For the sensitive among us, it’s heart-breaking to see dogs living on the streets with homeless people, as often the streets are cold, dangerous and uncomfortable. But it’s usually the case that these dogs are well-loved by their human guardians.
The best solution is to find stable accommodation for homeless people, to give all people and dogs a home.
An estimated 10% to 25% of homeless individuals keep dogs as companion animals. Homeless people with pets face limited access to shelter. And providing food, medical care, and safety for dogs can be difficult. Below are some places to help, they and local charities may also provide foster care, if guardians have to visit hospital.
The Reality for Homeless Dog Guardians
Day and night, life with a dog on the streets brings comforts and challenges that many people rarely think about. Living with a pet while sleeping rough, is a balancing act.
Every day means looking after your closest friend while dealing with the realities of life outdoors. Walking through the city or setting up camp for the night, these bonds run deep, but practical hurdles never go away.
Why Dogs Stay with Their Guardians
For people with no fixed address, their dog is much more than “just a pet”. Dogs offer constant comfort (the kind money can’t buy) and warmth on cold nights. Their loyalty gives guardians a sense of purpose and someone to protect.
Facing days full of stress, judgment, or fear, a dog remains a steady friend, wagging their tail even when nothing else is certain. In tough moments, this bond feels stronger than any hardship:
- Emotional safety: Dogs can help guardians manage anxiety and loneliness.
- Physical protection: Dogs often make people feel safer when they sleep rough.
- Routine: Caring for a pet means daily walks and regular feeding, adding stability to uncertain lives.
- Trust: For many, their dog is the most trustworthy companion they have.
The trust runs both ways. Dogs stick by their human’s side, even when food is hard to find or the weather is miserable. They’re in it together.
Barriers to Veterinary Care
Looking after a dog’s health is tricky when living on the streets. Regular vet visits become a luxury. Cost is a huge problem. Even routine jabs or flea treatments are expensive when every penny counts.
But it’s not just about money:
- No spare cash: Feeding yourself and your dog comes first, with little left for vet bills.
- Finding a clinic: Free or low-cost vet services may be on the other side of town.
- Getting there: Public transport might not allow dogs, or owners may fear losing their few possessions if they leave their sleeping spot.
- No paperwork: Some clinics need ID, which many people sleeping rough don’t have.
This means dogs may go without jabs, worming, or treatment for skin infections. Emergencies are even harder. A broken leg or deep cut can become life-threatening, if there’s no money or transport for treatment.
Housing Policies That Exclude Pets
When someone with a dog tries to come indoors, they face another big wall: many shelters and hostels don’t accept pets. Housing support often comes with rules, and “no animals” is a common one. For many, it’s an impossible choice: give up their dog or stay outside together.
People often turn down a warm bed because leaving their dog behind feels unthinkable. After everything else they’ve lost, giving up their most loyal friend isn’t an option.
Without pet-friendly support, street life continues, and the cycle of homelessness is hard to break. Dogs bring comfort and hope, but practical barriers (like these housing bans) leave owners facing tough decisions every day.
A man and his dog both die, and go to Heaven. At the pearly gates, the Angel says the man can come in, but dogs are not allowed. The man refuses to go to Heaven without his dog, and carries on walking. He comes to another gate, and this time the Angel lets him and his dog in.
The man says ‘But that Angel said that dogs are not allowed in Heaven’. The Angel replies ‘Oh, that was not an Angel. That was the Devil. He only lets people in, who are willing to leave their dogs behind’.
Bring BillyChip to Your Community
BillyChip is a scheme where communities are set up by tokens (sold at participating local shops) to give to homeless people. Who can then use the tokens to buy hot drinks, food (and pet food) at participating outlets.
This enables communities to help feed homeless people and dogs, whilst still following official advice from councils and homeless charities, not to give cash to homeless people (in case it’s spent on drink or drugs, or puts homeless people at risk from robbery).
Dogs Trust Hope Project
Dog’s Trust Hope Project offers free vet care with participating vets (let local homeless people know about the scheme) which covers general medical care.
Once signed up, homeless people often get support to find dog-friendly hostels (the scheme also helps sofa-surfers and those at risk of eviction). Other charities offering similar services include:
Dogs on the Streets (DOTS)
Dogs on the Streets offers free vet clinics, food, and supplies in major cities like London and Manchester. Their mobile vet teams make regular visits, building close bonds of trust.
StreetVet
StreetVet teams provide health checks, vaccinations, and urgent care directly on the streets. It also fosters dogs, in case of hospital stays.
Street Paws
Street Paws runs outreach sessions in towns across the UK, ensuring dogs have access to worming, flea treatment, microchipping, and other essentials. It also runs first aid training for hostels.
