Portland has earned a reputation for its high homeless population. Any day walking downtown you will see people sitting, begging with a tiny kitten or large dog. Now, I’m working off the assumption that these poor kids are actually homeless. Some will claim that many of the street kids in Portland are bored suburban teens who panhandle for extra change during the summer. I hope that this is the case. At least it opens up the possibility that both the kids and the pets are getting the care they need. However, for kids who are actually homeless, several things are disturbing:
1. You never see a street kid with a grown cat. Grown dogs, yes. WHERE DO THE CATS GO? This has aggravated me to no end. Do the kids get bored and just let loose the (most likely never neutered) cats? Do they end up as strays? Do they die from malnutrition or abuse? Does someone pick them up and take them to a shelter? Mr. Taco?
2. It takes a lot of money to properly care for an animal. Animals need food. Animals need to be wormed. Animals need to be vaccinated for rabies. It is not believable that the street animals in town are all of these things. Hell, most working people can’t really afford the time or money to properly keep a dog. If you buy an animal and are caught mistreating it, you will be subject to laws and fines. To get a shelter animal, you basically have to prove clean credit history, an acceptable amount of space, and plenty of time to care for the animal. But if you are homeless you get a pass?
3. There are laws about licensing animals. Animals can be very dangerous. They can bite and carry diseases. What do you think will happen when a loose animal bites someone and it has no license? The animal is taken away, and whoever “owns” it will get off without having to pay restitution to whoever was injured. Guess what happens to the animal then?
There obviously is a bigger picture here that is about keeping the kids off the streets as well. The innocents in this tragedy aren’t just the animals. But with all the laws and regulations to protect both the kids and their pets it is frustrating that neither are getting the care they need.
We must protect the dog,because the dog are friends that we trusted the most. I enjoyed reading your blog,thanks for visiting my blog also.
Relevant story linked.
Housies really are pretty ignorant, huh. Dogs don’t need all the shit you people seem to think is necessary. The difference between a street kid with a dog and a housie with a dog is that the housie pays someone to take care of the dog, while a street kid will learn to fuckin’ do it him/herself.
Dogs are useful, yes while spanging, but also while on the road as a sort of alarm when bunking down, some train theirs to perform various tasks, they assist with hunting (for the hard core), and they’re cute.
I doubt very much that a dog will mind being ‘homeless’. Dogs, cats, human, what have you are, rather obviously, acclimated to living outside. It’s natural, baby!
As for people making 40,000USD a year spanging… schweet! Unfortunately, I suck at spanging. No patience. I mime instead, though that never makes any money either.
“Housies”? Seriously?
The dog is a sympathy tool. They figure people will give them money if they see they have a dog.
63% of homeless youths were physically and/or sexually abused. 25% of homeless youths were misplaced within, or have aged out of, the foster care system. 6% of homeless youths were kicked out of their homes when their parents discovered they were gay. 3% of homeless youths became homeless when their families lost their homes, (family shelters often refuse children over the age of 12). That leaves a whopping 3% of the 1.7 million kids that experience homelessness annually with the luxury of “choosing homelessness”. (Statistics courtesy of the U.S. Govt.)
Dogs are companionship and protection. Is it the brightest thing in the world for a homeless kid to have a dog? No, probably not, but these are kids. They think like kids. They think like kids who have never actually had something to love.
It’s great that you care so much about the animals; I’m vegan, I care about animals too. But maybe, just maybe, the kids could do with some caring too. 2% of homeless youths access outreach organizations. For FY 2009, we’ll spend 515 billion dollars on our military and an additional 70 billion dollars on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. During that same time period, we’ll spend 1.6 billion aiding the homeless, with a focus on disabled adults with children, not the homeless kids on Portland’s streets. In 2007, 904 U.S. service members died fighting the wars. In 2007, nearly 5,000 homeless youths died from assault, illness and suicide. Why aren’t we spending more money on our kids?
You can sign up to sponsor a kid in Africa for $35/mo but the average American wouldn’t dream of giving a homeless youth shelter in Portland $35/mo. We’ll sponsor other countries’ kids, but not our own.
Before you criticize the kids for wanting something to love and that will love them in return, how about checking into the facts?
i was just discussing this issue with someone not long ago. i cannot describe my feelings as eloquently as some, but it breaks my heart. whether or not these kids choose to be homeless, they do not have the right to make an animal be homeless as well. yes, i am a sap. i give money to homeless when i can and i also feed the 5+ homeless cats in my neighborhood every night (plus some very hungry raccoons and possums., i digress). the money they get is either going to them or their animals, not both. either way, someone is going to go hungry. and cold. i understand everyone wants companionship, that is why i have always had pets. but seriously grow up, if you can take care of yourself leave your pets, kids, whatever OUT of it.
One thing of significance about street kids is that there is a large sect of these kids that do this as a means to keep going while they train hop.
I’ve been involved in the DIY music scene for a while. It’s really common to be at a house show and have a gaggle of train hoppers at a show that you saw downtown “spanging” (combo of the word spare and change) that afternoon. It’s a world I don’t think a lot of people know exist.
A lot of these kids are punks that simply pack up some gear and hop trains to major cities around the country. Some have no permanent address to go back to, some are trust fund kids that stopped showering and bought Doom records, some are junkies, some aren’t. In my experience, 99% of the kids I met are engaging in what I call “chosen homelessness.” They are choosing to be homeless and rely on the good spirit and guilt of people in order for them to get wasted and occasionally eat something. There’s a weird social status thing with these kids. They seem to enjoy out pooring one another. They tell stories about how tough it was to hop from Colorado to Oregon in the winter, and how little they ate and struggled. Yet they chose to do this. They didn’t come out here to find jobs. They chose to be hungry. It’s fucking stupid.
And of course, a lot of these kids have dogs for companionship and protection. I concur, it’s not cool. Period. If you’re that scared that you’re going to be attacked, learn kung fu. Don’t bring a dog into your stupid world.
A good portion of the street kids are actually drug dealers BTW. I uh… know a “friend” who has experience.
One time a street kid tried to bum some change off me and I was already late for work.
I told him to lean real close and fuck his own face.
He told me needed some money for his pooch. I kicked his dog in the head and poured hot coffee on his head.
I’m a land farmer motha fucka.
Street kids have begged me for money for food for their dogs before and if I have any spare change I usually go inside a store and buy a can or 2 of dog food and I carry a army issed P-38 can opener
I’ll open the can and feed the dog and give them the other can then wish them well and leave
Now if they choose to eat the 2nd can that’s up to them but very rarely do they get a dime from me
At least the dog will have a meal
I don’t beleive that these are even their dogs, or else the dogs are theirs, but they are not really poor and struggling. Did you know homeless people can make up to $40,000 a year begging?! That is more than my dad made at his first law job.
Lovedogs4ever
https://backyard.netshops.com/
Not to mention they can use the dog as leverage in getting donations. Myself and most others seem inclined to donate to someone who has a dog rather than without in hopes that the pet will get proper care. Most of the times I doubt they are honestly using the money to go buy heartworm medication or food for them and that is a real tragedy, because those dogs have no choice.