Him before me... always

[serai]

.
Here's a really interesting article:


How dogs forge a bond with Rio's homeless that is life saving


It examines these relationships in Rio because that city has such a large homeless population - both of humans and dogs. Really interesting stuff, but one thing caught my attention most: that in studies that have been done on this subject, it's been found that dogs who are attached to homeless people are actually healthier and happier than dogs who live in houses with humans.

I found that thought fascinating. There are multiple reasons, of course. But the one reason that I didn't see in the article that occurred to me was - what if the reason they're so much happier with homeless companions is that those humans are now living like dogs?

The article points out that dogs don't actually need a home. As long as they get shelter and food and water, a permanent roof is not necessary. They're actually happier living mostly outdoors, and so I think that may be the main reason - aside from questions of desperate souls loving and bonding - they do so well with homeless people. These folks spend most of their times outdoors like dogs, they sleep on the ground or under temporary roofs like dogs, they get their food where they can like dogs. They're just closer to the way dogs live when they're given the choice of how to live. (Rather than who to live with, if you get my meaning.) If you or I suddenly decided to chuck everything over and go live out of a backpack, chances are our dogs would be ecstatic.

And there's the thing of dogs being better able to navigate such lives, so the situation puts the dog on equal footing with the human, rather than underneath him/her. They're much more partners than owners/pets, each of them being responsible for certain things and thus equally important to the simple matter of staying alive. It's a very intense relationship, far more so than that between humans and dogs who are together simply because of love and affection.

I've seen this myself. I don't avoid homeless people - unless I'm in an actual hurry, I take time out to talk to them. And I've found that, to a one, if they have a dog, they always ask for something for their dog before they'll ask for something for themselves. The devotion is really amazing.

So anyway, do read the article. Very interesting stuff. :)

Comments

[shirebound]

I very much appreciate this link, and also you sharing your thoughts with us.

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

Thanks for linking to this. A very moving and interesting article. In my own experience, my dogs are happiest when we are out and about together, so yeah, I can imagine them loving a life on the road. My sister living Brooklyn sees this a lot, the devotion that homeless people have to their dogs and how they always put the dog first.

[addie71.livejournal.com]

Interesting, thanks!