With your help, OneKind's Christmas Appeal will bring some festive cheer to homeless pets.
This winter is as likely as the last one to be very cold and harsh. The companion animals of homeless people are often left out in the cold, as too few hostels and temporary accommodation providers allow them to accompany their owners into shelter.
The bond between homeless people and their companion animal is often incredibly strong. Many homeless people are often stuck in a vicious circle, where to obtain accommodation they have to give up their pet. In a survey by the Blue Cross, 86% of homeless people questioned reported they were refused a chance to get off the street and into accommodation simply because they owned a pet.
OneKind has teamed up with vets at the Royal (Dick) Vet School in Edinburgh to support two innovative clinics for homeless pets, run in hostels in the city. At the clinics animals can receive vaccinations, worming, minor injuries treatment, as well as advice for owners. The clinics are open to any homeless person and their animal, not just those staying in the hostels.
Donate Now
For our Christmas Appeal 2011, we’re asking you to make a donation to help homeless pets. £10 will give a homeless pet a Christmas present and provide them with a free health check at one of the clinics. Or perhaps you can give more or sign up to give monthly by Direct Debit, and support OneKind’s work to protect pets throughout 2012.
Dr Andrew Gardiner, who founded the clinics and runs them with veterinary colleague Amy Jennings and final year students, says: “A lot of people imagine that homeless dogs must have a pretty miserable life, but many of these animals often have a much closer relationship with their owners than domestic pets. Indeed, many homeless people say that having a pet is what gives them hope, and money that might have been spent on alcohol or drugs is actually spent on their pet. A lot of the pets we see are actually in pretty good health, with their owners often taking better care of them than of themselves.”
Please donate to OneKind’s Christmas Appeal. By giving whatever you can afford, you can help a homeless pet know that someone is thinking about them this Christmas.