On a given day, in any city in the world, you will see a homeless person. Five to ten percent of them will be accompanied by a pet of some description. In some areas, the percentage of the homeless accompanied by pets reaches as high as 24% based on the United States estimate of 3.5 million homeless people.

In 2006 Genivieve Fredericks was visiting New York City when she saw a homeless man begging on the street, with a dog lying at his feet. She wondered how he could have a pet and care for it if he couldn’t care for himself. This incongruity troubled her until she began seek the answers to the question. Genivieve was a pet lover and she realized that pets provided love for their humans unconditionally. The homeless were finding comfort in the pets to provide that sense of belonging and companionship that all humans seek.

In 2007, Fredericks launched PETS OF THE HOMELESS with the help of Gary Ailes and Woody Allen, local veterinarians. The trio started with donations and the help of the local media. The first day, they filled a 55 gallon trash can. Local businesses have gotten into the act sponsoring food drives such as GIVE A DOG A BONE WEEK. This particular fundraiser is now in the second year and at last count, an astonishing 79 tons of pet food have been donated.

Volunteers pick up, organize, and deliver food to the needy animals. Fredericks, who spends 30 to 40 hours a week in her Carson City headquarters, says that distribution centers have multiplied beyond anything she had expected. Collections sites have risen to 288 with 256 distribution sites in 39 states and a few in Canada.

Cash donations are used to sponsor grants for vets who hold free clinics where the homeless congregate. After hurricane Katrina, she realized that there was a need for pet disaster relief also. The love of people for pets meant that they would not leave them behind. Donations were diverted for crates and blankets for disaster-affected animals, so they could be as comfortable as possible, much to the relief of the pet owners.
Her husband Ray delivers pet food and helps with the logistics. Her daughter, Renee Lowery is an officer at FOOD FOR PETS helping to keep the non-profit organization going. Fredrick’s grandchildren put labels on bags of food and mail, and her English setter Kaiya supplies enough doggy companionship for them all.

Allergies are something that millions of people are affected by and unfortunately many allergies are not treatable or preventable. Currently most allergy medications simply treat the symptoms from allergies but researchers have found that there might actually be a way to reduce how likely a child is to be affected by allergies later in life.

The research released today by a U.S. based analysis firm shows that exposing children to pets in particular reduce the odds of them developing any sort of pet allergy in life. Obviously this is simply based upon reported cases but medical researchers say that this could theoretically be expanded to other allergies that affect so many people.

According to the report children are 50% less likely to be affected by pet allergies when they grow up around a pet in the first year of life. This is a surprising discovery according to many doctors who believed allergies were not developed but rather that children were simply born with allergies. Of course this research is only in a preliminary state but doctors are hopeful that it could make some significant advancements in childhood allergy research and possibly medication.

No word yet on if this same idea will apply to other allergens such as pollen or grass but many analysts say it is likely that the same principles will apply. Because all allergens affect the body in similar ways early exposure might simply be the best and easiest way to minimize the effect of allergies for children.

Dogs are known to be man’s best friend, but cats, birds and other small critters that fall under the umbrella of “beloved pet” also qualify for the increased expenditures. According to a recent survey, Americans are clipping coupons like mad and postponing buying a new home, but when it comes to their favorite pooch or feline, they are spending more than ever before.

Keeping a pet happy and healthy is unquestionably the responsibility of the pet’s owner, and between trips to the vet, specialty foods, treats and toys, pet insurance and even parties held in honor of pets, Americans are proving to be as generous as if they were spending the money on themselves or their own children (which our pets are for many of us, albeit furry coats and a few more legs, of course.)

Americans have demonstrated no compunction about spending money for any type of family pet. A poll conducted by the non-profit American Pet Products Association (APPA) revealed that 16 percent of dog owners and 13 percent of cat owners said their animal’s medical treatment would take priority over their own.

About 73 million American households have one or more animals, with dogs and cats accounting for about three-quarters of pets. The benefits of having a pet in one’s life are manifold, and the unconditional love and damper against loneliness the love of an animal offers warms the human spirit like nothing else.

We are taking care of our pets so that they can take care of us.

Seems like a fair exchange for a happy life, no?