Care for the Paw: the Liverpool charity working to protect homeless dogs

On February 20, dog-owners from across the UK will be showering their beloved four-legged friends in affection and treats in celebration of this year’s National Love Your Pet Day.

Yet, there are some pets whose reality is far detached from that luxury.

These are the dogs belonging to the homeless, who, though as loyal and lovable as any pup, often go without the shelter and support that stable housing can guarantee.

When someone loses their home, where do they take their dog if it falls ill? What funding have foodbanks been given to feed dogs? These aren’t questions that immediately concern most of us, but they should worry any dog lover.

And it was questions like these that led to the creation of Care for the Paw, a small charity based in Liverpool who help and support dogs living on the streets, or in hostels, with their homeless owners.

How it all started

Jan Hughes, who created and runs Care for the Paw, spoke about its creation story: “Five or six years ago now, I was out in the garden with my dogs. It was 11:30 at night and we were doing our last little mooch before we went to bed. It was bitterly cold, a February evening, and I began to wonder just how do people cope sitting on the streets with their dogs.”

“The next morning I got a few carrier bags together, put tins of food in them and a blanket and went around Liverpool and if I’d see anyone with a dog I’d drop it with them without saying anything.

“After a few weeks of this they started looking out for me and I’d ask them if there’s anything they need, they’d say could we have a lead or that the collar has gone on this or that.

“So I put it out on the Care for the Paw Facebook page that I was going to be collecting some things for the homeless dogs, and the donations started pouring in.

“It was really strange. It was really odd the way it all just happened, but it must’ve been the right thing at the right time.”

Veterinary services for homeless dogs

Care for the Paw has also extended its outreach scheme to include veterinary services and work with a vet, Jen, Jan’s second in command, to protect the health of the dogs they encounter.

It’s an essential service as meeting them on the street is often the only way for these dogs are able to access the care they need, and access to pet-care shouldn’t be reliant on access to a home or hostel.

They operate out of the Phoenix Foundation building on Duke Street, a homeless support charity which also houses men without a place to stay.

Though they’re in rough conditions, Care for the Paw’s charity is rarely lost on the homeless people whose dogs they care for.

“People are so grateful. Just this morning I’ve had to drop a dog off at the vets, we’ve been treating him and the vet decided that the dog needed an operation, so we took him to the surgery today with his owner. 

“They were so grateful that there’s something that can be done, or that we can try to do.”

Re-homing people and dogs

It’s not an entirely rewarding journey however as heartbreak can be an unwanted variable, but it has its moments.

“The homeless journey isn’t a good one at the best of times, but we’ve had so many dogs and owners that have come through the system that are now in their own accommodation, which is brilliant.

“We still keep a close friendship with them, checking everything is okay now and again. But it’s really good to see them going from sitting on the street to their own place. It really is brilliant.’

If on this National Love your Pet Day you want to extend the celebration past your own four-legged friends, consider donating or just simply visit careforthepaw.co.uk to learn more about Jan and her charity.