36 Section 2
Most of the studies published to date, however, tend to focus on the
human-positive aspects and health improvements. More work could be
done on a holistic approach, considering the animal, human and societal
levels. These extend to housing, including social housing, rented accommo-
dation and homes for the elderly.
The animal and human welfare connections can differ greatly at this
level. While homelessness has negative impacts both upon those who are
homeless and the society that renders them so, dogs owned by homeless
people are generally healthy and with few behaviour problems (Williams
and Hogg, 2016; Scanlon and Stavisky, 2018).
Through the animal–human bond pets can also help to improve the wel-
fare of homeless people by providing companionship, stability and security,
as well as a sense of responsibility. The HAB stages may vary across people;
for example it has been reported that the bond between a homeless person
and their dog surpasses a typical owner–pet bond and has many similar-
ities with the bond that exists between service or therapy animals and their
human counterparts (Scanlon and Stavisky, 2018)
This interconnection is already recognized in a number of countries. As a
result multidisciplinary projects to provide food and care for homeless people
and their animals at shelters are now in place and established. Studies looking
at accommodation availability for homeless people with dogs are ongoing.
OSF assessed her needs, and then stayed in regular social contact to monitor her
well-being and that of Poppy. As her illness progressed, OSF
arranged help with dog walking and gave her peace of mind by document ing her
wishes for the dog following her death. OSF was able to identify her needs and alert
her family and doctor thanks to our regular contact. At the end of her life, she was
admitted to a hospice and her family took the dog to visit her while we continued to
care for Poppy. The increased social contact experienced by Poppy during her own-
er’s illness enabled her to be rehomed subsequently within the family.
A social worker referred a 68-year-old man who was struggling and living
in unsanitary conditions with his beloved sole family member, his dog Billy
(image b). OSF initiated ongoing veterinary care for Billy, secured the garden
by mending the fencing, and arranged for volunteers to pop in for regular dog
walks and a chat. One volunteer was recruited via a weight-reduction club
and lost 6 stone while walking Billy. Working alongside health and social
carers, the quality of life of Billy’s owner improved tenfold and both his wel-
fare and that of Billy were attended to on a daily basis. OSF’s intervention
meant he could continue to keep his dog at home and, when he was hospital-
ized as an emergency, Billy was fostered and his owner reassured until they
were reunited 8 weeks later.
To date, increasing studies continue to add evidence to the fact that com-
panion animals can help reduce loneliness levels among single people, the eld-
erly and children (Franklin and Tranter, 2011).Case Study 7. Continued.