How Dogs Can Save Humans

Imagine minding your own business, taking a stroll down the street of a busy city, and stumbling across a dog in distress needing help. The dog looks brittle, and looks as if it is struggling, alongside its owner. The owner and its dog have a clear look of helplessness, and you can feel the pain as you are walking by them. Being homeless and out on the street cannot be easy, which can be shown visually through the homeless and their dog. The homeless around the world every single day are struggling for their lives. If a homeless person is seen fighting for their life, with a dog also struggling, the best thing that could be done is helping them out and giving them a donation. A meal, a drink, or even some money could go the longest way in terms of helping out a homeless person and their dog in desperate need of help. That one cent can make all the difference with making sure that the homeless and its pet can survive and get through their day. 

Nobody chooses to be homeless, and live a life out on the streets, but with the rise of costs around the world, it is what has to be done for some people. It is getting harder to afford basic necessities due to the rise of costs, and the pandemic Covid 19 ended up putting many out of work. The article titled, US homelessness up 12% to highest reported level as rents soar and coronavirus pandemic aid lapses, by Freking states how due to inflation, there were, “more people being evicted”. With rent prices skyrocketing, and job losses, it has put so many out of their homes, leaving them all alone without anything to their name. If one is lucky, they could have a companion in the form of a dog alongside them to guide them through life and provide mass amounts of benefits. Some homeless could even have found a stray dog and taken it under their wing so that together they could flourish and hopefully get some help.  

Having good mental health is extremely important for humans and dogs in order to have a good head on their shoulders and to have a positive outlook on life. Being out on the streets cannot be easy, and having a dog can make all the difference. If the homeless are lonely and have no will to live, having a dog can essentially save their life and give them a reason to live. The benefits that dogs provide for the homeless mentally and physically are endless. According to the article titled, The Science behind Why We Love Our Dogs, Padmabandu states how, “Interacting with a dog can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and provide other health benefits”. All while the dogs are helping the homeless mentally, they can also be helping financially. If the homeless look happier and have a good attitude towards people, that could make the strangers walking by feel more comfortable approaching the homeless and giving a donation. 

Dogs are a great conversation starter, especially if someone is really a dog lover. Some people prefer dogs over humans, which could be an amazing situation for this case between a homeless person and their dog. If a stranger loves dogs and sees out out on the streets, by nature they would be inclined to go up and give it love. While the stranger is petting the dog or even just being near it, they could have a conversation with its owner. That conversation could be the owner explaining its circumstances or life story. The conversation potentially would not have happened if it was not for the dog there being the icebreaker, or why the stranger even approached the pair. 

Some may claim due to stereotypes that homeless people do not have any drive for their life and have no responsibility. If they had a dog with them though, those claims would be put to rest. Anyone that owns a dog or knows someone with a dog knows that they are expensive and a ton of work. It is not easy to take care of dogs in a house, but imagine on the streets. A homeless person having a dog with them, and strangers seeing them trying to take care of their dogs show huge responsibility and drive. It shows that they are humans too with hearts and a drive to take care of something. According to the article titled, People with Pets Experiencing Homelessness, by ASPCA states how, “Studies have shown that people experiencing homelessness report that their pets provide a sense of responsibility and are a reason to live, reduce substance use, and motivated them to seek healthcare”. It is good for a homeless person to be in charge of something, so that they have something to live for. Being responsible for a dog is going to help the homeless in more ways than one and will definitely make the strangers see that they are responsible enough to take care of another being. The responsibility that the homeless show with dogs could strike people by surprise and make them more inclined to wanting to stop over and help the homeless and their dog. 

It doesn’t matter where the dog came from, if it is a new dog or an old dog, that dog can be the reason why the homeless life is saved. The dog is putting itself at risk and living in horrible conditions all for their owner. The dog’s sympathy for its owner is important for the owner to see and realize, alongside the strangers. When people can feel the love, they would be more open to helping the pair so that they can continue to love and take care of each other. As hard as it could be for some to approach a homeless person, imagine how hard it is for the homeless everyday. Dry mouth, rumbling stomachs, no money, no drive, no nothing. Even with all of the hardships that the homeless face on a daily basis, if they have a dog the problems can seem less, and they could be happier. The donations, the love, the care, and more are the reasons why every homeless person could benefit from having a furry friend by their side, and to go through life with.

References

Freking, K. (2023, December 15). US homelessness up 12% to highest reported level as rents soar and coronavirus pandemic aid lapses. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/homelessness-increase-rent-hud-covid-60bd88687e1aef1b02d25425798bd3b1 

Padmabandu, M. (2023, June 5). The science behind why we love our dogs. Embarkvet. https://embarkvet.com/resources/science-behind-why-we-love-our-dogs/#:~:text=Dogs%20give%20us%20so%20much,pets%20tend%20to%20live%20longer. 

People with pets experiencing homelessness. ASPCA. (n.d.). https://www.aspca.org/improving-laws-animals/public-policy/housing/people-pets-experiencing-homelessness#:~:text=Studies%20have%20shown%20that%20people,social%20support%2C%20companionship%20and%20security.