Paws for Thought
Paws for Thought
Everyone deserves the love of a canine companion.
Compassion unleashed!
More than once we hear people critise those we support if they also have a dog with them. They say "If they can’t look after themselves, they shouldn’t have a dog." Others may be genuinely concerned about the dog and why it should have to endure the hardships and challenges of being homeless, it seems unfair. Certainly we found that people who had dogs were often refused shelter or housing unless they gave up their pet.
But in reality, most people are homeless becuase of a whole range of really tough circumstances - many of these are beyond their control. Having the companionship of a pet is often one of the only warm and loyal relationships in their lives.
In the past we didn't used to really consider people's pets. We were so focused on getting people into a safe place, we didn’t really consider their pets. So with a greater number of people on the streets who wouldn’t accept accommodation without taking their pet with them, we pawsed to understand what was going on and how we could help.
Connection
What we found surprised us. Instead of being a burden for the person or an endurance for the dog, both human and animal benefited hugely from the connection they had. It surprised us to find that in most cases the dogs were better cared for and happier than many domestic dogs, they were well fed though rarely fat, well cared for and never on their own. For the dog owner their pet was often the only sustainable, unconditional and strongest connection to anything they had in their lives.
It wasn’t just a dog, it was so much more than that; structure and purpose in their lives, companionship, security, meaningful purpose, safety and unconditional acceptance and love. The impact on their physical and mental health was hugely positive, sadly it was services inability to recognise the nature of the relationship that caused the harm, to both dog and human. It didn’t make sense for services to traumatise people further by breaking the only real connection they had in their lives in order to access shelter.
Dog Friendly Services at Simon Community
In partnership with the Dogs Trust we not only transformed our approach to supporting people with dogs we produced guidance for all homeless services on how they could respond in a trauma informed way and welcome both human and dogs into their services.
Today all Simon Community Services are dog friendly. Every day we support people and pets to stay together. We work closely with the SSPCA, The Dogs Trust and Edinburgh Cat and Dog Home and provide on site vet support through The Hope Project, Pets4All and Trusty Paws. We support other services to accept dogs but there are still too many homeless services in Scotland where accommodation is conditional on their pet going into kennels.
In our Hubs and accommodation services we always ensure we have pet food, blankets, beds, harnesses, coats and leads along with poo bags, treats and toys. Our staff often look after dogs in their own homes while their owners are in hospital for example and we provide a ‘home pack’ for staff as well as people who do move into their own place, we make sure the dog feels at home too.
Why dogs are awesome
At Simon Community we recognise the hugely positive impact pets can have on their owners lives - here are some of the reasons why we believe dogs are awesome!
Less loneliness
Animals are excellent company! The pets we share our homes with gives us comfort and companionship. This can be particularly powerful for people who live alone or don't have regular contact with family and friends.
A sense of responsibility
Many people use pets to educate their children about caring for others and life's daily responsibilities. Knowing our animals are fully dependent on us can bring a rewarding sense of purpose and motivation.
A way to meet new people
Whether you're a dog or a cat - or bird or reptile or fish - person, you'll know that talking to other enthusiasts about your pet is a fantastic ice-breaker. Our pets can help us socialise and even introduce us to new friends.
Increased happiness
Who doesn't want to be happier, more of the time? Our pets make us smile and laugh everyday. In fact, over 90% of us feel that our animal companions bring us increased levels of joy and contentment.
Improved physical health
We all know that walking a dog or playing with a cat is excellent exercise. And that's just the start... research has also shown that people with pets can benefit from lower blood pressure, increased immunity and improved overall fitness.
Better mental health
It's not just our bodies that benefit from owning pets. Our furry friends have been shown to provide emotional and therapeutic support for people suffering from depression and anxiety, as well as promoting lower stress levels.
Help us to support our furry friends
We spend around £6000 a year on supporting our furry friends. If you can spare a few pounds at Just Giving it will be very welcomed and will go directly to our Paws for Thought programme.