The Mayhew
Mayhew is a London animal charity that works with homeless centres across the city, providing preventative vet care (neutering, vaccinations, flea and worming treatments), along with jackets and leads to keep dogs safe and warm. They also ensure dogs have food, and Community Animal Support Officers to help.
Support Pet-Friendly Housing Initiatives
The real solution here is to make more rental accommodation pet-friendly. More than half of people in England live with pets, yet most rental accommodation is now very expensive (often due to higher mortgage payments) and many places ban pets.
Lets with Pets is a website run by Dogs Trust that offers advice and a Good Practice Handbook for landlords (free to download).
It also offers advice for tenants, like including references on well-behaved pets and offering extra deposits, for more chance of success in finding pet-friendly rental accommodation.
How to Help Homeless People in England
The best way to help dogs of rough sleepers, is to find them both a home.
There are presently around 250,000 homeless people in England (this includes rough sleepers, sofa-surfers and people living in temporary bed-and-breakfast accommodation).
Homeless people can claim benefits (usually Universal Credit), giving the address of a family member or friend, or a local hostel or job centre. Having this income helps pay for food (and pet food), interview clothes, and accommodation deposits.
People without a bank account can use the government’s Payment Exception Service to collect benefits from a local post office or PayPoint outlet.
If you see someone sleeping rough, send a report to StreetLink, whose local outreach teams visit rough sleepers at night, to alert them of support to find benefits and accommodation (if the person is under 18, call 999).
Help Dogs of Homeless People Abroad
If you would also like to support charities abroad doing similar work, these include:
Pets of the Homeless (US) offers free vet care (along with spay/neuter surgery, nail trimming and ear cleaning) to dogs of homeless people (including emergency care).
And outreach support to provide free pet food and help for veterans (finding stable housing for them and their dogs).
The charity also provides free crates for shelters that don’t allow pets (apart from service dogs). This enables homeless people with dogs, to find indoor accommodation for the night.
Project Street Vet (US) is another non-profit (founded by a California vet who has volunteered on the streets for years). This organisation works in a few states, providing free vet care (exams, vaccines, flea meds and other supplies) and end-of-life services if required.
WE Care Worldwide (Sri Lanka) works slightly differently, in that it helps the country’s huge population of street dogs, who are more akin to wild animals than pets. They live in packs (local people simply look out for them, a bit like feral cats).
But some have awful injuries and illness, due to no human guardians. So this charity funds vaccinations to help street dogs, and also provides vet treatment and community education. You can buy cotton t-shirts to support them.
In Delhi (India), locals have created a waterproof dog bed for street dogs that combines recycled dog food bags, with jute cover & reflective piping. What a great idea!
Advocate for Pet-Friendly Policies
We need to shake things up a bit. A country with 250,000 homeless people is doing something wrong. Many councils, housing groups and landlords stick to old ‘no pets’ rules, which is half the issue. And helping people who are homeless (rather than judging them) is also the best solution.
Ways you can speak out:
- Contact homeless shelters and ask if they can start or expand pet-friendly spaces
- Message your councillors to support pet-inclusive social housing projects (many areas review these rules yearly). Also ask them to fund mobile vet units for homeless people. Some groups use refurbished vans or outdoor tents, set up with equipment and volunteers.
- Talk to landlords or letting agents about allowing dogs in rentals, even on a trial basis. Tenants can help themselves by offering bigger deposits, offering to deep-clean at the end of rental periods, and providing references from other people and previous landlords.
Even a handful of supportive voices can nudge groups to rethink their policies. Share evidence that pet-friendly housing is safe, keeps tenants settled for longer, and breaks the cycle of rough sleeping. Landlords often listen when they realise responsible dog owners are loyal tenants.
Share Stories on Social Media
Simple acts, like sharing real stories and photos online, do more than you think. Posts about dogs and their owners sleeping rough get more eyes on the need and open doors for support.
How to make the most of your social media:
- Post about local charities and their work (tag them where possible)
- Share before and after photos if you see a success story
- Help spread the word about donation drives or needed supplies
- Tell positive stories of reunited pets or foster successes
A post or a tweet can tug at heartstrings and spark donations from people who might never have given before. Use hashtags that charities recommend and ask friends to share. The more people know about dogs living with homeless people, the easier it gets to rally help and change lives.
Conclusion
Helping dogs who live with homeless people goes beyond simple acts of kindness. It means recognising the deep loyalty between dogs and their owners and offering support that keeps both safe and together. Small steps, like sharing a story, donating supplies, or speaking up for pet-friendly housing, add up to real change.
By choosing to get involved—no matter how big or small—you send a clear message that every life on the street matters, furry or not. The effort you make today could bring comfort, warmth, or hope where it is needed most. Thanks for reading and caring. If this moved you, share it or take one step to help. Every action counts.
