For these homeless individuals, comfort comes with a collar - PBS NewsHour

[question everything]

An estimated 5 to 10 percent of the million homeless individuals across the U.S. have pets. For the first time, an Arizona survey of local homeless populations has begun to gather information about these animal companions as well as their humans. Samie Gebers of Arizona State University's Cronkite School of Journalism reports on the bond connecting person and pet when all they have is each other.

(snip)

Samie Gebers:

When you're living on the streets, friends can be hard to find. So when you have one next to you all the time, you cherish them.

Cecelia Goedel:

I give the food from my plate to my dog before I eat. There's nights I will go hungry just to let — make sure my dogs eat.

More..


https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/for-these-homeless-individuals-comfort-comes-with-a-collar

[Me.]

1. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[Stonepounder]

2. Saw a post somewhere (Facebook?)

All pets are therapy pets. Just that most pets are freelancing.

[UpInArms]

3. ...

[BigmanPigman]

4. They are the best medicine for everything and anything.

What would we do without them? I would be a basket case if I didn't have my little dog to hug (my dad died suddenly two weeks ago and it was a shock).

[delisen]

6. I am sorry you have lost your Dad. n/t

[BigmanPigman]

7. Thank you.

I think I'm depressing my dog...they are so sensitive.

[question everything]

8. So sorry for your loss

Losing anyone is sad. Losing someone suddenly is a shock. And when we lose our parents, and aunts and uncles it make us a bit lonely, for not having anyone remembering us from birth.

[BigmanPigman]

9. Very true. Thanks.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. I have done a certain amount of volunteer work with the homeless.

I help cook meals and feed them at one of the homeless shelters in my city. I love doing it.

I am often more than a bit befuddled by why a homeless person would have a pet. It seems to me, as a person who has never been homeless, that trying to care for an animal, on top of my own needs, would be overwhelming for a homeless person.

But then, as I already mentioned, I've never been homeless, so I don't fully understand the realities of homelessness.

I honestly don't know if the shelter I volunteer with tries to provide food for the pets, but if they do, perhaps I could donate a few bags of dried food.

[haele]

10. A local homeless regular with medical issues passed recently.

Kidney problems on top of PTSD and other mental issues. She had a chihuahua as her support companion. She keeled over one afternoon while hanging out with the other regulars in front of the CVS, and her dog refused to leave her side, wailing her heart out. One of the regulars managed to corral the poor puppy so the coroner could finally take her away. Everyone was crying, even the police and the store employees.
The CVS manager called a local rescue organization for the dog; hopefully she got a good home.

The homeless typically don't treat their companion critters as "pets" - those animals are close family members, sometimes the only love left to them. Shelters really need to make accommodations for companion animals.

Haele

[question everything]

11. My heart goes to them. Both 2 and 4-legged inhabitants of this earth