Cathedral City family devastated by coronavirus looking for new homes for 2 dogs

UPDATE 1/13/21

The Harburs were able to find a home for both dogs!

Original Story 1/11/21

A Cathedral City family devastated by coronavirus is now speaking out after losing a loved one in a matter of weeks.

"We as a family have been through the ringer already this year, so it was just a perfect storm of, 'What more could go wrong right now?' said Peter Harbur.

Harbur has been furloughed twice this year, lost his health insurance, and in the last few weeks, had five of his family members test positive for coronavirus.

"It was a lot of stress a lot of fear," Harbur said. "I thought I was going to be having three funerals."

His brother-in-law, Sky, lost his life last week.

It started the week before Christmas. Sky came down with severe symptoms. "Profound fever, couldn't breathe, zero oxygen," Harbur said.

Several of his family members including Sky were admitted to Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage. Harbur said he could hear the exhaustion in the hospital staff's voices.

Like so many others in this pandemic, he and his brother never saw Sky again in person. Through tears, Harbur said, "The last words that my brother heard from Sky were 'I love you,' so that's pretty cool. But I think they would have much rather have had a change to be together."

The pandemic has claimed 2,250 lives in Riverside County so far, but more come every day. Harbur said to those who haven't yet, to take the pandemic seriously.

"I'm here to tell you that it devastated my family in a very short amount of time and we’re still dealing with the effects of it." he said.

Two of the family's dogs are now in need of a home: a 12-year-old lab, Oliver, and an 11-year-old Cardigan Corgi, Finbar.

If you'd like to help adopt one or both of them, email Peter at beat66@twc.com.

News Channel 3's Jake Ingrassia has the story tonight at 10 and 11 p.m.