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Originally Posted by Rachael1983  I've seen in some major cities (ie NYC, Chicago, DC, LA) where homeless people did in fact have pets. They do have access to basic care through programs through the city. I think this is a great program actually so I don't think this limits people who may want a dog.
Further to this, people who have low incomes, lets say below the poverty line which is ~36K/year, I've seen families give loving, happy, healthy homes to a pet.
Just because someone doesn't make a substantial amount of money does not make them unqualified to own a pet. Time and responsibility makes owning a pet possible. Granted there are costs that may come up that make be rate limiting (example dog gets cancer or breaks something) the pet parent may make the hard choice to put that dog down instead of give chemo or 5k surgery. It doesn't take away from their love for the pet or the life they may have provided for that animal. We can't judge anyone for that because they may be taking funds and resources from a child or an elderly parent they are taking care of. Everyone's life has circumstances and an individual has their own right to know which circumstances will allow them to make a responsible choice in owning a pet or not.
So my two cents is that yes a low income person can own a pet. |
I totally agree about the low income people being able to give a pet a good home. I just can't see a homeless person with a dog... mostly because I wouldn't know where that person would be able to go and keep the dog safe? Do they go to a homeless shelter and allowed to live there or? Mostly because living outside means being exposed to the elements, and in NYC I'd be hard pressed to say that a dog would be healthy living outside(asides of the obvious fumes, and stuff-- outside temperatures can reach below freezing, more so with the valley effect the buildings have on the city).
I do however think that people should be able to own a dog even if they're not so well off.. There should be programs that won't end, and are able to provide those families' pet with food, vet care, medicines, and their basic needs... I think humans should be looking after one another instead of being so snooty and looking down on the less fortunate... because poverty can happen to anyone and everyone. In fact, what we consider poor today probably used to be middle class a decade or two ago.
What about those disabled folks who have it worse than us? Some can't enjoy a lot of things non-disabled people can.. but why should they be denied the most basic fundamental happiness society can provide?
To be quite honest, I suffer from clinical depression and while it's nothing as bad as other folks may have... I can quite say that a dog has elevated my moods and done things where modern medicine has failed to do....
I feel bad because I imagine my friends father whose back is so bad he can't even move much without pain, something chronic I think she mentioned that the doctors told him.
They have cats, and I don't think I could see him without his cats.... The man clearly loves them and spends his time with them. So whose to say he's not a better owner than a certain someone I know who makes a big salary, could essentially own a small mansion if they -really- wanted, could have a lot of things but most of his time is at his job. He works about 10-11 hours a day, and when he gets home he's probably too tired to do anything much less to actually attend his own dog.
He hires pet sitters to look after his dogs, feed, walk, water them, take them out to do their business.
But I doubt even the average middle class person would even consider doing that... as I already know a lot of middle class people with dogs and they leave their dogs unattended, granted they just leave them a lot of water bowls, and puppy pads.. but I don't think a dog should be left alone for more than 4 hours unless it's urgent/emergency.... and even then someone should still be looking after them.
Just like you wouldn't- and couldn't legally leave a really young child on their own without parental or adult supervision.
They wouldn't be happy and could get into trouble.