‘YOU CAN’T EXPLAIN THE BOND YOU HAVE WITH A DOG WHEN YOU’RE HOMELESS’
When lockdown hit in March
2020, thousands of rough sleepers were offered hotel rooms and temporary accommodation. But it came at a price. Because a large number of places didn’t allow pets, leaving owners with an unthinkable decision during that time of intense uncertainty as the virus seized the country: choose between a bed or your pet.
Michelle Clark, founder of Dogs On The Streets (DOTS), thinks about it often.
“We worked with services to take dogs in during this time,” she recalls. “I remember being called to Victoria [station, in Central London] and when I pulled up, men and women were crying. They were so scared. I realised that, because they didn’t have access to TV and radios, they didn’t know what was going on. They were panic-stricken.
“And then their dogs had to come with us. They were petrified. That will always stick in my mind. Always.”
