Rethinking responsibility: dog owners experiencing homelessness

Around one in ten to one in twenty people experiencing homelessness in Great Britain seek dog-friendly accommodation. Dogs belonging to people experiencing homelessness are generally happy and healthy but the owners are often deemed ‘not responsible’. It would be unlikely that any homeless person could obtain a dog from a shelter, for example. Erasure of a homeless person’s existing affection and relationship with a dog, via exclusionary rules and regulations, is discriminatory; prohibition of acquisition of a new dog similarly so. The benefits of companion animal ownership are denied and marginalised people get excluded more.
Methods
Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to survey both service providers and people experiencing homelessness at a well-established (15 years) veterinary outreach clinic for homeless and vulnerably-housed animal owners in Edinburgh. The topic of ‘joint provision of animal and human healthcare’ was used as a means of exploring relevant issues through a One Health lens.
Findings
The study raised questions for inclusive veterinary practice. There is a need for an empathetic approach to veterinary services 'at the periphery'. Service learning could allow student veterinarians to understand the value and depth of the human-animal bond and see first-hand how animal and human health and well-being are linked for some of the most under-served people in society. Underlying assumptions of ‘responsible pet ownership’ need to be addressed and this often-used trope critiqued from the perspectives of discrimination and animal agency. Further qualitative research is required.