Homeless Humans With Pets

Spirit and Kyya, who appear on a video in My Dog Is My Home.

Most of the time, we hear homelessness discussed as a people issue. But we all know that people fortunate enough to have a home also have nonhuman members of the family. They have four legs, generally, and are known to give as much love as they receive from their humans - pets.

However, did you realize that homeless shelters make no provision for the pets of those they serve. Many homeless individuals would rather remain out on the street, despite the hardships, than lose their cherished loved ones, even at risk to their own safety and health.



Christine Kim, a social worker who has worked with homeless individuals for more than seven years, on Skid Row in Los Angeles, has noticed. In 2013 she publicized this issue through an online and offline exhibition highlighting the strong bond between humans and their pets, that persists despite those humans no longer having a physical home.

The exhibition is much like a museum exhibit and was the first exhibition mounted by the fledgling NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ANIMALS & SOCIETY, which honors the bond between humans and their animals, treating animals as the sentient beings that they are. Although this museum was online exclusively, they have also become a physical museum and plan to expand their space by developing a larger locations.

Besides its location within this museum, MY DOG IS MY HOME: THE EXPERIENCE OF HUMAN-ANIMAL HOMELESSNESS also has its own website. One of the main points is that by animals remaining with their humans, that ongoing bond, provides a sense of hopefulness that those without pets don't experience. The story is told through those with direct experience, homeless individuals who keep their pets. It's something to see; there are also organizations that help support those without homes who remain with their pets. Perhaps, one day, this small voice told with the experiences of those who live it, can lead to shelters which allow and support the bonds between homeless people and their pets.

The exhibition at the National Museum of Animals & Society.

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/christine-kim-dog-home/

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