My Dog Always Eats First: Homeless People and Their Animals

by Leslie Irvine

A weary-looking man stands at an intersection, backpack at his feet. Curled up nearby is a mixed-breed dog, unfazed by the passing traffic. The man holds a sign that reads, "Two old dogs need help. God bless." What's happening here? Leslie Irvine breaks new ground in the study of homelessness by investigating the frequently noticed, yet underexplored, role that animals play in the lives of homeless people. Irvine conducted interviews on street corners, in shelters, even at highway underpasses, to provide insights into the benefits and liabilities that animals have for the homeless. She also weighs the perspectives of social service workers, veterinarians, and local communities. Her work provides a new way of looking at both the meaning of animal companionship and the concept of home itself.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Social Issues

197 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

Reviews

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Dog Always Eats First: Homeless People and Their Animals by Leslie Irvine (Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc. 2013) (305.5692) (3651).

This book will blow away any stereotypes that readers may have about homeless people who keep pets. I’ll be perfectly frank: I have always been angered whenever I have seen panhandling street people sitting at intersections “flying a sign” (according to the book, that’s what street beggars call displaying a sign asking for money) with some poor old dog tied to a backpack or shopping cart, often in the hot sun. I assumed that the street people used the animals as unwilling stage props to manipulate passing animal lovers into shelling out cash.

Boy was I wrong. Leslie Irvine’s research and her resulting book have disabused me of a major misconception.

Author Leslie Irvine’s background is in sociology. Her training in this academic discipline has taught her the necessity of rigorous citation. She thoroughly incorporated this methodology into this little volume. As a result, her assertions are well-supported, and her observations fully support her conclusions.

Her principal finding is that the majority of homeless (aka “undomiciled”) people are generally fiercely loving and responsible caretakers to their adopted animals, and as pet owners, the homeless generally strive to be meticulous in the care of animals in their charge.

That sounded crazy to me until I read the book. Leslie Irvine has persuaded me otherwise.

That’s not to say that animal companions of homeless people have an easy life. Many of these animals “sleep rough” (on the street), in constant community with their caregivers. But from the homeless’ point of view, these animals are privileged to be outside in the sun and nature at all times, and they are never locked away alone and apart from their chosen “person.” The homeless perspective pities the dogs of suburbia who spend their days alone locked inside a house, cage, or fence wondering why their owner has left them.

The author concludes that (1) the animals owned by the homeless are cared for to the utmost ability of the caretaker, and (2) the skills which a homeless animal caretaker has to acquire to care for an animal teach responsibility and reinforces the same skills a person must acquire and practice to transition from homelessness into mainstream society.

One bit of lore I learned from reading this is that there is a subset of the homeless population who do not consider themselves as homeless. This group is referred to as “the travelers,” which the author discusses at length in Chapter Six, which is entitled “Protectors." According to author Leslie Irvine, travelers distinguish themselves from the general homeless population based on the fact that the travelers move from city to city, changing locations every few months or years. Crucially, travelers view their own lifestyle and status as a choice. From a traveler’s perspective, “when you’re traveling, you’re not homeless.” Travelers “choose” to travel without maintaining a fixed abode; travelers define a person who is homeless as someone who is trying to get off the street.

Travelers are almost always members of the younger (up through one’s late twenties) homeless population. Travelers “sleep rough” (meaning literally on a street or sidewalk). Travelers generally confine their drug use to cannabis and alcohol and stay away from harder drugs such as opiates, methamphetamine, or cocaine. Travelers distinguish themselves from “humbums” (generally older homeless who have stayed on the street in one location for years and are most often users of hard drugs (crack smokers) or are alcoholics).

Most importantly, travelers view themselves not as homeless but as simply “traveling.” Their home, from their perspective, is wherever they lay their heads. Examples of “travelers” in the past century include tramps, hobos, and hippies. While tramps and hobos traveled to find work, hippies traveled to music festivals or followed a favorite band to its next concert venue (e.g., the Deadheads - my very own tribe!). Other subsets of travelers (which other travelers described to the author) are “gutter punks” (young travelers with punk hair styles, extensive piercings and tattoos, and often users of hard drugs) and “crusties” (travelers who do not wash their clothes or bathe).

This little book is enlightening and instructive. I recommend it to anyone who has ever loved an animal.

My rating: 7.5/10, finished 6/17/22 (3651).

[SuzAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my work I meet a number of homeless and near-homeless people, and Ms. Irvine hits the nail on the head when she points out the issues faced by those who take an amimal under their care. For one thing, I see it alot that the pet will be given better treatment than the person gives to themself. It is counter-intuitive that a homeless person would use their meager resources to do that, but it seems to raise them up, make them more whole, to have an animal to love and care for.

This is such an interesting topic to me, and Ms. Irvine did it justice in this book.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in a scholarly fashion, this is an interesting look at people who are homeless and have pets. I wish she had spent a little more time telling their stories and a little less time analyzing them in the book. It reminded me of the articles I read for Psych class when I was in college. However, this book was still a good read to learn more about factors homeless encounter and possible services or policies which might be helpful.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book completely shifted my perspective on homeless people who own pets. Like the author, sometimes when I have seen homeless people with pets I have wondered if it is fair to the pet, which, in retrospect, is awful. Irvine researches the interactions between homeless people and their pets, these same people with the domiciled, police, etc., and it helped me realize what an incredible support system these pets are for their humans. The title sums up the general attitude she encountered -- many people reported going hungry so they could ensure their pet ate.

Note: She also calls out that not all homeless people are good to their pets, but this is the same way that many of the domiciled (people who are not homeless) are not equally good or bad to animals either.

[Sassafras Patterdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

disclaimer: i was sent this book from the publisher because I am currently working on some articles on related topics.

this book had a challenging start with the author/researcher needing to work through her impulses that people experiencing homelessness shouldn't have dogs (she tried to buy a dog off a young homeless man) but the researchers opinions very quickly develop into a much more nuanced understanding. i don't read a lot of ethnographic research because i find the othering of it very challenging but I am glad this book exists. I have and planned to do a lot of my own work regarding homelessness and pet guardianship but from different perspectives than academic research - i'm glad to have this book on my shelf and it is something that I will be referencing in future work.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to this book and author at the Spring AAWA conference in Chicago. In my years of human services and now three years of animal welfare, I had not come across such a deeply thorough investigation of the cross section of human and animal services. I loved this book with my whole heart. It challenges our privilege, our beliefs, our words, and our policies. And it needs to. Highly recommend to all my peers.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Topic was very well researched and reported by the author. However, I was looking for more of the human and animal relationship stories, rather than dry statistics and analysis. In my opinion, she'd do well to publish a follow up book that tells the stories of the people and their pets, to illustrate her findings. My lower rating reflects my disappointment more than the validity of the research.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched, scholarly look at homeless people and the roles of their pets in their lives.