Is It Ethical for the Homeless to Have Pets?

Abstract

Is It Ethical for the Homeless to Have Pets? There were several benefits to having companion animals. Research shows having a pet provides friendship and responsibility and contributes to positive emotional wellbeing (Slatter, Lloyd, & King, 2012). The study will access the following research questions: R1: Is it unethical for homeless to own pets? R2: Should homeless pet owners be responsible for care (food, shelter, health needs) of their pets? R3: Should the community adopt low-cost or free pet care programs to help with the costs of pet ownership by homeless persons? H1: It is ethical for homeless to own pets. H2: Homeless persons should not be responsible for their pet’s food, shelter, and health needs. H3: Communities will take the responsibility of adopting programs for homeless person's pets needs and concerns. This study is a public opinion survey with three Likert-items (one a 1-4 scale, strongly agree to strongly disagree, with no neutral response). The current schedule of subjects indicates the use of descriptive statistics to decide the frequency of responses, and provide a measure of central tendency and measure of spread. Preliminary findings from 113 participants (mean age 41.5 years) indicate 87.6 % of participants agree that homeless persons should own pets, with 39.8 % of participants agree and 38.1% strongly agree that low-cost of free pet care programs should be in place for homeless pet owners.