Homeless people’s dogs? Give ’em a sweater, toy

Karen Sacco was driving through the streets of Spokane on a cold day. Her dog was bundled up in his sweater on the seat behind her. They were warm and cozy.

That’s when she noticed a homeless man walking with his two dogs.

“Every winter, it’s very cold here in Spokane,” she said.

Animals have always held a special place in Sacco’s heart. Over the years, she’s had many dogs, and she loves to spend time in her backyard, feeding the squirrels and birds.

She thought about what it means to be homeless and their needs. At many shelters, the homeless can find food, clothing and blankets. But, she asked herself, what about their pets?

“The dogs don’t get anything,” she said.

Sacco knew that the House of Charity lets dogs stay at its shelter overnight, and she wanted to do something for those pets.

She approached Lori Hardin, manager of Northwest Seed & Pet on North Division Street, and asked if she could set up a bin to collect donations. She found a box from a fast-food restaurant, wrapped it in tissue paper and added a sign.

“I thought it was great,” Hardin said. “Some of the homeless people, those pets are all they have.”

At the House of Charity about 10 to 12 pets stay with their owners overnight, and about 20 come in during the day.

Sam Dompier, director of the House of Charity, said the law requires all shelters to allow service animals.

“We don’t require that they are certified service animals,” she said, just as long as the animals aren’t aggressive or poisonous. Last November when the shelter became available 24 hours a day, they decided to allow pets because otherwise their clients may choose to sleep outside.

Dompier said pets are often a calming element that lends stability to otherwise unstable lives.

“They are calmer when they are around their pets,” she said.

The shelter has a resource room with many items that have been donated, for both people and their pets.

Once she had her bin set up, Sacco started contacting folks she thought might help. She talked to knitters at retirement homes, other pet stores and then set her goals higher.

“I even wrote a letter to Oprah,” she said. “I wanted to just get the word out.”

Customers started adding to the bin. Sacco said she found brand new blankets, some sweaters and even some toys. She said one of the product representatives who stops by the pet store donated a lot of new items. She adds to the collection herself, buying a new sweater every time she goes to the store.

After two weeks, she had enough to take to the shelter, filling about three garbage bags.

She was so happy to see the reactions of pet owners at the House of Charity. One gentleman found a toy and was excited to share it with his dog.

The first delivery motivated Sacco to keep the collection going. She’s contacting other businesses to see if they would like to set up a donation bin.

The items don’t have to be new – if anyone has gently used pet sweaters or coats, both Sacco and the shelter will accept them.

“I would love to have this continue,” Sacco said. “I want to keep doing it, definitely for the winter.”