Nonprofit Provides Free Medical Care For Homeless People’s Pets
By Elyse Wanshel
Trends Writer, The Huffington Post
"A pet can enrich a homeless person’s life, and vice versa.
"This is precisely why the nonprofit Pets Of The Homeless,
provides those in need with free food and medical services to keep their pups
and cats happy and healthy.
“ 'My dog is at home right now by herself,' Genevieve
Frederick, the founder of Pets of the Homeless told Elite Daily in the video
below. 'She’s wondering when me and my husband are going to come home. The
homeless pets are with their owners 24/7, and they have a way bigger bond than
you and I have with our pets.'
"Frederick started her nonprofit with her daughter, Renee
Lowry, in 2007, after a trip to New York City. It was there that she saw a
homeless man with his dog.
“ 'I was confused as to the reason anyone who is homeless, who
could barely feed or take care of themselves, would even consider having a
pet,' she wrote on Pets of the Homeless’ site. Yet, she also observed that the
dog, that wasn’t on a leash, was happily standing at the owner’s side.
"When Frederick returned to her home of Carson City, Nevada,
she began to do research and discovered that homeless individuals with pets
often have to make hard decisions. Because many shelters do not allow pets,
many people have to choose between staying with their companion animals or
having a roof over their heads. Many choose the only thing they’ve got left —
their pets.
"Soon after this discovery, Frederick asked her dog’s
veterinarians to help her collect pet food donations for the homeless. The vets
spread the word and thanks to local media coverage, on Frederick’s first day of
collections she had enough donations to fill a 55-gallon trashcan.
"Since that day, her efforts continued to burgeon.
“ 'To my amazement, the organization quickly evolved into the
nonprofit it is today,' she told AARP.
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