Sitting quietly beside her in a large, collapsible crate is Kate, an 8-year-old Rottweiler/Australian Cattle Dog mix.

“She’s my best friend,” Clark says.

The two encamp together in “a good spot where no one knows where we’re at,” says Clark. “We’ve got birds and beavers and she [Kate] chases the beavers every night. She goes nuts.”

Clark, an Idaho native, has been selling Real Change since last June. She found out about the paper while living in transitional housing. It’s been a positive move that she says has helped her survive.

“It’s put me in touch with people again. It’s starting to make me feel part of a community again,” she says.

The people she has met in front of Ken’s Market have helped as well.

“It doesn’t have the volume of a really big store, but it’s got really good people,” she says. “They treat me well, even people who don’t buy the paper.”

In addition to getting to know the people, Clark says she knows all the dogs in the neighborhood. She gets to know them while taking Kate on walks during the day.

Clark has had Kate for three years and also credits her for helping her survive.

“I have to be responsible for her,” she says. “She makes me keep going.”

But there is one drawback, Clark says: “I spend way too much money on her… on dog treats and squeaky toys.”

—Joel Turner