As a good Samaritan strolled through the streets of Los Angeles one hot summer day, he came across a dog leashed to a fence next to its homeless owners.
He decided to give the dog some water to cool him off. Later that day, when he found the dog and the owners in the exact same position, he decided to call for help.
A man called animal services on a dog’s homeless owners after giving the dog water.
A TikTok video shared by @jahkillion showed a homeless couple slumped over asleep next to their Husky dog, who was motionless on the sidewalk.
When the man asked the dog’s owners if he could give the obviously dehydrated dog some water, they failed to respond.
The man took it upon himself to pour water into a silver bowl for the dog, who immediately came back to life and spent nearly a full minute lapping up the water.
The man eventually left, but returned later that day to find the dog and his owners still there.
Concerned about the dog’s well-being after being left out in the heat all day, the man made a call to his local animal shelter.
When they failed to answer his calls, the man stayed close by to make sure that the dog was okay until his owners woke up.
He contemplated offering them money in exchange for the dog.
In a follow-up video, the man filmed the dog from a distance, who appeared to be in better spirits since the sun had gone down.
Living in downtown Los Angeles, the man shared that he encounters homeless owners and their pets almost daily.
He’s not wrong. The City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Services estimates that anywhere from 26,000 to 44,000 homeless animals wander the city streets every day.
The man added that whenever he encounters homeless owners and their animals, he always offers them food and water.
“We’re all human. I can tell you that I’m hungry, I can tell you that it’s hot, I can tell you that I’m hurting,” he said, noting that homeless people and animals do not have the same luxuries.
The man said that if he had the means, he would ask the homeless people if he could buy their dog. That way, they could have the funds for more necessities such as food and water, and the dog would be off the streets in a safe home.
While some people argued that calling animal services and possibly having a dog stripped from their original owners was cruel, it would be the kinder thing to do for the animals in the end.
“This is how we got our Husky rescue last summer. My brother saw a couple that was homeless; their dog was struggling to walk because of his burnt paws. He offered them money, and they accepted,” one TikTok user shared.
“Thank you for doing what you can. Even if it’s not ideal, what you’re doing is so kind and so important,” another user wrote.
While most of us can’t rescue every homeless dog or cat we see, there are other ways to help.
You can donate supplies to your local shelters and rescues, as many of them are already overcrowded and understaffed.
You can spread awareness of homeless animals through social media or word of mouth, promote pet adoption events, and educate others about responsible pet ownership.
Homeless and stray animals are often not spayed or neutered, which only exacerbates the problem. You can get involved with trap-neuter-return programs for feral cats.
This process involves humanely trapping feral cats, bringing them to a veterinarian’s office to be spayed or neutered, and then releasing them back into their environment, decreasing the risk of overpopulation.
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While homeless owners may love their pets fiercely and do their best to do everything they can to provide for them, sometimes love is simply not enough.
Animals need proper food and clean water sources, veterinary care, a yard to run around in, and a warm place to sleep — most of which cannot be provided for them if their owners are struggling.
Your help is not just limited to animals. You can also extend it to their owners so that, eventually, they will be able to give their pets all that they deserve.
You can offer your time at local soup kitchens, advocate for affordable housing, and participate in fundraising events to raise money for local homeless shelters and services.
In the city of Los Angeles, several homeless organizations are assisting the 75,000 individuals on the streets where volunteers can get involved.
One of the most effective first steps you can take to help get homeless animals off the streets is to lend a helping hand to their owners.
So the next time you are walking the streets of your city and stumble across a homeless individual and their pet, just remember it doesn’t take much to offer them a couple of bucks, a snack, and water for both of them!
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.
