Greenhill Humane Society and leadership from a non-profit organization, Carry it Forward, are calling for more services for unhoused people and their pets.
CIF helps people experiencing homelessness with pets at their Tom Campbell Safe Sleep Site, at 175 Commons Drive, a pallet shelter for people with special needs.
Greenhill Humane Society connects with people and pets experiencing homelessness through programs like their pet food bank, where individuals with financial needs can come to get food for their pets and when pets get separated from their owners.
“Carry it Forward works closely with the city of Eugene, which sponsors vet clinics at our camps, providing basic health check-ups, vaccinations, wound care and scheduling for spay and neuter,” Arwen Maas-DeSpain, assistant director at CIF, said. “But, I would like to see more pop-up clinics in high-traffic areas and camps.”
According to Maas-DeSpain, unhoused pets are more at risk for illnesses like parvovirus, a disease with a high mortality rate, getting stolen and separated from their owners.
Owners are often separated from their pets when they are arrested or removed from an encampment. Maas-DeSpain and Executive Director Kris McAllister said they encountered a situation where they found a dead dog in a car after their owner was arrested and separated.
Rod Grissom has been unhoused in Eugene for 15 years since moving from California. His dog, Frederick, sleeps with him in his truck or in a tent when Grissom wants to sleep outside.
“Fred needs me,” Grissom said. “I would rather have him than some human be my best friend, to tell you the truth.”
Grissom said that pets provide unhoused people with mental support, keep owners out of trouble and help them “function on a day-to-day basis.”
“There are a lot of people out here, some of them better as a pet owner than others. Some are short, but for the most part, the dogs all get fed. They get attention,” Grissom said. “I think in a lot of ways, people out here give animals more attention than somebody with a home and a backyard.”
On cold nights, Grissom said he and Fred sometimes build a fire and “bundle up” together. Grissom gets most of his materials to stay warm from Home Depot and White Bird Clinic, an organization that helps many unhoused individuals with resources and survival materials.
“Not all people who are experiencing homelessness are irresponsible pet owners and many of them put their pets’ needs before their own,” Community Engagement Manager Kelly Fleischmann said. “The bond between a person and their pet is just as strong as those who are housed, and in some instances, unhoused individuals actually spend more time with their pets.”
Fleischmann said Greenhill’s goal is to ensure that people and their pets stay together. To do this, workers at Greenhill have to make sure there is enough room in their cattery, kennel, fosters and Crisis Care Boarding, which helps people in crisis or in need of emergency health care to have a place to temporarily board their pets.
“Many unhoused (individuals’) pets are incredibly well cared for,” Fleischmann said. “But it’s not to say that they’re still needing additional support.”
Some of the most common health issues she sees with unhoused pets are matted hair, flea treatments, dental care, long nails and vaccinations.
Fleischmann said she would like to see places where people experiencing homelessness can take their pets for vaccinations and medical care. She also thinks these services should be brought to them in the event that people cannot get to Greenhill, since many travel by foot or bike.
Fleischmann said there needs to be a call to action for the community and wants to see more pet-friendly homeless shelters and donation services for pet food and essentials.
“Unhoused people often get pets for emotional and mental health,” Maas-DeSpain said. “Some animals have been trained to be service animals. To have and care for an animal is very humanizing.”
