Poor doggy, and poor family. I hope that at least some family members are able to visit the dog, or that the shelter workers are able to bring the dog to the family for visits, while the living-quarters situation plays itself out.

This story reminds me of one on a somewhat-related note: my brother and his family came to a decision to sell their newly-purchased, newly-constructed house and move to another one because of a medical situation. My brother had fallen outdoors and had hyperextended/broken both knees, and as he was recuperating at home he developed complications that required him to be taken back to the hospital by ambulance. Because of the way his house was constructed, the EMT's could not bring their gurney up the zig-zagging staircase leading up from the front door to the living room, nor up the stairs to the back-door's deck, and the landscaping prevented them from using any windows. After that experience, the family decided that they never wanted a repeat, so their primary concern as they house-hunted was to find a residence with easy access to all floors in case of future emergencies. In particular, they were concerned about my sister-in-law's elderly father who lives with them. They ended up in an older home than the one they'd had, but they're much happier there!