View full sizeAmy Sacks (right) of the Pixie Project, one of the organizations that tries to make sure the pets of the homeless get proper health care.As one of Portland's estimated 2,500 homeless people, Scott (who declined to give his last name) says he feels safer sleeping on the streets with Bear Dog than he does in a shelter.
Bear Dog, a 3 1/2-year-old German pointer, chocolate Labrador and chow mix, was a birthday present to Scott as a puppy. Now he can't imagine being without him.
"I'm a lot safer," Scott said after a snack at
, a nonprofit homeless advocacy organization. "He lets me know when people are close, and he lets other people hear him so they stay away."
While the
hasn't kept track of pets in past counts, this was the first year the survey asked about pets, says Maileen Hamto, public information officer for the Housing Bureau.
Results from the count won't be available until April, but it's obvious to many organizations dealing with the homeless and low-income that pets are taking on an increasingly important role for those population segments. As such, more are offering resources for both pets and people. Most are stretched to near-capacity but are doing their part to help where they can.
The Portland Animal Welfare Team first began holding sporadic clinics in 1997, but the increasing demand meant the need clearly wasn't being met, says Executive Director Wendy Kohn.
The clinics provide basic health services and vaccinations, licensing and food for pets of homeless and low-income residents. Clients also can arrange for spaying and neutering at a variety of locations in conjunction with Multnomah County Animal Services and the Animal Shelter Alliance of Portland.
When they started offering clinics on a monthly basis in February 2010, organizers expected 50 to 60 pets at each clinic. By the March clinic, there were about 130, and each monthly clinic that followed averaged 142 clients, Kohn says.
"A big part of it was the recession," Kohn says. "We just kind of hit the timing where so many more people were on the edge."
Because the program relies so heavily on volunteers, it can serve only 75 to 100 pets per clinic. People often wait for hours for the clinic to open, and many are turned away.
Aside from serving a public health aspect, the PAW Team clinics have another goal.
"Treating the pets is a leverage point for getting people more able to access social services," Kohn says.
Recognizing that most people on the streets can't get into a shelter if they have a pet, the group is trying to work with landlords of low-income housing and emergency homeless shelters to figure out ways to let pets stay with their owners.
When the mercury plummets to bone-chilling temperatures, pet owners without a permanent roof over their heads have at least one option.
Multnomah County Animal Services and the Humane Society of the United States partnered to provide animal crates to the Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross. Now the warming shelter at Imago Dei Church in Southeast Portland can provide room for as many as 150 people and 40 pets, says Mike Paulsen, development coordinator for Animal Services.
The nonprofit JOIN, which works to help transition homeless people into permanent housing, put four dog crates in its courtyard in January. The organization hopes to build a covered structure with individual temporary doghouses, says JOIN Executive Director Marc Jolin.
Many people go to JOIN to access showers, apply for food stamps or meet with social workers. One of the most common requests they get is for pet food and medical care for pets, Jolin says.
"I think people who lose their housing for whatever reason, they'll go to great lengths to make sure they don't also lose their animals," Jolin says. "Their relation with animals is the most important relationship they have."
Even in the winter months, homeless people often opt to sleep outside rather than abandon their dog by staying in a no-pet shelter.
That's certainly true for Scott.
"I will sleep outside before I give up my dog," he says. "I don't care how cold it is."
Amy Sacks, executive director of the Pixie Project, has a direct approach for helping pets of the city's low-income population.
She regularly patrols the city's downtown streets approaching people with animals and asks them if the pets are spayed or neutered. If they're not, she'll hand the owner her card.
"Eighty percent of the homeless people in Portland have my cell phone (number) in their pocket," she says.
The Pixie Project will ensure the pet gets spayed or neutered either for free or at very low cost, if the owner agrees to the procedure, Sacks also will throw in free vaccinations and provide some basic medical care.
Larry Chusid, director of The Pongo Fund, makes sure Portland's pooches get fed. His dog and cat food bank has provided nearly 1.5 million meals for pets in 28 counties. His pet-food bank provides emergency pet food to an average of 2,000 families a month and nearly 50 nonprofit organizations, including Union Gospel Mission, St. Francis Dining Hall and Potluck in the Park.
It's not fair to expect someone to give up a pet when they've already lost a home, he says.
"For many people living on the street, they might not have been on the street six months ago, and they might have a 9-year-old dog," Chusid says. But pets need two things: love and food. And food stamps can't be used for pet food. Many use the stamps to buy tuna fish or ground beef as a substitute.
"When someone is giving up their own food to feed their animals, it's not a good situation," he says.
People often start lining up at 9:30 a.m. for the twice-monthly food distribution that begins at noon.
"For someone that already has so little," Chusid says, "the unconditional love they have for their animal is priceless."
Resources
Animal Shelter Alliance of Portland (ASAP):
Provides low-cost spaying and neutering for cats of people receiving government assistance. Call 503-802-6755 for owned cats or 503-797-2606 for feral and stray cats.
Cat Adoption Team Cat Food Bank:
Distributes cat food, noon-2 p.m. first Sunday of the month (10 a.m.-noon starting April 3); 14175 S.W. Galbreath Drive, Sherwood. 503-925-8903.
Provides one month's worth of food for up to four dogs and two cats per household; open 10 a.m.-1 p.m. the third Saturday of the month; proof of government assistance; not limited to Clackamas County residents; 410 S. Beavercreek Road, #516, Oregon City. 971-678-6940
Provides basic veterinary care to homeless or low-income residents at monthly clinics. Next clinic: 1-4 p.m. Sunday, 3016 S.E. Division St.
Provides some spaying, neutering and basic veterinary assistance for pets of low-income and homeless residents. 503-542-3432.
Distributes pet food noon-2:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, 910 N.E. Martin Luther King Blvd.; 503-939-7555.
Free hot meal to those in need; dog and cat food provided; 3 p.m. every Sunday at O'Bryant Square (between Southwest Park and Ninth Avenue and Southwest Washington and Stark streets, Portland), 503-255-7611.
Offers low- or no-cost, all-positive training for pets of people who are low-income or homeless; 503-683-3647.
Provides dog and cat food; dog collars and treats; 503-274-4483.
Provides some assistance for pets of homeless Tillamook County residents. 503-842-5663.
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