A 71-year-old man was found dead outside Saturday morning in downtown Little Rock, according to Little Rock Police.
Officers responded around 7:50 a.m. Saturday to the 1200 block of Main Street in downtown Little Rock for a subject down, according to an incident report.
Upon arrival, officers found Gary Burris, 71, lying on the sidewalk on his back with a small dog sitting on top of him, the report states. Burris appeared unresponsive, police said.
Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services pronounced him dead at the scene. Police don't suspect foul play, according to the report.
According to Accuweather, the high temperature Saturday was 29 degrees with a low of 20 degrees.
Officers were able to identify Burris through his driver’s license found in his pocket inside his wallet, police said.
Officers released custody of the dog to the Arkansans Assisting Homeless Animals organization, the report stated.
According to a post on the organization’s Facebook page, the dog, a Chihuahua mix named Boris, is currently in foster care, grieving the loss of his owner.
The post stated that Burris was a member of the homeless community in Little Rock and lived in his truck, but it was without heat. The dog food was frozen inside the vehicle, the post read.
“That little dog went everywhere with Gary,” said Gregory Smith, Burris’ nephew.
Of his uncle, Smith said, “He was absolutely 100% nonviolent, very kind, very loving, and extremely peaceful. I don’t think he’s ever made a fist one day in his life.”
Brandi Buie, director of Arkansans Assisting Homeless Animals, said this story has been “eye-opening” for her team, as they have not had direct experience with the homeless community.
Buie said she hopes that animal organizations can team up with organizations focused on humans to come up with a plan to prepare for the next time a winter storm comes.
Many warming centers — including the Little Rock Compassion Center for Men, the Little Rock Compassion Center for Women and the North Little Rock Community Center — do not allow pets.
The North Little Rock Community Center has an arrangement with the North Little Rock Animal Shelter: If a person has a pet, the shelter will get the pet and keep it until the person is able to leave the warming center. However, the shelter confirmed that they did not take in any animals during this week of winter weather.