HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
...everyone has a story...
This website involves the creative collision of research, autobiographical storytelling and multimedia to demonstrate the benefits of the unique human-animal bond that exists between members of the Fort Collins homeless population and their pets.
Whilst becoming familiar with literature available in the field, with a keen focus on Leslie Irvine's book, My Dog Always Eats First: Homeless People & Their Animals, I invited members of the Fort Collins homeless population with pets to share their personal narratives on what their pets mean to them vis a vis one-on-one interviews and casual conversations which led to insightful and heartwarming story telling.
These narratives, paired with photographs of companion animals, have guided my graduate research and influenced the content of this website and the editing process of a canine companion calendar for the year 2019.
This calendar will be widely distributed in print and online in an effort to to increase understanding and empathy for homeless individuals with companion animals which is at the 'heart' of my thesis...
WHAT'S MY THESIS?
I argue that the human-animal bond, specifically between humans and canine companions, cannot be bought and is not limited to the domiciled public, nor should it be prohibited from those who are currently homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Furthermore, the domiciled public are not the authority on what constitutes a “good life” for a companion animal despite their good intentions and the focus some researchers have taken thus far on human-animal relationships in middle-class contexts.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
(and assumptions)
Why are domiciled individuals more inclined to pass judgement on members of the homeless population with pets and ask questions such as, “How can a homeless person care for an animal when they cannot provide basic needs for themselves?”, instead of considering the nuanced circumstances and layered components of the human-animal bond as it pertains to those living on the streets?
Having a home doesn’t necessarily guarantee someone has a heart, and vice versa.
SO LET'S START THERE,
WITH MERRIAM-WEBSTER
Define "home". Define "heart".
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, one definition of home is: "a familiar or usual setting : congenial environment; also : the focus of one's domestic attention. Example: home is where the heart is."
One definition of heart is: "the emotional or moral nature as distinguished from the intellectual nature. Examples: compassion (a leader with heart), love (affection won her heart), courage or enthusiasm especially when maintained during a difficult situation (never lost heart)."
RESEARCH ON STIGMA
There is a stigma associated with homelessness and it is worse for those experiencing homelessness while caring for a pet.
The domiciled often treat the homeless as “non-persons” (Goffman, 1963) and these “non-persons” are often deemed “unfit” to care for an animal.
Assumptions and negative stereotypes perpetuate these stigmas, making it harder for the homeless to seek help (for themselves or their animal companions).
In an effort to conceal/combat stigma, the homeless attempt to “information control” and “covering”, whereby he or she “makes a great effort to keep the stigma from looming large” (Irvine, 2013).
RESEARCH ON ANIMALS AS LIFE-CHANGERS AND LIFESAVERS
Animals can be providers of unconditional love and empathy: “The animal’s response to his or her companion does not depend on the latter’s appearance, age, economic fortunes, abilities, or the other vagaries that, for good or ill, constrain human-to-human relationships” (Sanders, 2003).
Companion Animals can also act as silent witnesses, keeping people from exercising risky behavior and encouraging a sense of responsibility and humanity (Irvine, 2013).
Oftentimes, given the choice between a roof and four walls or a human-animal bond that gives someone a reason to live, a homeless individual with a companion animal is more likely to pick their human-animal bond.
CONNECTIONS AND COMPARISONS TO AAA/AAT
Like the therapeutic goals handlers/animals work on with service participants in Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) and Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) settings, companion animals of the homeless also help with goal setting in terms of problem solving, building self-esteem, having a sense of purpose, working on behavior problems that coincide with ADHD, OCD, extreme anxiety, depression, etc. (Arkow, 2013).
Similar to a good handler in an AAA/AAT setting, many homeless individuals with canine companions (both those I read about and those I met at The Murphy Center) are incredibly attentive to their dog’s needs because their dog has either changed or saved their life, or both.
I would often witness an unspoken language where both parties were able to pick up on the communication/calming signals of the other.
Additionally, every individual I spoke to knows their dog’s breed (or back story) in addition to knowing their dog’s unique habits and personality traits.
They also know how to keep their animal safe in terms of monitoring their environment and physical necessities such as access to food, water, and a comfortable place to rest and they are quick to mention this, harkening back to their propensity to combat the stigma so often associated with them having pets.
WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
The human-animal bond is constant rather than contingent, and it is certainly not limited to any one demographic.
That said, we’re all in this together and perhaps we can decrease stigma and increase empathy if we collaborate instead of isolate.
Basic premises for collaboration within a community include:
knowing the community
humility to listen to what the community knows
building relationships of trust
respecting all opinions
discovering what one does not know
emphasizing grassroots activity
serving the people of the community
being a peer and a partner
understanding the potentials for the betterment of the community
(Ceas, 2017)
These basic premises provide an excellent framework for understanding the circumstances that shape the journey of homeless individuals with companion animals.
CONCLUSION
When the world feels especially cold and dangerous for the homeless, companion animals offer shelter from the figurative storm of stigmatization and snap judgements.
To be sure, there are homeless individuals who should not have pets, but there are also domiciled members of society who should not have pets either.
The question is not a matter of whether or not an individual has a roof over their head, the question is whether or not they have a heart that will put their animal’s needs before their own.
Wherever that heart is, there is a home for a companion animal.
REFERENCES
Arkow, P. (2015). Animal-assisted therapy and activities: A study and research resource guide for the use of companion animals in animal-assisted interventions (11th ed.). Stratford, NJ: animalherapy.net.
Borrup, T., & McNaulty, R. (2006). The creative community builders handbook: How to transform communities using local assets, art, and culture. Saint Paul (Minnesota, Estados Unidos): Fieldstone Alliance.
Ceas, S. (2017, September 29). Dramatic Solutions Charrette Module. Lecture presented at LEAP MODULES in CO, Fort Collins.
Defleur, M. L., & Goffman, E. (1964). Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Social Forces, 43(1), 127. doi:10.2307/2575995
Irvine, L. (2013). My Dog Always Eats First: Homeless People and Their Animals Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2013.ISBN: 9781588268884. Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews, 44(4), 521-523. doi:10.1177/0094306115588487bb
Dictionary by Merriam-Webster: America's most-trusted online dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2018, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Reflections from Murphy Center Clients and Pets [Personal interview]. (2018, April).
Rew, L. (2000). Friends and Pets as Companions: Strategies for Coping With Loneliness Among Homeless Youth. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 13(3), 125-132. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6171.2000.tb00089.x
Sanders, C. R. (2003). Actions Speak Louder than Words: Close Relationships between Humans and Nonhuman Animals. Symbolic Interaction, 26(3), 405-426. doi:10.1525/si. 2003.26.3.405
Singer, R. S., Hart, L. A., & Zasloff, R. L. (1995). Dilemmas Associated with Rehousing Homeless People Who Have Companion Animals. Psychological Reports, 77(3), 851-857. doi:10.2466/pr0.1995.77.3.851
Taylor, H., Williams, P., & Gray, D. (2004). Homelessness and dog ownership: an investigation into animal empathy, attachment, crime, drug use, health and public opinion. Anthrozoös, 17(4), 353-368. doi:10.2752/089279304785643230
LAGNIAPPE RESEARCH GOALS & OBJECTIVES
I would like to raise awareness and empathy amongst the general public and homeless shelters about the importance of the human-animal bond and the benefits of pets for the homeless.
I would also like to raise awareness amongst the homeless population about the options and resources that are currently available to them and their pets such as Street Dog Coalition (which provides free medical care and related services to pets of the homeless) and Project Homeless Connect.
Lastly, I want members of the homeless population who so lovingly care for their pets to feel heard, validated, respected, and understood.
