“Should homeless people have pets?”

In my 10+ years of working with pets and animal welfare, I have often heard this question. I get an inexplicable, heavy, icky feeling whenever this topic arises.

People jump in with their armchair debates and their pros and cons- usually, it's folks who have never dealt with homelessness themselves. I, too, am privileged and thankful to have never been without housing, but the consideration makes me uncomfortable. I wonder, “Why are we even asking this question”?

Instead of asking if someone who is unhoused should lose even more than they’ve already lost or if they deserve to be able to feel the healing, love, and companionship of a pet, let's backtrack and ask what is our intent in taking from someone who already has lost so much. Is the extra heartbreak and trauma of separating this family truly what’s best?

There's a much deeper conversation to be had about self-righteousness in animal welfare and how we see people who are “less fortunate.” We expect them to “be grateful” and “take what they can get.” We engage in a way that makes us feel good about “giving back,” not necessarily in a way that meets people's needs (if we bother to ask them what they need at all).

A more helpful question would be how can we help as many pet lovers afford pets as possible to keep pets out of shelters.

Gatekeeping pet parenthood puts innocent animals and pet-loving families at risk.

We are all feeling the effects of late-stage capitalism, where the meaning of the word “affordable” seems to fluctuate daily. Is it right to shift the fate of our companions every time the economy swings left or right? Is that the best that we can do for our community?

People who can afford their pets today could easily find themselves on the other side of affordability tomorrow as inflation and pet care costs continue to climb.

As someone who works in veterinary medicine, the irony of affordability is not lost on me. In a profession that often does not pay a living wage, I question if I can even afford my pets without the veterinary discounts I get at work and pet food companies.

Pet parents sit at the intersection of guilt and shame when they are struggling with finances and do not want to relinquish their pets due to affordability. For the most vulnerable of us, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

According to the ASPCA, In 2020 about half a million people were experiencing homelessness in the United States on a given night. In some instances, unhoused pet parents have to make the hard choice to refuse shelter to avoid separating from their pets.

“In 2019, it was estimated that 12% of unsheltered homeless adults owned pets. According to a study conducted two years prior, 48% of unhoused pet-owning individuals reported being turned away from a shelter because of pet policies. Similarly, the National Alliance to End Homelessness conducted a survey to assess why individuals experiencing homelessness avoid shelters, and 22% of respondents indicated they avoided shelter because their pet was not allowed to be with them.”

-ASPCA

Many of us say we would do whatever it takes to keep our pets; however, when we see this play out in real life, we judge those walking the walk.

The companionship, support, and unconditional love a pet provides are invaluable. Studies have shown that pets are more than consistent social support and friendship for unhoused people. Their pets offer a sense of responsibility and are a reason to live, reduce substance use, and motivate them to seek healthcare.

Gatekeeping pet ownership ignores the fact that millions of pets suffer through pain, hunger, illness, and death. At the same time, humanity undergoes a genuine and dangerous loneliness epidemic, all while pets wait in shelters or on the streets for homes that we deem " eligible.”

The math ain't mathin, ya’ll.

We can do better.

Every day, all over the world, humans are doing something compassionate for companion animals. Some of those individuals are elderly, some are home insecure, and many don’t look like traditional Hollywood heroes. The animals being rescued, fed, and healed know help comes in different shapes and sizes. They know love can’t be seen from the outside. My enduring hope is that we learn to be as humane as our pets.

– James Evans, CARE CEO

If you catch yourself or others making gate-keepy comments about pet ownership, consider re-directing the conversation to:

How can we keep more pets at home?

How can we help more families be able to open their homes to pets regardless of the economy?

How can we create more affordable housing that is pet-friendly and not breed-restrictive?

How can we advocate for holistically giving more families what they need to stay together?

How can we help pet-loving families afford the pet care they need amid historically high costs?

How can we prevent more pets from entering the shelter, being harmed, neglected, or euthanized?

How can we prevent more loss and suffering for pet-loving families that are going through a hard time?

You can donate to programs dedicated to caring for unhoused and marginalized pets AND their people, increasing access to inclusive veterinary care, or support affordable pet food initiatives that don’t have restrictive requirements. Some companies even help pet parents access payment plans for veterinary bills without considering credit scores.

The next time we find ourselves intervening “on a pet's behalf” under the guise of “being a voice for the voiceless,” remember this:

“There’s really no such thing as the ‘voiceless’. There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard”

- Arundahti Roy.

Ebony R is the founder of Atlanta Dog Mom, a community founded to bring together diverse dog moms to connect, learn, and encourage each other to be the best dog moms we can be. In real life, she enjoys deep-diving of various topics, studying veterinary nursing, and doing queer things in the streets of Atlanta with a small group of friends.