The unbreakable bond: the mental health benefits and challenges of pet ownership for people experiencing homelessness

Pet ownership provides a unique relationship that is beneficial to many aspects of the pet owner’slife, including mental health and companionship. Mental health and social isolation are negativelyimpacted by homelessness, increasing the importance of the owner-pet bond during this time.However, this relationship is complicated by the need for pet owners to urgently findaccommodation for themselves while still caring for their pets. This paper explores two firsthandnarratives of the relationship between a person and their pets during a period of homelessnessand subsequent search for accommodation. Both narratives highlight important aspects ofthe emotional bond between owner and pet: the concept of choosing pet over place; improvedmental health and changed behaviours; and stressors or negative emotions of parental concern,separation anxiety and grief. These narratives emphasise the importance of supporting, expandingand creating new pet-friendly crisis and permanent accommodation options for pet ownersexperiencing homelessness