple of days later, he knocked on my door and told me the church wanted to help," Walters said. "He offered to take my dog to the vet, help me with some expenses and find a way home."

He had been concerned about a lump Little Bitch had developed. A Welsh corgi-pit bull mix, the dog was given her name by Walters after she made a mess in his car once. Recently, however, he has softened the moniker to Little Bit.

When she arrived at Radford Animal Hospital on July 17 she was diagnosed with heartworms, hookworms and Lyme disease. Veterinarians confirmed that the dog had a tumor.

Mandy Martinez, practice manager at Radford Animal Hospital, said the hospital updated all of the dog's vaccinations and gave her a bath for free. Since the initial free visit, the hospital has performed services at a discounted rate. The dog's heartworms are still being treated and must be cleared up before a biopsy can safely be done on the tumor.

"We were saddened when we first met Little Bit," Martinez said. "But we were glad that we were able to start to get her back on the path to good health."

Walters said he is very thankful for all the help he has received, especially for Little Bit, who he has raised since her birth.

"She's my world, and she's spoiled rotten," he said. "If I get a sandwich, which I haven't been able to buy much extra lately, she gets half of it -- she eats dog food, but she has to eat some of Daddy's food too. If you ask anyone how she acts when she sees me, they'll tell you she's hyper, excited to see me."

The church, in conjunction with VA PAWS, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the inhumane treatment of animals, and the Mosby Foundation, a charity that assists sick dogs, is working to gather donations from the community to help with Walters' room and board and Little Bit's medical bills. So far, the church and the two animal groups have raised $634.

"The only thing he wants is to make sure his dog is OK," said Lila Willis, president of VA PAWS.

Walters will remain in Radford until Little Bit is fully recovered, which is expected to take about three more weeks. Then, Thelma Hogge, benevolence chairwoman for Christiansburg Baptist Church, said the church will provide Walters and Little Bit a ride to their hometown in Pennsylvania.

"We're a church with a heart, and we saw somebody who needed help," Hogge said. "This man came to our attention, and he was deeply concerned about his dog. This is what we do -- help people -- because that's what the Lord told us to do."

She said the church is in the process of finding another church group near Bloomsburg that can help the pair once they return there. Walters said he will live initially with his cousin, enabling him to have a physical address, while continuing his search for a job.

"It's going to be rough, though, because there just ain't really no jobs in the area," he said.

"Up there, jobs are even more scarce than they are down here."