Dogs of homeless people

Let's start by dispelling a misconception. The dog of a person living on the street is, most often, a well-treated dog. Street vets see it everywhere they work: these dogs live permanently with their human, know neither loneliness nor boredom, and their owners go without before they let their dog go without. For someone who has lost everything, the dog is often the last bond, the last responsibility, the last reason to hold on.

The real problem lies elsewhere, and it is twofold. Access to care first: a consultation, a vaccine or a sterilisation is out of reach without income. Housing next, and this is the cruellest part: the vast majority of shelters refuse animals. In the UK, StreetVet estimates that barely one shelter in ten accepts dogs. As a result, people choose to stay on the street rather than give up their dog. Helping these dogs therefore always means helping the pair, never separating them.