They say dogs are a man’s best friend.

Dogs are non-judgmental, shower us with unconditional love, and stick with us through thick and thin. For the homeless, having a pet in times of hardship offers them companionship, protection and the comfort they deserve as much as anyone else. Even though it’s rare to spot homeless people with pets here in Hong Kong, it is still prevalent in other parts of the world.

While there is no empirical data on the number of homeless people with pets, according to Pets of the Homeless, an estimated 5-10% of the 3.5 million homeless Americans have dogs and/or cats while in some other parts of the country, as many as 24% of homeless people own pets. [1] Many homeless people have rejected shelters and chosen instead to sleep on the streets, as the shelters did not permit them to take their pets with them. Most regard their pets as their only family and would do anything to ensure their happiness and welfare.

Challenges

If life on the streets wasn’t arduous enough, those without homes often have to face harsh criticisms, constant harassment and public scrutiny for their lifestyle. Unsurprisingly, the social stigma attached to homelessness is profound. People often raise eyebrows when they hear about a destitute person caring for an animal companion. Some see it as a sense of selfishness, but others argue that it is better than abandoning a "family member" at the pounds.

In a research led by Harmony Rhoades at the University of Southern California on pet ownership among 398 homeless youth patronising two Los Angeles drop-in centres, it was  reported that  23% of respondents had been given a ‘‘hard time’’ by strangers for having a pet. [2]  Furthermore, the public had been seen to be sympathetic towards the animals which they believe have been forced into roughing it on the streets, but fail to share the same sentiments for their owners.

Those who do not commiserate believe that the animal’s owners are endangering their pets’ lives and putting them at risk of a plethora of health and social issues. A study was conducted to explore the health status of dogs belonging to homeless people, and revealed that dogs belonging to the homeless were not significantly less healthy than those belonging to non-homeless individuals.[3]

While owning a pet while homeless is not a crime, some people have chosen to take matters into their own hands by cutting the animal’s leash or offering money to buy the animals off them. [4] It’s a common misconception that the homeless can’t take good care of their pets. As a matter of fact, many of them would prioritise the well-being of their pets over their own health and welfare.

However, homeless people who have chosen to brave the storm with their furry companions will soon realise that the nightmare is far from over, when they realise that most shelters in America adopt a no-pet policy.

No-pet policy housing

A homeless shelter’s no-pet rule stems from concerns for the safety of other people, hygiene and lack of space. It remains a knotty problem for many shelters as they struggle to meet these demands and are often put in a tight spot when they are forced to turn down the requests to house those with animals.

In a UK online survey distributed to homeless service providers, 36.8% out of the 117 respondents indicated that they did provide services to pets, whilst 76.9% have received requests to accommodate pets. [5]

This no-pet policy has proved to be a struggle for many pet owners as they are often put in a dilemma to pick between their pet companions or a roof over their heads —choosing the latter would mean relinquishing their pets, but what’s more important than a bond between man and dog?  

Having only limited options and resources, homeless people and their pets unfortunately have little to no choice but to sleep rough. This often leads to issues when law enforcement officers show up to seize their animals if they fail to provide an animal licence. Sadly, the reality is that a large number of these animals are taken to an animal shelter and euthanised when they do not find another home.

Positive impacts

For someone living on the street, a dog is very much an emotional support pillar, and even life saviours who have "rescued" them from drugs and alcohol abuse. These pets are their glimmer of hope, pulling them out of a place of darkness—giving them a new sense of purpose in life.  It has been reported that among the homelessness, those who have pets have reportedly experienced decreased loneliness, depression and social isolation. Their pets also help the homeless people to socialise as they draw attention from the public who would stop to use the pets as openers to a conversation. [6] They also have to stay on the straight and narrow to avoid getting into trouble with the law because they would be prejudicing the lives of their pets if they were ever arrested.

Taking up the role as a sole caretaker for their pets, with a daily routine of feeding and caring for their pets, many homeless pet owners have subconsciously ingrained a keystone habit that proves enormously positive on both psychological and personal well-being when they do eventually return to society and a sense of normality. These newly assumed responsibilities validate their existence and importance as a human being, and we should never undermine the long-lasting impact a pet's love has on their owners.

