DECATUR, Ga. — A family is now closer to getting back on their feet after a flood of donations followed a story of a dad sleeping on the streets with their pet bunny because it couldn't go with them to a homeless shelter.
11Alive's Kaitlyn Ross reported Tuesday on the situation facing Cory Coleman and his family.
Coleman began sleeping on park benches and in MARTA cars with the family pet, Goldie, after he lost his job and the family lost their apartment in December.
Coleman's wife, Shonvenelle Leshore and their young daughters, Shonyla, Shonayah, Shonniyah and Nashaya moved into a womens shelter - while Cory stayed with Goldie, refusing to let the situation tear the family apart.
"I was not going to let her get away that easy, not this rabbit," he said.
After his story spread, more than $28,000 in donations flooded in for the family, Shonvenelle got a job offer with Waffle House and Cory has a promising lead on a new job.
The money will go toward paying rent at an animal-friendly apartment complex for roughly a year - and help them get into a hotel in the meantime.
As for Goldie, she's in good hands during the transition with the Georgia House Rabbit Society.
"They were going through extraordinary circumstances to keep their family together - and part of their family was a pet rabbit," Jennifer McGee, the director of operations for the group, said.
The society also helped to raise the money to get the family re-settled. They met Corey when he tried to take Goldie to a warming center with him as the seasons changed and temperatures dropped.
"I knew from the moment I met her that she was something special and that's because of all the love this family has put into her," McGee said of Goldie.
Coleman put it this way: "A father will go to these lengths to keep his family together. Animals are a part of that family."
Decatur dad sleeps on streets with pet to keep family together
