what's your take on homeless people with pets?

[ballinouttacntrol]

let me present both sides of the coins

pros

warmth for the homeless person
protection for the homeless person
companionship for both
stability for the homeless person
lots of exercise
marketing gimmick to get more donations

cons

exposed to the elements
no warm place to retire to (most clinics will not take dogs)
possible malnourishment for the dogs/cats
unable to provide medical attention
an additional debt for people who are already struggling financially

 

[SumoNinja]

that's a tuff one for me

i tend to lean towards that they shouldn't have a pet. but at the same time in that situation, i'd imagine a companion is all you got

i guess it's ok if the pet was a stray. it's on it's own anyway so might as well have a master. but then would it be better off if it was on it's own?

 

[Calihawk]

Its cool...I dont think the dogs were taken from a home and forced to be homeless. Im sure the dog was wandering around too. I dont know what its like in Eugene, OR but here in the "armpit" of California, Low Class is 80-90% and homelessness and corner beggars are everywhere. I have homeless people in my alley diggin for trash EVERY day.
20 cats in my alley, and I see dogs all over town running around.

LOL, for once though I'd love to see some cichlids at the local pond.

 

[SumoNinja]

true story

i almost got into a fight with a bum once. funniest thing ever dude. when i was going to school, taking night classes, i went on break to pump some gas. well, there's this dog tied up on the side of the gas station to a pipe and the dog is crying and barking and like, yelling in pain. so i was like, what the hell?? then i go and i untied it and it ran towards the entrance of the gas station and luckily it's owner, a bum walks out of the gas station and grabs it. i didn't know the bum was in the gas station and tied up his dog. well, he got pissed and started yelling at me and got in my face. i didnt' get upset right away because it was a misunderstanding on his part at that point. and i told him the dog was screaming like it was in pain and i didn't know it was his dog, i just thought someone left it there just to be cruel.

and the guys still yelling and i told him to get the ef out of my face and that i didnt' mean no harm. he realizes that and ends up backing off. i thought the dude was gonna put hands on me man, did not wanna get into a fight with a bum. after he calmed down he ended up apologizing for overreacting. this all happened like in 2-3 minutes.

 

[krichardson]

I don't have a take on it but I've seen it downtown a few times,most recently a woman who looked to have all of her property crammed in a shopping cart and she had a pit bull.I've actually seen her a few times and each time she seemed to have an attitude...Since the dog depends on her to feed it I guess it might be harder on the dog.

 

[jlnguyen74]

I have no take. Homeless people are still people, so whatever they do or have, it's their choices.

 

[Piscine]

No joke, I live in a small town where there are only like three publicly homeless people. One of the guys has a group of dogs that follow him around everywhere and he feeds them most of the food he gets...

When this guy goes to cross the street, these dogs run out into traffic and stand in the middle of the 3 lane road until the guy is completely across. It is kinda cute and all, but the dogs or the owner one are going to get run slap over one day. They don't look to see if traffic is coming and they don't give any warning about their intentions to cross.... I'm very surprised there hasn't already been an accident with all of the gas exploration traffic.

 

[Fat Homer]

I really don't see a problem with a homeless person having a dog... infact i knew a homeless guy in Australia who owned a dog... the guy was actually really nice, knew a lot of the shop owners and keepers around the area...

Anyway, long story short... the homeless guy used to always make sure his dog ate before he did, and always made sure his dog was warm even in the winter before worrying as much about himself.... he literally loved that dog more than anything in the world... so i think as long as they treat their pet with respect like we do... then i don't see a problem with it at all...

 

[mshill90]

I think it's a good thing for a homeless person to have a pet as a companion. Chances are, the pet itself was a stray... or it was a pet they had before they were homeless. Majority of people won't talk, let alone look at a homeless person, so as a homeless person, it's probably the only thing keeping them sane.

Most dogs that end up as strays, are mutts/mixed breed dogs. There have been a lot of studies done showing that mixed breed dogs tend to live longer, and not have as many health issues. There fore, vet care would be minimal. The only thing required for a dog by law, is a rabies vaccine. There are many low cost clinics held at walmarts, petsmart, tractor supply where you can get that rabies shot for $10. And the dog would also need county licensing, which is less than $10 a yr. So in all, a dog could be taken care of even with a homeless person. Many people are more apt to give if they see an animal present.

 

[josh_axey]

You may find that they often have had something happen in their life while they had the pet, and it is the only thing that they are able to keep with them be it as a possession or a companion in some circumstances.

If your whole world fell apart and all the people you knew were lost to you, would you not want your faithful companion?

It could also be a stray or dumped animal that they have opted to try to care for as best as possible vs. it dying on the streets.


I'm very divided on the matter personally (pet ownership is a reward, burden and responsibility), but circumstance is everything.