Dustin Maggard and his dog Surfer Baby are doing well and grateful for the community’s support. Their plight sheds light on a larger problem.

Two weeks after they spent a freezing night sleeping behind a strip mall in the Bayville section of Berkeley, Dustin Maggard and his dog, Surfer Baby, have come a long way.

Literally.

The duo, whose plight sparked an outpouring of generosity from locals and Asbury Park Press readers, relocated to Tennessee and moved in with friends there. In a phone interview Monday, he said he’s  lining up job interviews.

“It was amazing. It was a miracle,” Maggard said. “I never expected so much support. It made a tough situation a lot easier.”

Maggard’s situation also shed light on the larger issue of homelessness at the Jersey Shore, and that’s particularly timely during the current cold snap and ahead of this week’s point-in-time count, a crucial annual census of the homeless that helps determine government funding for social-net programs.

Source: ‘It was a miracle’: Ocean County homeless man moves in with friends, and keeps his dog