As one makes the steep ascent on Avenida del Sol to Manna soup kitchen, the sound of barking dogs chasing and playing with one another fills the air. Most of these pets and their unhoused owners know each other well. Some make the climb to share a free meal daily.
They are all part of one pack, trying to survive the streets of Durango.
Unhoused dog ownership is common, said Colleen Dunning, development manager with La Plata County Humane Society, because dogs help fulfill a need for love and companionship that many humans possess, including those who are unhoused. Contrary to what some may think, she said being unhoused does not disqualify someone from being an adequate dog owner.
“There are good housed dog owners and there are bad housed dog owners,” she said. “The same is true for the unhoused population. It’s not the worst life for a dog; they get to walk around a lot, and they have a person who is 100% dedicated to them.”
Services for unhoused pets around Durango
Manna soup kitchen and the Compassion Outreach Center both provide free dog food and water, as well as the latter sponsoring vet visits on a need-by-need basis. The La Plata County Humane Society also provides free dog food and water, on top of performing low-cost spaying and neutering, and offering a service known as, “courtesy holds,” in which they take care of someone’s pet for up to two weeks free of charge. The Street Dog Coalition, a nonprofit organization that provides free veterinary care to the pets of unhoused people, also hosts periodic pop-up clinics at Manna soup kitchen.
Dunning pointed out that multiple organizations that provide services to Durango’s unhoused community also provide services for their pets. Services include providing free dog food as well as free or reduced-priced veterinary care.
Even with those resources though, dog ownership can present additional challenges on top of what unhoused people already face.
Three dog owners who are members of the Durango unhoused community shared their thoughts about their canine companions: the joy their pets bring, the memories they’ve made together, and the struggles of caring for pets when they themselves are living on the cusp.
Shawntel Marcus said the companionship of her Chihuahua-pug mix, Güero, gets her through the hardest days of being unhoused. She is a mother, provider and protector to the feisty black dog. Yet, Marcus acknowledged she must regularly shell out a portion of her limited money to treat Güero’s health issues.
Ely Long said his black lab, Susej, is more than just a pet; he is also a partner in survival. Susej offers protection against predators – human and animals – and shares body heat during the winter, Long said. Their relationship serves as a reminder of why man and dog have stuck by each other’s side through the ages, he said.
Royce Cowan credited his three dogs – Joey, Zod and Bane – as being the reason he is alive today. But he also shed light on the darker side of unhoused dog ownership: needing to be a constant caregiver, having to put his dogs’ needs ahead of his own and the extra hurdle pet ownership presents when trying to become housed.
Marcus has been unhoused for nine years. Güero has been by her side for the past seven. She didn’t pay anything to acquire Güero; instead, she was hanging out with her friend whose dog gave birth to a litter. A newborn pup crawled into her lap, sparking an instant connection. They have been together ever since.
Marcus said she makes sure Güero’s needs are met before her own. “He’s my child, he eats before I do,” she said. Besides food, Marcus also pays for coconut oil to help aid Guero’s digestive system as well as buying supplements from Walmart that she said help with frequent ear infections he’s had since being a puppy, common with the breed.
Marcus’ face lights up whenever she looks at the feisty little dog. “He’s my life, he’s my baby,” she says. Marcus will soon begin chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, and said she plans to rely on Güero’s support to help get through it, as she has with many of the other struggles of being unhoused.
Long was unhoused for five years before landing a unit at Espero Apartments a few months ago. His dog, Susej, is a 4-year-old black Lab he adopted from another unhoused friend’s dog’s litter.
Susej has stuck by Long’s side, even during the roughest of times.
“I met him when he was first born,” Long said. “He was in my hand from the very first day, and he’s always came first.”
While he was unhoused, Long preferred camping in the mountains to staying in town.
“We spent two winters in the tent keeping each other warm,” he said. “There was one time I was walking through the woods, and all of a sudden there was a bear and he went right after it. I wouldn’t have noticed the bear until I was right on top of it.”
Long said people occasionally give him dog food, but he doesn’t feel like Susej affords him any more sympathy from passersby on the streets.
“I didn’t see much of a difference, it’s the same either way,” he said. “But I’ve never had to buy dog food for him, and right now I’ve got a 50-pound bag at home that was given to me last week.”
Long said he was able to get Susej licensed as a service dog, because he helps him manage his depression and anxiety. The well-behaved Lab wanders around without a leash, mostly looking for raccoons and other small animals to hunt, one of his favorite activities, Long said. Yet, when his owner calls his name, Susej is back at Long’s side in a heartbeat.
Cowan has been unhoused for four years. He has owned two of his three dogs, Joey, a rescued Australian cattle dog, and Zod, a 7-year-old Lab mix, since before losing his last apartment.
After landing on the streets, Cowan said many his friends began to treat him differently.
But not his dogs.
“They take care of me,” he said. “They fulfill needs I could never meet elsewhere. I can never have kids. I have a skin condition that would go to my kids and I just can’t pass that on. They’re my kids, the only kids I’ll ever have.”
Cowan’s skin condition causes him chronic and severe pain, which he said his dog can sense before heavy onsets. All three pups provide him with comfort during his toughest moments.
“Without them, I probably wouldn’t be here today,” Cowan said.
Despite all they do for him, he conceded that without his dogs, he might have already made it off the streets.
“You can’t take them anywhere,” Cowan said. “Another problem is trying to find housing. Everyone says Durango is dog-friendly, but it’s not so friendly when you’re trying to rent.”
Cowan estimates he spends $60 a week feeding his dogs. He said organizations like Manna probably provide enough assistance to keep his dog fed for free. But he doesn’t rely on such services when it comes to his dogs.
“They’re my responsibility,” he said.
Cowan acknowledged dog ownership can be a burden.
“Sometimes, you just get sick of them, they’re always with you, and whatever you want to do you always have to think, who’s going to watch the dogs?” he said.
But he said he would never give them up, even if it meant finding housing.
“No,” he said, without hesitation.
nmetcalf@durangoherald.com
