There is not enough hostel accomodation for homeless people who have dogs, blasts charity

Two thirds of homeless owners of dogs say they still live on the streets as they can’t find accommodation with their pet.

A shock new survey by the Dogs Trust charity found that despite eight out of 10 of homeless people who own a dog saying their pet is their best friend, two thirds had been asked to give them up in order to get accommodation.

The Dogs Trust undertook the survey to mark 20 years of its Hope project, which offers support to dog owners who are homeless or in housing crisis.

Since it launched in of the project in 1995, the project has grown from having just one clinic specialising in helping the dogs of homeless people to having clinics in 107 towns and cities across the UK, where it works with local vets and homelessness organisations.

At the time the project launched there were no dog friendly hostels in the UK, now there are 157.

However despite the obvious improvements the trust insists it still has a long way to go.

Clare Kivlehan, Hope project manager, said: “With 82% of homeless people saying that their dog is their best friend, we are proud to have provided essential and life-saving veterinary care to so many dogs over the past 20 years."

“However, with two thirds of homeless dog owners being asked to give up their dogs in order to find accommodation we know there is still much to be done and we hope our services continue to help as many homeless people and their dogs as possible over the next 20 years.”