ATLANTA — When a Cherokee County teacher left her marriage last year, she thought she was finally free. But things quickly turned dangerous.

She started finding bullets around the house and realized she couldn’t safely go home. With nowhere else to go, Denise began living out of her car, terrified for her little dog still trapped inside the house with her ex. Every time she would sneak back to check on her, the food and water bowls were empty.

“I would, every time I got home, she wouldn't have food, she wouldn’t have water. He wasn't letting her out,” Denise said.

As the temperatures dropped and the heat went out, Denise worried constantly for her dog, who weighed less than 15 pounds. With a snowstorm in the forecast, she made the heartbreaking decision to rehome her beloved pet to keep

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