Homeless person and two dogs

[Greydove28]

Just walked past a homeless person with two dogs. One a v expensive dog. Aibu to wonder how they afford it?

I feel sad when I see dogs on the street, it is uncomfortable, cold and scary for them. They should be in a home on a sofa getting regular walks etc.

Well yes, just like their owners in an ideal world.

Anyway the OP when asked how she knew this was homeless, replied 'because he was begging'.

That doesn't mean he's homeless. People are falling on all sorts of hard times, due to benefit sanctions and other problems.

This thread is horrible and yes a thinly veiled attack on the homeless
Sickening

It's never an 'innocent' question.

@Muminabun I feel sad when I see dogs on the street, it is uncomfortable, cold and scary for them. They should be in a home on a sofa getting regular walks etc

So it makes you sad to see dogs living like that, what about the person? It's uncomfortable, cold and scary for them too and they should be in a home on a sofa too. Animals matter, yes, but so do people.

Dogs and other animals often become family, especially if they're all you've got and that's particularly so for a homeless person.

There are so many possible scenarios to explain why he had 2 dogs with him. One or both might even be his girlfriend's or whatever.

I know a homeless person in the nearest city to us and he often has his girlfriend's jumper/coat-wearing cute little 'handbag' dog with him. People approach him to stroke the dog and chat about it. You should try it.

I knew a homeless man with a German shepherd. She was fed better than he was. People bought her bones, meat and kibble all the time. She also protected him from arseholes.
Now that she's gone hes been beaten up more times than I care to remember. Mostly because hes bipolar and can be stroppy but that is not an excuse for people to abuse him.

This is not fair on OP!! What a pile on!

Someone else said the thread should be deleted for being judgemental. OP effectively said 'fine, delete it then', after she got post after post accusing her of being judgemental.

For what it's worth, I'd agree with OP that it's unusual for someone begging on the street to have a dog of a breed that generally would cost a lot of money. It's not unreasonable to be surprised that someone needing to beg has enough money to get a status dog.

People have come up with a variety of explanations for that, which is fine.

I have befriended a homeless man. I know his backstory but would not put it here. He has had many chances to take accommodation but that would mean rehoming his dog, he refuses to do this because he loves her. His dog has excellent warm coats donated to her, one which is very expensive and he is paying for weekly from his benefits. The dog is loved and well cared for. I do think of them both when the weather is awful as I know he lives in a tent, if it’s particularly bad he has a friend who puts them both up in his rented room.

I’m not a judgemental person and this man has told me he’s made mistakes that have put him in the position he now struggles to get out of. OP while you’ve maybe asked a question that may be in all innocence there is enough info out there that to educate yourself and you haven’t come across well.

For what it's worth, I'd agree with OP that it's unusual for someone begging on the street to have a dog of a breed that generally would cost a lot of money.

No it really isn't.

It's not unreasonable to be surprised that someone needing to beg has enough money to get a status dog.

It's completely unreasonable not to engage the brain and come up with the most obvious reasons, before starting a judgmental thread.

And yes the OP was being judgmental by mentioning the fact the dog was expensive.

The OP is about as judgemental as your average Daily Fail reader, it's fucking obvious how homeless people manage to feed dogs.

You can get pet food from the food banks where I live, my local vet also treats the dogs of homeless people for free.
Sometimes people have a dog and then become homeless, if they can continue to feed their pet and look after it, there's no reason why they shouldn't have a dog.
There are a lot of homeless people in my area of the country, and some of them have dogs, the dogs I have seen have always looked well cared for - clean and not underweight.

I saw a man with a dog when I was in Liverpool and it was freezing. I gave him a fiver and said I hoped he had somewhere to stay tonight, He said no, as they wouldn't take his dog who he clearly loved, I felt so sorry for him, The dog looked well fed and was very hairy as he's obviously adapted to the cold weather better than his owner.

@Muminabun A dog is a dog, they can and do survive on the streets. That's when they're scared, uncomfortable and cold. Not when they're with someone who is homeless but does everything to put their dog first.

Could be professional beggars who go home at the end of the day. The dogs may attract more cash? When we were in Italy there were professional beggars with a baby posted at tourist areas.

YANBU OP. Everyone knows that homeless people should have poor people dogs, like staffies.

Jesus Christ.

He might have had the dogs for a long time.

It's very difficult to find accommodation with dogs.

Having said that there are professional beggars with dogs, but they stick to the touristy areas and actively use the dogs for begging.

There’s a bloke I pass every so often who has a dog and a cat. They wear matching neckerchiefs and never leave their owner’s side. I always think he must be someone special for the cat to be devoted to him rather than buggering off on its own.

Of the very few homeless people I have known they have been fab pet owners. Their loyal dogs have been the only purpose they have and I don't doubt are the reasons they are still alive.

He may have had the dog before being made homeless or he may have been gifted the dog someone who was rehoming or looking to dump the dog. Better he cares for the dog than it being dumped along some riverbank.

Oh grow up, OP.

Don't be all faux innocent that you were just "wondering."

Do you live in Ukraine, OP?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-51356845

Many years ago I was walking along Tottenham Court Road and an obviously homeless man came towards me. He was absolutely filthy. His hair was long and matted, his face ingrained with dirt and his trousers and overcoat so dirty they were black and shiny. He was carrying a bundle of belongings. People were shying away from him and staring. With him, on a lead was a long haired German Shepherd. It’s coat was glossy and it was well-fed. The dog walked alongside him, gazing up into his face with absolute adoration. That dog was probably his only friend and the one creature that loved him. I still get tears in my eyes when I think about the way that dog looked at it’s master.

and a cat. They wear matching neckerchiefs
The lovely Jim and Bob have a lot to answer for

The answer to OP's question is simply: None of your business, particularly as your response to a homeless person and his dogs was to walk past and wonder and then to post a thread about them on't'internet, presumably from the comfort of your own home. YABU.

Just got back from my job at a well established homeless project in a major city, worked in this sector for over 20 years. There aren't a lot of charities helping homeless people with dogs, there are 3 and they can't be everywhere. Some other charities will help out on an ad hoc basis but its right that there is little or no provision for homeless people with a dog, and the homeless person won't leave them just so as to get themselves a place in a shelter. The Dogs Trust provide a list of hostels etc that take dogs., but once you are in a hostel with a dog, where do you go from there? Its hard to get more stable accommodation when you come with a pet.

BTW this is stuff you need to be writing to your MPs about, and voting accordingly.

BUT ... it is unusual to see homeless people with "handbag" type breeds, as these are rarely abandoned and they are not really hardy enough to withstand the outdoor life. We also have to accept that some people steal dogs in order to beg. Some non-homeless people even steal the beloved dogs of those living on the street, and use them to help them beg whilst destroying the owner whose only friend has gone.

The situation is far more complicated than people are making out here; come to think of it the entire situation around homelessness is much more complicated etc ... and yes, the OP has no way of knowing what the circumstances are.

It was an innocent question but thanks a lot for all the nasty comments. I will never ever post in here again! Total vipers nest. Thanks to the couple who understood i was generally asking out of curiosity. Ive always supported homeless people-donated food and given cash but if it makes some keyboard warriors feel better making me out to be some sort of judgemental nasty person go ahead. Im never coming on here again!!