Throw us a bone City of Surrey!
SALI has been getting enough donated pet food to fill up the SALI truck once a month and deliver it to the Surrey Urban Mission. I made a delivery last Friday and got a chance to talk to a few of the homeless people and to the Director of the Mission, Jonquil Hallgate.
They were so thankful that we had some cat food this time around. For some reason lots of dog food is donated when there are actually 50% dogs and 50% cats up in North Surrey that are at-risk.
One story that Ken (who is homeless) was sharing with me is that the Surrey bylaw officers are in full force to check if the dogs of the homeless people are licensed with the City of Surrey. Jonquil confirmed that this often happens and the homeless are fined. So, the City has come up with the idea to treat the homeless as if they live in a residential home? Don’t you have to have a fixed address to get a dog license?
Here’s what upsets me. SALI is busting our can to keep the homeless and their pets together. The City of Surrey should be our partner is this endeavor. Instead SALI now has to deal with bylaw officers and dog licenses.
Dogs and pets in general are a love drug for the homeless. They don’t have to do harmful drugs to feel good about themselves. Pets nurture the homeless when they have lost all family and friends. Pets create a sense of family, love and support for the homeless. Pets create a positive, healthy routine for the homeless. Pets give the homeless hope.
The City of Surrey should be cooperating with SALI to keep homeless people and pets together. Now I have to meet with the City to come to some arrangement in regard to dog licenses for the dogs of the homeless people. Throw us a bone City of Surrey!
SALI will also be working on getting dog and cat tags with SALI contact info on them, so that if a pet is lost that pet and person can be reunited.