Progression

In 2019, under California Senate Bill 258 (SB 258), lawmakers set aside $5 million for shelters to provide food, shelter and essential veterinary care for pets of homeless people. The SB 258 Bill recognized the vital roles played by pets in the lives of homeless people. The Bill stressed, “pets provide warmth, security, and companionship to many who sleep on the streets,” and “pets also provide a type of normalcy, as providing food and water for their pets helps some homeless persons connect with reality.” The Bill passed the state Senate 37-0 in May, but unfortunately failed to get the votes in the Assembly. Nonetheless, the grants program can move forward without the Bill as funding was independently approved in the budget. [7]

Since early 2019, New York Council Member Stephen Levin has also been pushing for Bills Int. 1483-2019 and Int. 1484-2019 to better the lives of the homeless and their loyal companions. If int. 1483-2019 were to come into effect, it would require the Department of Homeless Services, in collaboration with the Department of Social Services, to develop a plan to accommodate pets of homeless individuals and families with its main objective to help humans and their animals remain together.  Int.1484 would require the Department of Homeless Service to provide a monthly report with crucial information on the placement or disposition of pets that belong to people who enter homeless shelters.[8]

There is still a lot of work to put into improving the lives of the homeless people and their pets and below are some of the suggestions I would recommend to be implemented around the world:

• Train homeless shelter staff to be properly equipped with adequate skills to handle pets of the homeless people so as to ensure everyone’s safety and maintain peace;

• Allocate a fixed number of sleeping spaces to the homeless with animals, preferably a designated area for people with pets so as to avoid confrontations and/or people who may be allergic to animal fur;

• Should shelters have insufficient spaces and resources to accommodate both humans and pets in a single room, they could set up an area with crates, which could be more space efficient;

• Register homeless people’s pets in the system and regularly have volunteers to check up on their status. The collected data can be shared among organisations to help them accordingly;

• Encourage local animal shelters to consider opening a few places to temporary house pets for a period of time until their owners find homes;

• Propose to the government to provide free licensing to the pets of the homeless so they would not get seized by authorities in case the pets wander away on their own.

Many organisations around the world are stepping up to the plate to assist this problem in whichever ways they can.

• Ruff sleepers, a non-profit organisation in Sydney, provides mobile pet washing services, helping to keep the homeless people’s pets squeaky clean.

• My Dog Is My Home, a volunteer run organisation in the US, dedicates itself to telling the stories, sharing data and changing the system and lives of the unfortunate rough sleepers. They are committed to research, providing technical assistance & consultation, as well as training and education.

• Streetvet, a non-profit animal welfare charity in the United Kingdom, provides veterinary care to homeless people who can’t afford the treatments for their pets and also educates them on responsible ownership.

• Dog Trust’s Hope Project also provides assistance to homeless and their pets, linking them up with accommodation and supporting their pets with veterinary costs.

Conclusion

Despite a few shelters opening their doors to the homeless with pets, the supply is far behind what is necessary to meet the demands. Moving forward, we hope that more organisations will accept and make ways for more homeless people and their companions.

Some consider homeless people as invisible, often because they fly under the social radar and disregarded and shunned by members of the public. It is nevertheless important to bear in mind that everyone has their own story to tell and battle they are fighting. We should all take a step back before judging or gloating others for their predicament, and refrain from reviling in schaudenfreude. Each of us can be a pay-check away from being thrown onto the streets or sleeping rough due to personal calamities. Who are we to determine what’s best for their pets without knowing anything about the bond they share. Animals teach us how to love, and likewise, the unwavering commitment of these owners is commendable.

A little compassion goes a long way – not only for the homeless people, but the pets they care for.

A dog is so much more than just man’s best friend.

Courtesy of Amelia Wang.

References

[1] "FAQs - Pets of the Homeless." http://www.petsofthehomeless.org/about-us/faqs/.

[2] "(PDF) Pet Ownership Among Homeless Youth: Associations ...." 20 Apr. 2015, Rhoades, Harmony & Winetrobe, Hailey & Rice, Eric. (2014). Pet Ownership Among Homeless Youth: Associations with Mental Health, Service Utilization and Housing Status. Child psychiatry and human development. 46. 10.1007/s10578-014-0463-5. .

[3] "The health and welfare of dogs belonging to homeless people.." https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/77412521.pdf.

[4] "The Bond Between OC Homeless and Their Dogs Proves ...." 11 Feb. 2019, https://www.ifhomeless.org/the-bond-between-oc-homeless-and-their-dogs-proves-money-cant-buy-you-love-oc-weekly-video/. Accessed 16 Jul. 2020.

[5] "Prevalence of pet provision and reasons for including or ...." 22 Apr. 2020, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10530789.2020.1754602.

[6] "The Truth About Homeless And Their Pets You ... - Fred Victor." 6 Jul. 2019, https://www.fredvictor.org/2019/07/06/the-truth-about-homeless-people-and-their-pets-you-need-to-know/.

[7] "Lawmakers, DVMs expand care for pets of homeless people ...." 11 Nov. 2019, https://news.vin.com/vinnews.aspx?articleId=55033.

[8] "The New York City Council - File #: Int 1483-2019." 28 Mar. 2019, https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3903480&GUID=6FB4CD61-830B-4B45-BC18-C3E383AC5E2A&Options=&Search=.