Companions in Crisis: Homeless People and their Right to Pet Ownership

A man and his dog cuddling him on the street. Photo obtained from Canva. 

The animal welfare sector and its noble efforts are often celebrated for saving animal lives. While their efforts and achievements are quite admirable, celebrating the betterment of animal lives can often overlook the human component. 

I have certainly been guilty of feeling more sympathy for the hungry pet, their caretaker an afterthought. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who has regrettably thought that way. Unfortunately, this country is not kind to homeless people. While we offer social services and (barely any) affordable housing, our country sees the issue of homelessness as a matter of cleaning up the streets rather than helping individuals medically, mentally, and financially. We’ve learned to dehumanize the person living on the street and look at them as someone who deserves to have landed themselves in that position. 

The issues of animal welfare, homelessness, and poverty are not separate, as people struggle to delineate the difference between an animal in a really bad situation and an animal living alongside its owner in poverty. We equate financial instability as a moral judgment on a person—they are irresponsible with money and surely will neglect their pets. We see animals living in poverty and want to rip them away from their owners to give them a better life. But what about the owner? Don’t they deserve the love and companionship of an animal? Do people who have better resources and financial stability have a right to take furry best friends away? 

Laura Houston from the Animal Welfare Association (AWA) sees animals in poverty all the time through their Vets on Wheels program. Several times a year, the AWA will take a veterinarian-equipped van to areas in Camden for residents to bring their pets by for care. “So many people in Camden don’t have the transportation to get to us. And it’s not that they don’t love and care for their animals… they don’t have the opportunity to get to us,” Houston explained. 

Rather than villainizing people for not having financial stability, the AWA has found a way to extend its services to the less fortunate through its Vet on Wheels program. They see poverty in caring for animals as a non-issue if these people have adequate support. That’s why the AWA also hosts a free pet food pantry, where they put out pet food for the community to take home twice a month. Houston explained that it’s hard to judge people in situations that you’ve never been in, and it would be a moral failure to assume that less fortunate people are automatically unqualified to care for their pets. 

“Animals provide so much more. Everything from comfort to emotional support, to security… I think that recognizing that importance is the first step to understanding just how beneficial the animal and human relationship can be for people living on the street. In all the times we do Vets on Wheels, we’ve never seen neglected animals. You can find neglected animals in the most affluent counties, so I think that people prioritizing caring for their pets, even though they’re struggling a bit more– that’s wonderful,” Houston said.  

It’s essential to consider that while we are making great strides to help animals in their most vulnerable moments, we rarely do the same for humans. Furthermore, while some shelters strive to provide resources to help people keep their pets, the villainization of poor people has become an unintended consequence of improving animals’ lives. There’s got to be a reconciliation moving forward, in which we continue to help animals in need while also helping the people who are bringing their animals in for help.