If you live in a residential community, you’re obligated to abide by their rules. That, of course, includes keeping pets leashed for everyone’s safety.

Willie Williams doesn’t have a problem with that, but he said a simple trip to his friend’s house (for which his dog stayed close by) turned into a nightmare when another resident reported him for letting his dog onto an elevator without being tethered.

Williams is an elderly and disabled Vietnam vet living at Freedom’s Path on the Chillicothe VA Medical Center campus in Southern Ohio. It was specifically build to be a residential facility for homeless vets or those at risk of homelessness. So you’d think it would take a lot for them to want to evict a former Marine suffering from PTSD.

And yet, Williams’ issues began when he received a curt handwritten note on the seat of his mobility scooter one day.

It read:

“Willie, it’s time for you and your dog to go. You will no longer be tolerated. Move out.”

Apparently, a resident complained that his support dog, Diamond, was on the elevator without a leash. But that was the extent of the accusation – Diamond wasn’t accused of doing anything destructive.

Williams doesn’t deny that it happened.

“It was an accident when she got in the elevator, ’cause when I’m at my friend’s house, I don’t need her on a leash,” Williams said.

But he was stunned that someone would see it as cause to evict him.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. You know, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do…,” he told WSYX News.

That note was followed up by a letter from the facility’s lawyer on January 14 of this year.

It said Williams had been warned in the past to keep Diamond on a but failed to do so.

Then it reiterated the ultimatum – your home or your dog.

The situation was heartbreaking as Williams said Diamond is all he has – and he’s all she has.

To top it off, there are very few places that can cater to people like Williams. A move would require a lot more than simply finding a new apartment.

“If I have a problem, I get sick, I know the rescue squad is right there. Take three minutes to get there.”

The vet suffers from PTSD accompanied by depression, loneliness, and isolation. Diamond is his remedy for some of that.

“If it weren’t for her, I just would probably go into total isolation,” the former Marine explained.

For many vets, that might be the end. They may have just ended up on the street.

Luckily, Williams thought to reach out to the local ABC affiliate to help investigate.

ABC 6 Investigates journalists called the facility’s lawyer who simply told them Diamond had engaged in behavior forbidden in his lease agreement, but they couldn’t come up with the details.

“We asked what the behavior was exactly. He stated he couldn’t speak off-hand because he didn’t have the letter and file in front of him and couldn’t speak to the facts. He told 6 On Your Side Investigates to call back the following morning.”

They called back the next day but were sent directly to voicemail.

When Williams’ story aired, viewers were furious. Where was the proof? Who would stand up to the people trying to evict the support animal of a disabled veteran?

Luckily, two Columbus-area lawyers, Sam Marcellino and Steven Katz, stepped up to help Williams. They negotiated an agreement with the facility’s lawyers so both Williams AND Diamond could stay at Freedom’s Path.

Williams needed to agree to keep Diamond on a specific kind of leash while on the facility’s property – a gentle leader.

At first, he was hesitant to agree. He wasn’t familiar with that leash and no one else with a dog was being held to the same standard.

But a fellow former Marine named John McCormack, donated his skills to help Williams train Diamond on the leash.

McCormack owns Semper Fi K-9 Training in Columbus, Ohio. After that, the vet agreed to sign the paperwork.

It’s shocking to think that someone like Williams could have easily ended up on the street.

“This is not a spot and place I want to be in right now in my life. Like I said, at my age, I don’t know how much time I got. All I want to do is live and let live,” Williams said at his low point.

Kudos to those who stepped up to help him in his time of need!

Be sure to scroll down below to see an interview with the veteran and his sweet dog Diamond.

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Source: WSYX ABC 6 via YouTube, KTVO News, @tarawsyx6 via Twitter, WSYX ABC 6