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Should homeless people have pets?
- Thread starter Typhon
- Start date
I volunteered at an animal rescue for a long time. There's plenty of rich people with big homes that don't take good care of their pets.
If a homeless person can care for their pet I don't see why not.
the answer is yes, please people have a heart. this is not an easy world.
I'd rather stray dogs end up with homeless people than try to survive on their own, or get sent to a kill shelter.
a majority that are picked up end up either euthanized or living in a no-kill until they die
an even greater majority never end up getting picked up and are just strays
This comment is successfully putting into words what I find so offensive about this topic.
I think, think, they meant the opposite, like how likely is it if they weren't with that homeless person they would be better off. I would say slim to none.
in that scenario id say its beneficial to both the homeless person and the stray
the person might lose out on a bit of food, but gains some companionship/comfort, while the stray gains a source of food
Watch this video and tell me those dogs would be better off without their homeless "owner".
Most of the points have been made but homeless people usually have homeless dogs and once a dog isn't a puppy anymore, it's very hard for them to be properly adopted. So either the dog is homeless and alone or sent to a shelter where it might get killed if not for a homeless person taking care of them.
I fucking love dogs
I agree. The only thing that I would argue is a possibility is that a dog might not be a stray but a lost pet. The owners could be looking for the animal. But if their is no collar or tag, I just can't see the problem with it.
Wow......
You have a heart of gold. The world needs more people with your train of thought
No, of course not.
But are you going to be telling the homeless what to do or try to take away their pets?
It's up to people to properly take care of their pets, get them neutered and not abandon them.
But are you going to be telling the homeless what to do or try to take away their pets?
It's up to people to properly take care of their pets, get them neutered and not abandon them.
Some branches of the Humane Society (usually in bigger cities) will try and check strays that live with the homeless for identification or an implanted chip, but most of the time a lost pet just becomes a stray or finds a new home. Not all pets are Homeward Bound pets, sadly.
It's only a problem if you have a solution OP. And if your solution is demonisation of the homeless community followed by animal control and euthanasia, just say that.
I eat cows bred for mass slaughter every day, but God damned homeless folks don't deserve a pet where both parties can benefit from the companionship.
Like, unless you're vegan you shouldn't even be weighing in on this topic if you've got a negative opinion.
This post is super on point. If you have issues with how people treat animals then maybe look into serious issues such as eliminating the breeding of teacup puppies.
Like, unless you're vegan you shouldn't even be weighing in on this topic if you've got a negative opinion.
This post is super on point. If you have issues with how people treat animals then maybe look into serious issues such as eliminating the breeding of teacup puppies.
Going by how the media and others react to homeless people with pets I might think there is an argument to be made for the perception being negative. You see this stories of how pets help homeless people and instead of the story focusing on what really matters like actually solving system issues that cause homelessness, lack of public housing etc they focus on how they feel so good because of a dog. Reminds me of the "man walks 20 miles to work every morning" stories. Fuck that shit. We need to help these people not worship them.
I remember reading a survey of the wants of homeless people from a journalist who studies the needs of the homeless, and right up the top was companionship. Humans treat the homeless miserably, and many would kill for an honest conversation and an ear to hear their problems. We are social animals, yet we don't socialize with the homeless. That contributes to poor mental health.
When I am feeling very lonely, one of the things that cheers me up is talking to my dog. Watching his ears perk up and head cock as he tries to comprehend what I'm saying. I am someone with family and friends and lots of forms of communication. Can you imagine if that dog was the only ear you had in the world? How cruel would it be to deny someone who has nothing even that??
When I am feeling very lonely, one of the things that cheers me up is talking to my dog. Watching his ears perk up and head cock as he tries to comprehend what I'm saying. I am someone with family and friends and lots of forms of communication. Can you imagine if that dog was the only ear you had in the world? How cruel would it be to deny someone who has nothing even that??
