ANSWERS: 17
  • Chances are they don't actually own the dog. There are plenty of stray dogs. They're probably just keeping each other company.
  • They use them for begging here you usually see a street begger with a cute dog,so people give more money because they think they are helping the dog so they are money makers for these people.
  • They may not look the best, but most of the ones I see are loved by those who own them. They are often the only real company they have, and love their owners unconditionally, unlike most other humans.
  • It’s for the companionship, for the dog and the homeless person.
  • It's due to how the benefits system works (here in the UK anyway). Homeless people are caught in a catch 22 situation, they can't recieve benefits because you have to have a permanent address to get them, and they can't get a home until they recieve benefits to help pay rent etc. However, if your income is low you can get a weekly grant of ~£10 to help pay to maintain pets with food/vet bills, and critically you do not need to provide an address to recieve this. You can feed a dog for less than £10 a week so they can keep the rest. It's a great shame that pets will be looked after regardless of the situation but people have to have a place to live before the government will step in to help in any real way.
  • The dog is probably happier than most "well fed" dogs. He can roam relatively freely and is not fenced in or tied up or caged in a house all the time. I'd rather roam free and get run over eventually than spend my life tied up all the time. As a dog or a man.
  • The street people I knew, when I was with SDPD mostly didn't have dogs, but the few who did loved them very much. Some would hit the Low Cost Rabies Clinics and save their change to cover the $14.00 vaccine. They also fed their dog, BEFORE they ate...it wasn't the most healthy diet, but they did strive to care for their dog FIRST. As said, it was company, love, the dog would keep watch over them and their "stuff" at night so they could sleep without being bothered...which happens A LOT, especially to women on the streets. One poor guy, a Vet, Viet Nam, insisted that his dog was his brother...come back to him as a dog...he was pretty loopy and could become violent sometimes...the Dog helped keep him calm...and he NEVER lashed out at the dog...but if someone said the magic words.."Frank, you're SCARING, Josh...lookit, he's getting scared, you gotta calm down." he would just crumble, calm down and start crying. Then, "Josh" would bound over and comfort him. That dog helped keep him slightly functional.
  • Yeah, I know this guy and I always give him some dog treats and stuff whenever i see him. He always buys the dog food before himself. he managed to find somewhere to live and some a**holes decided to set theyre dogs on his. he has the sweetest tempered staffordshire bull terrier in the world.. It got serious hurt. He moved out of this new place and back on the streets because he couldnt afford to pay the vet bills and his rent. And also, If they had the animals before they became homeless you wouldnt be able to part with it. I know i couldn't with my two. <3 xx
  • They are lonely people, with no home, maybe not much of a family or none that will acknowledge them. A dog is a companion, someone to share their life with them. THey usually think of their dog before themselves so yes, the dog may be scruffy or thin, it probably isn't starving. And most dogs are overweight, anyway. Very often they 'find each other' on the road, both lost souls. If the dog is happy and they are loved, I say let them live together as family.
  • thinking about it if you seen a homeless person on their own or a homeless person with a dog who would you give your money to? and maybe they have decided to look after a stray dog or when they became homeless they probably couldnt even think about getting rid of their dog.
  • So they won't be completely alone. A dog doesn't care about what you look or smell like. And dogs love to eat garbage.
  • Great answers all. In addition, dogs provide some illusion or modicum of protection against others, invasion of space, property.
  • To the dog, living with a homeless person is almost an ideal. They get to travel around all day with a strong leader, picking up food, cans, etc. They sit in front of a fire at night and go to bed tired. It's an almost perfect recreation of life in a wolf pack.
  • many people are homeless with pets because the homeless shelters do not allow pets; they refuse to abandon their animals (what kind of person leaves their best friend on the streets to die?); many people are simply evicted from their homes with little notice by unscrupulous landlords, and may have no transportation available, and it does take time to find a new place (especially in Los Angeles County) to stay that does allow pets (and doesn't cost an arm and a leg). most of the homeless i have met are more likely to get off the streets just so their pets will have a better chance. further, most of the rescues and shelters in Los Angeles County are already over-crowded, and older pets have little or no chance of being adopted, and may face euthanization if left in the shelters, whereas they are comfortable with their owners, and their owners usually will put their pets' welfare before their own.
  • Homeless people take very good care of their pets. The pets eat before they do.
  • i would think the dogs protect them since theyre stuck outside all the time
  • I know several people who were temporarily homeless and had the animals before they fell upon hard times. They just couldn't let the pet go. And now that I think about it who are you to judge? Have you ever BEEN homeless?

Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC

Answerbag | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy