Caring for Pets of the Indigent
A Talk by Jon Geller DVM, DABVP emeritus (The Street Dog Coalition, The Street Dog Coalition)
About this Talk
The over 500,000 homeless individuals in the US face a hard life on the streets. Those who have pets are facing additional barriers as a trade off for the unconditional love, companionship, and purpose that pets provide. This discussion and presentation will discuss the current challenges facing those pet owners who are experiencing homelessness, including very limited access to homeless shelters and public transportation. One Health Teams, including case workers, veterinary and medical personnel, mental health professionals, addiction counselors, and professional program students can provide effective outreach care on the streets. Overriding this care is the critical challenge of creating trust, where little trust exists. Different models of providing care will be discussed, including case examples, and specifics of what can be provided in the street setting will be considered. A specific focus of this One Health effort should be our homeless veterans, of which there are about 30,000. Most have a history of traumatic brain injury and/or PTSD. and those that have pets have the benefit of a final but imposing last barrier to suicide. We can provide care to these people and their pets, and we will talk about how we can do it.
Learning Objectives: 1) To become familiar with the additional barriers faced by pet owners who are experiencing homelessness
2) To become familiar with the challenges of providing veterinary care to un-sheltered pet owners.
References: "My Pet Always Eats First," Leslie Irvine, PhD
"Stories from the Shadows", James O'Connel, MD