Dallas, Texas () – Stephen Knight has saved thousands of animals from ending up in shelters. However, 13 years ago, he was just trying to save himself.
Knight, whose non-profit organization provides foster care for pets of people who need to go to rehab, she was motivated by her own experiences with addiction and animal rescue.
In 2011, when Knight was 51, he lost everything to methamphetamine addiction: his family, his job, his home and almost his life. Knight, who is HIV positive and lived in his car, entered rehab at his mother’s orders.
“She said, ‘I don’t want to have to bury you,’” Knight recalled. “I worked hard and got a second chance at life. You have to learn to live again.”
Eight months into recovery, a crucial time for addicts and a period when counselors often advise against forging new relationships and commitments, Knight opened the door to her rehab apartment to find a friend crying. She had relapsed, and in her arms was a 14-pound ball of fur, a Maltese/Dachshund mix named Jayde.
Knight’s friend said no one would accept Jayde and asked Knight to take her to a shelter so she could turn her in.
“I looked at Jayde, and we looked at each other,” Knight said. “It was one of the most spiritual moments, like ‘I think we might need each other here.’”
Knight says his own response was spontaneous and not one he would recommend to his own clients in his current job as a substance abuse counselor.
“I said, ‘I’ll take it,’” Knight said. “That moment was that act of kindness that I never thought would now turn into thousands of other dogs getting the help they need.”
Knight began his new life as Jayde’s dad that night. And she soon realized that other people were having difficulty finding foster homes for their beloved pets when they needed substance abuse treatment. Often, a shelter was their only option.
“These shelters are operating at 150% capacity. “If you’re over capacity, then you start euthanizing dogs,” Knight said. “We cannot have the solution of sacrificing dogs. “We can’t.”
Knight, who had never owned a dog as an adult, also learned that people often delay rehabilitation or forgo treatment altogether when they can’t find safe housing for their pets. Along with friends and family with whom he made peace as part of his recovery, Knight began saving dogs like Jayde one by one, becoming a beacon of hope for addicts and their pets.
“It gives them so much hope,” Knight said. “We are finding that the bond between animal and human makes a big difference in recovery. People stayed sober. People had a purpose.”
As Knight studied to become a licensed substance abuse counselor, he also learned more and more about the positive impact that staying connected with a pet can have on a person’s recovery. And as more requests came in for assistance fostering animals, it became her passion, one she admits she embraced with enthusiasm and a certain naivety.
“It’s hard for me to say no,” Knight said. “At first, I was just like, ‘Here, let’s go. Come in. Everyone get along.’ And it didn’t work out that way.”
At full capacity, she was caring for eight dogs in her small home when she mistakenly put her hand between two dogs fighting over a toy. He realized, after losing half a finger, that he had a lot to learn.
Knight sought advice from a local animal rescue group, Dallas Pets Alive!, and began following a stricter protocol, educating herself on best practices for animal rescue and recovery.
“They taught me a lot,” Knight said. “They will tell you exactly how you should care for a dog. They have manuals. “They have coaches.”
In 2015, Knight’s organization, Dogs Matterbecame a registered nonprofit, and adjusted its program: screening applicants, conducting animal behavior evaluations, and executing contracts that required participants to stay on their recovery plan and complete a comprehensive 12-month program after release.
“We have to keep in touch with you and you are obligated to stay in touch with us,” Knight said.
Egan, 28, who sought treatment for fentanyl addiction last spring, says his love for his dog Remy is what motivated him to seek treatment.
“Through all the times I felt like I didn’t deserve love, Remy has always loved me unconditionally,” she said. “I didn’t want to lose my dog, and then someone told me about Dogs Matter. “I had no idea how much help and resources it would bring into my life.”
Over a three-month period last spring, Knight provided photos and updates on Remy while Egan was in rehab.
“I went through those photos every day,” Egan said. “Knowing that he is happy and being cared for reminded me that I was doing the right thing.”
This year, Dogs Matter partnered with Dallas Pets Alive! to serve even more people and animals, including cats.
“They always asked me, ‘So, your name is Dogs Matter. Cats don’t matter?’ And I was like, ‘Cats do matter, and now we’ll take your cat!'” she said.
The expanded outreach includes helping those experiencing homelessness find safe foster homes for their pets and provides Knight with a broader pool of available foster families, a component he says is crucial to saving more lives.
“If we don’t have the host families, we can’t carry out this mission,” Knight said. “You’re saving that dog’s life and the owner’s life. And we can prevent a dog from going to a shelter.”
Today, Knight lives with her three dogs, Jayde, Piper and Lady, and her organization has helped more than 1,200 dogs and their owners. And as Knight approaches 14 years clean and sober, he hopes to turn Dogs Matter into a national model program, with the goal of giving other animals and their humans the same second chance at life he had.
“When someone makes the decision to go into rehab, it is one of the biggest decisions, the bravest decisions, they will make,” Knight said. “What I teach my clients is that with sobriety and recovery, you can truly have a life beyond your wildest dreams.”
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