Homeless pet owners concerned about separation during SF street sweeps

SAN FRANCISCO – The City of San Francisco is ramping up street sweeps under Governor Newsom’s executive order, but there is concern about how unhoused individuals with homeless pets will keep their families together.

As city workers offer housing and bus rides away from the city while dismantling encampments, and recent court rulings allowing for stricter enforcement if a person refuses services, advocates are citing a number of reasons why a homeless person might deny resources. 

For Angelo Sanchez, a man living on the streets with five dogs, the main reason to refuse services is his pets. 

As the city cracks down on homelessness, unhoused pet owners like Sanchez are worried about being separated from their pets. 

“[Our pets] are family to us,” he said. “There should be another way to go about it other than just wanting to arrest people who are homeless,” he said.

Paul Crowell took us to an encampment in San Francisco, where he regularly provides homeless pets food and vet care through his non-profit Project Open Paw.

He said their pets provide the homeless with a sense of responsibility and dignity, as well as companionship, which promotes their mental health.

“Often times people will tell me this is their reason to live,” Crowell said.

Crowell started his non-profit 10 years ago. He is currently feeding about 70 dogs a week, as well as 50 or so cats. 

“People are fearful of going to jail, and nobody wants to leave their pets,” said Crowell. “They will not leave their pets.”

35 of the city’s 53 shelters allow pets, and a handful of Navigation Centers keep families together, including couples and pets.

Local programs by SF SPCA and Vet-SOS, which includes a mobile vet clinic, also support homeless pets.

In a statement from the Mayor’s Office, a spokesperson wrote, “San Francisco will continue to offer shelter and services during encampment operations. Generally, having pets is not a main reason given by individuals at encampments to decline offers of shelter. Additionally, having too many pets to be able to get indoors is a rare occurrence.”

However, advocates say some shelters are not safe, and just because they accept pets, doesn’t mean pets are always comfortable.

A spokesperson at GLIDE shared the story of a woman named Autumn who accepted services and went into a pet-friendly shelter with her dog, but when she stepped out to do laundry, her pet had been given away. 

“It’s just a difficult situation with being crammed in these places with these dogs that might not get along with the other dogs and not used to being muzzled up all the time,” said Crowell. 

There are also statewide programs like the Pet Assistance and Support (PAS) program, aimed at making accommodations for homeless pet owners.

For folks who don’t fit into shelters, the city is offering a bus ticket back to their hometown through the city’s Journey Home program, but it’s unclear whether they can take their pets with them.