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Some stuff from "Feeding Pets of the Homeless" Newsletter, Issue # 1 June 18, 2007
Publisher: Genevieve Frederick mailto:publisher@pawpublishing.com
http://www.petsofhomeless.com
http://www.pawpublishing.com
1. The plight of the homeless and their pets has been overlooked for so long. Most people never consider the circumstances that bring these folks to the streets. The unfortunate in our society are feared and ignored by the majority. I think it is our own insecurities that it could or might happen to any of us. A missed rent payment, a major illness (medical or mental), loss of a job, loss of transportation, addictions, spousal abuse to name a few, are reasons that many end up homeless. But add to any of those setbacks, a child and/or a pet and the problem becomes huge, too huge for some to handle.
More and more reporters are picking up the issue of homelessness and looking at it from another perspective.
2. Homeless Report:
The National Alliance to End Homelessness report of January 2007 stated that between 804,212 - 744,313 people in the United States experienced homelessness in January 2005 on any given night. But more disturbing were the figures for the unshielded during that time, a record: 322,050. Reasons are across the broad as to why; from the economy, shortages of shelters and money to run them, low income housing shortages, the disabled, drug and alcohol addictions, spousal abuse and more. Or perhaps, people choose to life on the street because they have a pet and can not find a shelter that will allow their pets.
Ten Worst States and Cities with Unsheltered Homeless:- California: 118,275 - Los Angeles City & County: 50,414
- Florida: 35,340 - Punta Gorda/Charlotte County: 4,634
- Texas: 20,213 - Houston/Harris County: 6,583
- Michigan: 15,146 - Detroit: 10,516
- Colorado: 14,294 - Denver: 5,089
- Nevada: 9,702 - Las Vegas/Clark County: 9,424
- Washington: 9,520 - Seattle/King County: 2,216
- Oregon: 8,446 - Portland/Gresham/Multnomah County: 2,355
- Georgia: 8,428 - Augusta: 732
- New York: 6,111 - New York City: 4,395
Sources: Research Reports on Homelessness – January 2007, National Alliance to End Homelessness
There is mounting evidence that all people need pets. A leading proponent of this theory, Dr. Boris Levinson, Professor of Psychology at Yeshiva University and a clinical psychotherapist, stated in his 1997 book Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy: “In this very busy twentieth century, man is a lonely creature. There are too many alienated individuals who lack human companionship. They lack purpose and productivity. A simple addition to these lonely lives can sometimes accomplish major changes. The possession of a pet, who eagerly awaits one and responds to one's care and attention, may mean the difference between maintaining contact with reality or almost total withdrawal into fantasy. Literally, a pet can occasionally represent the difference between life and death.
Other apparent reasons why people need pets are the increasingly urban nature of our society, the separation of children and adults from farm animals and from nature, the separation of families, where older persons and unmarried adults often live alone, and the desire for personal protection.”
6. Quote:
“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." - Unknown
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