Help dogs of the homeless in NYC
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Homelessness is a shared experience in New York City — either you have been homeless, know someone who has been homeless, or have shared the sidewalk or a subway car with someone who is homeless. In a city of 8.5 million people, more than 59,000 homeless people sleep in shelters and at least 3,300 more sleep on the streets and subways every night, many of whom have pets.
It’s quite common for people to judge homeless people unworthy of animal companionship and doubt their ability to take good care of dogs. However, for many homeless, the only emotional support, stability, and unconditional love they receive comes from the loyal pets that stay close to them throughout their hardship.
Do homeless people “deserve” to have dogs?
To find the answer, my friends and I went out on the street to conduct interviews with many homeless people who own dogs. Although they became homeless for various reasons, the one common thread we discovered was that they all strived to keep their dog’s companionship no matter what else happened in their lives. “My dog always eats first”, was the most frequent thing we heard during interviews.
Among whom were couples who wished to be always on the road, veterans who suffered from mental disorders after they came back from Afghanistan, orphans who were discarded in childhood, mistreated in the orphanage and escaped, and couples who failed in business, were kicked out of their houses by their landlords, but unwilling to give up. Although they became homeless for various reasons, they all kept their dog’s company no matter what happened to them. When speaking with these people, I noticed a sense of satisfaction and ease in all their dogs, though they might have no warm home to live in and not enough food to eat.
What we learned from the homeless people who own dogs in our interviews is that no matter how hard are their lives on street, the wellbeing of their dog is always the number one priority. While many passers-by see a person and a dog living together on a city street, what often goes unrealized is that these animals are the “significant others” for an incredibly marginalized group of people. The relationship formed between the two is often enough to keep the other going forward, one day at a time.
To learn more about stories of dogs of New York City’s Homeless and how to help out , click here.wepawsnyc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbnpBk74pHE
It’s quite common for people to judge homeless people unworthy of animal companionship and doubt their ability to take good care of dogs. However, for many homeless, the only emotional support, stability, and unconditional love they receive comes from the loyal pets that stay close to them throughout their hardship.
Do homeless people “deserve” to have dogs?
To find the answer, my friends and I went out on the street to conduct interviews with many homeless people who own dogs. Although they became homeless for various reasons, the one common thread we discovered was that they all strived to keep their dog’s companionship no matter what else happened in their lives. “My dog always eats first”, was the most frequent thing we heard during interviews.
Among whom were couples who wished to be always on the road, veterans who suffered from mental disorders after they came back from Afghanistan, orphans who were discarded in childhood, mistreated in the orphanage and escaped, and couples who failed in business, were kicked out of their houses by their landlords, but unwilling to give up. Although they became homeless for various reasons, they all kept their dog’s company no matter what happened to them. When speaking with these people, I noticed a sense of satisfaction and ease in all their dogs, though they might have no warm home to live in and not enough food to eat.What we learned from the homeless people who own dogs in our interviews is that no matter how hard are their lives on street, the wellbeing of their dog is always the number one priority. While many passers-by see a person and a dog living together on a city street, what often goes unrealized is that these animals are the “significant others” for an incredibly marginalized group of people. The relationship formed between the two is often enough to keep the other going forward, one day at a time.
To learn more about stories of dogs of New York City’s Homeless and how to help out , click here.wepawsnyc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbnpBk74pHE
Organizer and beneficiary
Rachael Lew
Organizer
New York, NY
rachel liu
Beneficiary
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