Many people who use drugs face multiple barriers in accessing overdose prevention supplies, treatment and other support. Homelessness, lack of transportation, and health insurance are well known. But an often-overlooked barrier? Pets.
Service providers across Oregon say the fear of leaving behind a beloved animal delays many to access help. Detox, residential treatment, and transitional housing programs typically don’t allow pets.
Agencies like Max’s Mission in Jackson County and Lincoln County Public Health have adjusted their support to meet this need — and found that caring for the pets of people who use drugs is critical to building trust and caring for the whole person.
“Pets are their family,” said Seraphina Pinsky of Max’s Mission. “If someone has to choose between getting help and abandoning their pet, that’s not really a choice.”
A recent Jackson County study conducted by the Oregon Health & Science University found that over 70% of unhoused and housing insecure people have delayed their own health care because of their dog. Common concerns included not having backup care and the fear of losing their pet.
Pinsky recalls helping people arrange care for their dogs while they entered treatment or after an unexpected stay in jail. In one case, staff helped reunite someone with a dog that had been taken to the local pound.
In recognition of the critical role animals play in people’s lives, Max’s Mission informally helps programs that support people who use drugs with pet care — including Rogue Retreat and Rogue Valley Street Dogs.
In Lincoln County, overdose prevention coordinator Jesse Noble has seen the same pattern.
Outreach workers realized that one woman living in a campsite was giving the food meant for her to her dog. They made sure to give her extra so the woman wouldn’t go hungry. Then the dog fell ill. They helped connect her with veterinary services. After months of building trust, the woman was ready for treatment. But the thought of leaving her dog behind was a deal-breaker. Coordinators found a foster placement for the dog so she could enter residential treatment.
“Once that stressor was removed, she could focus on herself,” Noble said. “You have to really get to know the person. It’s not about their addiction. It’s about them as a person.”
Today, the woman has completed treatment, is housed, employed and continues to stay connected with the outreach team.
As communities continue expanding overdose prevention efforts, providers say those conversations should include pets.
