As part of our assignment on precious pets, today, I spent the better of the day at Downtown East Side where homeless people live. Even though they are homeless, some of them would prefer the company of their pets.
Lucy is thinking outside the box
One fellow I met has two rats. The big one hides inside his shirt while the tiny one prefers to walk around his shoulder, arms, hands, or all over his torso. We had a small conversation, then parted ways. In a short while, he returned looking frantic and stressed out, and I asked him: “What happened?” He said: “I’ve lost Tiny.” I must admit, I can still feel the loss of his pet: rat, or not.
Adi prefers to sunbathe.
Another fellow has a cat sitting on top of his backpack. The cat has the best view of the town on safer ground.
This time I put one kibble and see if Lucy or Adi will go inside the box
A small white dog is wandering around Oppenheimer Park (tent city) and seems to know this area more than I do. It doesn’t look lost because the tenants of the park know the dog. It must be everyone’s dog in the tent city.
Lucy is way too smart and ate the kibble outside the box.
There seem to be more homeless men than women. I came across with one woman pushing a carriage with a dog in it. I suppose it’s better to have a dog than raise a child on the street.
Adi is trapped and thinking about what he is supposed to do? Hmmm…
James has two rottweiler crossbreed, Misty and Buck. Misty is 7 years old while Buck is only 4. Even though he is homeless, he would never part with his companions. As far as he’s concerned, they are the best of friends.
Oh, there are rabbits as well.
Reflections 
I love your box experiments. And the cat, she knows how to pose 😄
Thank you.😻
You’re welcome..
hehehe! I like the box experiments. I’m pretty sure all I’d have to do is put a pair of shoes inside the box to ‘capture’ Theo 😏
Theo must love the smell of human feet. Too funny how cats gravitate to smell.
hmmm – I hadn’t thought of that. Come to think of it, whenever people come over, Theo is always quick to check out their feet … and shoes.
I’ve noticed so many dogs with the homeless and I have to wonder how they manage to take care of both the dog and themselves.
That is true and surprisingly enough the homeless here takes good care of their dog when it comes to food thanks to the generosity of the public and soup kitchens.
Loved your box experiment Perpetua 😊. I too have noticed many homeless with pets, usually dogs. I think it is good to have a friend maybe especially for them
Thanks, Tina. Their pets bring out the humanity of the non-homeless towards the homeless.