homeless people and their dogs

[Hannah fish]

i live in an area where there is a high population of homeless people, not far from the centre of sydney.
in the last year i have noticed quite a few homeless people begging on the streets with their dogs following them around like any loyal dog would do. What upsets me is that the dogs are all in very poor condition, obvious fleas, under weight, malnourished, and appear to be fatigued. their owners are beggig for their next drug hit or for money to buy booze while their dog is dehydrated in the hot sun but still loyal to their owner. I'm guessing that feeding heir dog would be way down the list of priorities after they have bought their drugs and grog. occasionally shop owners will offer a bowl of water. I understand it must be hard being homeless and many wont have a proper education or much chance of getting work while living in the street which means their dog will never get to see a vet or be treated for worms and fleas and be fed regular nutritious meals.
I'm not saying the dogs should be confiscated by the rspca, the dog would look up to their owner and quite often the dog would be the only friend the owner has so removing a dog would cause emotional distress to both and its highly likely the owner would aquire another dog.

I'm concerned that these dogs are only being used a guard dogs for people who sleep on the street. Their owners have very little idea of how to care for their dog.

I approached my manager where I work in a near by vet clinic and suggested we offer free vet checks and flea treatment, worming, grooming and discounted food. i suggested working with a large industry partner, for example hills science or eukanuba foods or one of the drug companies. my manager wasnt interested and just said they should be confiscated by the rspca or put down.

I do believe people who mistreat their dogs should be punished as far as the law allows, but im not sure thats the best option in this circumstance.

what do other people think?

 

[HuxleyPig]

Hmmm, an interesting question, and one that will certainly make a good debate.

Yes, the majority of the dogs are in a bad condition, but so are many of the people. It's a moral issue, but I think it's a bit off to set up ways to help the conditions of the dogs before setting up ways to help the conditions of the person. If you help the person back onto their feet, they're not going to keep their dog living in squalor. And to punish people for is just plain backwards, in my opinion.

 

[Dan]

I feel no sympathy whatsoever towards people with problems bringing other living creatures down, forcing them to share the misery. There is no excuse for that. I think that your initative was a great one, Hannah fish, and I am so sorry that your boss turned it down.

 

[torie]

Having done quite a bit of social work with the homeless people of Sydney i feel what your saying is quite offensive to most of them. not all homeless people are out to buy drugs and booze as you suggest, in fact if you talk to them the majority have simply made bad choices in their lives or have mental disabilities and have fallen through the cracks. As for the dogs that they have with them, these dogs are also homeless either they have been born on the streets or are strays that are looking for company. working with the saint Vincents night patrol van where we offer sandwiches and hot drinks to the homeless many will give up most of their food to make sure that their dogs and other pets are feed before themselves. both parties gain support and comfort form each other and with out their homeless careers many of the dogs would be dead already.

I do however agree that the many of the animals are in serious need of medical treatment but insulting and downgrading their owners is not the way to go about it.

 

[Jarkari]

Having done quite a bit of social work with the homeless people of Sydney i feel what your saying is quite offensive to most of them. not all homeless people are out to buy drugs and booze as you suggest, in fact if you talk to them the majority have simply made bad choices in their lives or have mental disabilities and have fallen through the cracks. As for the dogs that they have with them, these dogs are also homeless either they have been born on the streets or are strays that are looking for company. working with the saint Vincents night patrol van where we offer sandwiches and hot drinks to the homeless many will give up most of their food to make sure that their dogs and other pets are feed before themselves. both parties gain support and comfort form each other and with out their homeless careers many of the dogs would be dead already.

I do however agree that the many of the animals are in serious need of medical treatment but insulting and downgrading their owners is not the way to go about it.

Exactly what I was going to say Torie.

 

[Pootle]

Exactly what I was going to say Torie.

However, back to the zoo subject, not an irrelevent one.

Any good Sydney zoo news?

 

[torie]

However, back to the zoo subject, not an irrelevent one.

Any good Sydney zoo news?

well this is in the general section and so is fine. also there are plenty of Sydney zoo stories in the Sydney zoo section of the forum....

 

[zooman]

A great subject Hannah Fish,

I like your enthusiam to take action. I wonder if you contacted the manufacturer of Fontline, they may support you?

 

[Hannah fish]

i acknowledge that there are many homeless people who are homeless through no fault of their own. it wasn't my intention to offend homeless people but rather to bring the issue of the poor condition of the dogs to the wider community in the hope that other people might have ideas on how to manage the problem.

it makes me feel sad to see the dogs in such poor condition, in obvious pain and suffering.
i apologise to those who i offended, but stand by my comments.
hannah fish

 

[Dan]

Having done quite a bit of social work with the homeless people of Sydney i feel what your saying is quite offensive to most of them. not all homeless people are out to buy drugs and booze as you suggest, in fact if you talk to them the majority have simply made bad choices in their lives or have mental disabilities and have fallen through the cracks. As for the dogs that they have with them, these dogs are also homeless either they have been born on the streets or are strays that are looking for company. working with the saint Vincents night patrol van where we offer sandwiches and hot drinks to the homeless many will give up most of their food to make sure that their dogs and other pets are feed before themselves. both parties gain support and comfort form each other and with out their homeless careers many of the dogs would be dead already.

I do however agree that the many of the animals are in serious need of medical treatment but insulting and downgrading their owners is not the way to go about it.

Great job torie, no doubt about that and am I not being ironic in any way.

However, just a comparison to my country, Sweden. We have homeless people in the bigger cities here as well, perhaps not as many as in Sydney though. But here, they are never accompanied by dogs, as far as I know of. Homeless dogs are by far and large an unknowned phenomenon in Sweden, I think.

Unfortunately, homeless cats, are common. The authorities deal with this problem as best as they can. Many people place catfood in the parks to help the poor little devils. The subject is constantly featured in all our newspapers. There is a constant debate going on whether to kill them or trying to catch them and get them adopted.

Helpless dogs with homeless owners are an unknown phenomenon, though, and should it suddenly occur I am sure that measures would be taken. Beggars on the streets with emaciated, sick dogs would not be accepted.

Unfortunately the problem with the more "independent" homeless cats is not that evident, despite the debate mentioned.

 

[Lil Keeper]

i have to say i agree to some degree - maybe the charities helping the homeless people need to be aware of the critters that these people have too. i dont see removing the animals as a smart thing - sometimes that scruffy lil pooch is all family that a person may have left. or maybe a charity FOR the animals of homeless people needs to be formed and work in conjunction with the ones specifically with the homeless people.

anyhoo thats all i have to say