Homeless Pets and Their People
By
Cal Orey
“…A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity, and in poverty, in health, and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow, and snow drives fiercely, if only he may be by his master’s side. "
From
coast to coast, in San Francisco or Atlanta, homelessness was a problem in the
20th century and it is today. Both humans and their pets cope with
weather changes or living without a home due to a natural disaster. Here is a story that I wrote years ago but it
is a timeless one that needs to be heard...
There’s a memorable
scene in the movie Down and Out in
Beverly Hills where Nick Nolte, a homeless man, loses his little tan dog,
Kerouac and soon after attempts to end his life by jumping into a wealthy
businessman’s backyard swimming pool.
In the hands of this actor, this is
a very moving scene. Behind the absurd outcome, however, is the painful truth
about down and out people and our society’s often cold and insensitive attitude
toward the way the homeless pets and their people really feel.
Many dog and cat owners—perhaps even
you—may one day be just a paycheck or an illness away from becoming homeless.
And when a story like this one shows the streets being a home to people and
their sleeping bags, pets and shopping carts, you, like, like all pet people
may wonder, “How do the homeless and their pets live?”
I spent several days on the streets
with the disenfranchised and my report, while sad, still serves to illustrate
the patience and devotion the companion animal holds for his owner, no matter
what the circumstances.
In San Francisco during the
Depression dogs kept company with the jobless and transient hobos. During the
turbulent Sixties dogs freeloaded with the hippies on Haight Street and freeway
ramps. And now, amid a recession, pets band together with the homeless in the
Tenderloin and at Golden Gate Park. Regardless of the era or locale, it’s the
pet, however, who sticks by his or her owner’s side—for better or worse.
Statistics prove pets and their
people who are homeless, ill or financially destitute are far too common on the
streets of San Francisco today. In the
Bay Area, there were an estimated 46,000 homeless in 1988. How many own pets?
No one knows for sure. But you can bet it’s a lot.
Often it is the homeless person
rather than society who is blamed when the inevitable doubt arises: “Did he
create his plight?” And too frequently, the judgmental question is posed by the
homeless themselves who more times than not, have lost their pride and
self-worth.
MEET A HOMELESS MAN AND HIS DOGS
Reno, a homeless person, for example,
owns two dogs in San Francisco. After a
painful divorce, several years ago the anguished man grabbed his guitar and
pup, left Colorado, and hit the road. For over five years, Reno has been broke
and struggling on the streets of San Francisco with his “two girls”—Tramp, an
Australian Shepherd/Bull Terrier and Puget Sound, a black Labrador retriever
from Washington state.
Often the 38-year-old unkempt man
and his two canines can be found on Market Street where they panhandle for
food. Some people call the homeless with dogs, like Reno, “scam artists.” Many
turn their heads. And others are losing patience and won’t spare a dime. Dog or
not.
One recent afternoon, in between
tears and flashing a snap shot of three dogs, Reno said in between tears he had
lost Puget’s daughter, Bingo in an operation. He blamed the doctors for
“killing his dog.” Not surprising, his anger and frustration carries over to
The City’s Mayor, and the police who often harass the homeless and keep them
from living at Civic Center Plaza.
Reno’s feelings are common among
homeless people. “Maybe, the only one that cares and gives support is their
companion animal,” says Richard Avanzino, president of the San Francisco SPCA.
“Because homeless people have this unique bond and special relationship, in
many cases, the animals are better cared for than they take care of themselves.
And that’s because the animal has stood by their side when society and the
world and human beings have discarded them.”
Why? Why do people (veterans,
children, adults with disabilities, single parents, teenagers, part-time
employees—without housing, end up on the streets?
Experts answer that the primary
reason of homelessness is lack of affordable housing. Also other societal
factors such as low-paying jobs, inaccessible health care, as well as personal
disasters, drug abuse and alcoholism can cause homelessness.
Despite the growing problem of
homeless people and their pets, it continues. Slowly, pet owners coping with
hard times are fighting back, and rediscovering their dignity, civil rights,
and freedom.
A DOG-LOVING VETERAN AND HIS TROOP
As a Vietnam veteran living in the
Tenderloin, Ray Masterson was homeless for 20 years. With a likeness to John
Steinbeck’s fictional character Pirate, a dog-loving man who owned five dogs in
Tortilla Flat, he tells his story:
“After I go out of the service it was hard to hold down a job, moving from one
part of the country to the other. I’ve always had a dog when I’ve been without
a home. It’s a fulfillment of being needed. It’s like having a family that I
don’t have.”
Ray has owned several dogs while homeless:
Corky, a Coyote/Dingo; Samson, a Husky/Wolf; Toker, a Pit Bull Terrier/Great
Dane; and Bear, a Pit Bull Terrier/Chow Chow. “Corky was a real good
panhandler,” he says and laughs out loud. “Bear took right to freight trains.
Every animal I’ve has had their own personalities and quirks. I got Bear on the
rebound because Corky had been run over by a tractor trailer up in Oregon. I
worked my way around for about a month and somebody gave me Bear as a pup. As
he grew bigger and stronger I got tired of carrying his food and water plus
mine in a backpack—so I built him a pair of donkey saddle bags. He carried his
own food and water for over a year.
“Bear and I were homeless in The
City for about nine months. We slept up in the churchyard mostly, where we had
permission from the church. Bear wouldn’t let anybody near me,” explains Ray.
Like a proud father, he points out Bear’s distinct facial features, and adds,
that as a pup his dog’s face was full of fuzzy fur resembling a California
Grizzly Bear.
These days the 37-year-old war vet
who’d spend his last five dollars on his dog, receives compensation from the
government for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Even though Ray’s off the
streets for now, he’s busy at work as a homeless advocate.
So
when society turns their back on people who are down and out it’s
understandable why these folks go to man’s best friend for comfort. One man’s
words---attributed to Senator George Vest in 1870—from his writing “Tribute To
A Dog” says it best:
“…A
man’s dog stands by him in prosperity, and in poverty, in health, and in
sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow, and
snow drives fiercely, if only he may be by his master’s side. He will kiss the
hand that has no food to offer; he will lick wounds and sores that come in
encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper
master as if he were a prince. When all others desert, he remains.”