Not only this, but the dog is absolutely smitten with you as well. Its a symbiotic relationship. Could it be more ideal, of course. Is it required? no.
Science has proven it, too.
More and more we're convinced that dogs feel the emotions we'd call love and reciprocate just as we do. It's the most special bond to another species that humans share.
I think its companionship. The animals never look underfed (the ones I see) and I think they are well loved. You gotta feel bad for the homeless person more than the animal. That's how I feel anyhow.
I knew that some people in ERA/GAF were heartless but Jesus Christ. Taking apart two living beings that helped each other survive for maybe years? Because of some "moral" compass that can't consider what will actually happen to both of them when they aren't together anymore. I'm kinda done with off-topic for this week.
no doubt. I have 2 dogs that greet me in the morning, on an off (random) occasion, and when I come home. Its not about getting fed. It is love, just like giving your love one a random kiss.
As far as I am concerned, many animals have souls (by which I mean the intangible self realization and greater awareness of being) just as we do. I think the soul is grown, as is the intellect, it is not a given, it is not a right or a promise, but instead the awakening of something greater, a step up from sentience - which has scientifically been proven.
I think this happens in both 'animals' and humans (also animals).
It's not like homeless people are going to the shelter and filling out adoption papers. I figure most homeless people with a dog either had the dog before they lost their home or it's a stray that started hanging with them.
Homeless with a dog probably get more handouts from people on the street.
It seems like many homeless actually take very good care of dogs and feed them before themselves.
but yes I guess there are some situations where it wouldn't be good... if a dog needs medical care there's almost no way they could pay for it.
Homeless with a dog probably get more handouts from people on the street.
It seems like many homeless actually take very good care of dogs and feed them before themselves.
but yes I guess there are some situations where it wouldn't be good... if a dog needs medical care there's almost no way they could pay for it.
There is no way these pets are getting proper nutrition, routine exams, parasite prevention, vaccines, spay/neuter and dental care.
There are plenty of rescue organizations and no kill shelters, I know because I work with them everyday. Want to know a big reason why they are so full? Because people aren't spaying or neutering their pets as they should.
Troll bait? What do you do for animals everyday?
I care about pets getting proper health care, that is my business.
Maybe, but I'm not going to make excuses like some here. I care about pets getting proper healthcare. A vast majority of homeless pets I have interacted with volunteering, do not get proper healthcare.
Really? I manage a very successful small animal clinic in the Bay Area. What do you do?
I've had times where I've had tears rolling down my face, only for my dog to hop up on my lap (which he doesn't usually do) and lick me on the cheeks (which he almost never does) then press his head against my chest. Dogs can read humans better than non-dog owners realize. Likewise, when my dog is scared from lightning, he'll run to me and want me to hold him tight (something he normally doesn't allow) for comfort.
There are obvious signs that there is more than just a feeding relationship going on. You have to be kind of blind to miss these social cues.
And again, I feel it's extremely cruel to deny homeless people this, especially when taking a dog from a homeless person will do nothing to curb the stray dog population. Dogs leashed by homeless people aren't really strays anyways. They are usually under more supervision than the average dog, and as result tend to be trained pretty well (since, in my experience, the more you're around your dog, the more naturally they are trained).
Responses like this confuse me. The majority of the people in this thread are for homeless people having pets.
Our relationship as two species is literally mutualistic symbiosis. They know us because we came up together.
That's why I said some. And those same people are doubling down on their opinions.
Are they super widely available everywhere?
But people won't cause that's a whole other different battle so I guess those dogs will continue to stay in no kill shelters if they're lucky, but hey that's better than a homeless person caring or loving dogs right?
I suspect those pets are happier than ones locked up in an apartment or back yard while their 'owner' goes off to work.
Yet, it's not uncommon to hear people claim that dogs only stick around because 'we feed them" or other crap like that.
Some people deny the relationship.
You care so much about animal welfare but are deliberately avoiding the truth that almost all of these animals would be dead or in far worse condition than they are.