Homeless report issues pets warning

Homeless pet owners should not be split from their animals to access accommodation and support, a new report has said.

Homelessness charity the Simon Community produced the report for the Scottish Government, having spoken to people sleeping rough in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Researchers also spoke to various organisations including homeless service providers, landlords, vets and animal charities.

They found some people felt they had no option but to sleep rough as gaining accommodation was dependent on them giving up their pet.

They said there was no evidence to suggest people cannot look after a pet if they are homeless and animals living on the street have been found to be healthy and cared for.

The report contains several recommendations to help homeless people keep their pets, including for temporary shelters to have dog-friendly communalareasordogcrates.

Others include improved training for service staff in working with animals and supporting people to remain with their pets while in accommodation.