Brazilian Homeless Shelter Attracts More People as they Welcome Pets to Stay with Their Owners

Pet beds encourage homeless people in Brazilian cities to enter shelters. Homeless people are persuaded to stay inside by the beds for their dogs.

Letting Pets Stay

A tiny community in southern Brazil has discovered a method to accept people's pets to draw more homeless people to one of its shelters on freezing winter evenings.

Canoas, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul with an estimated 348,000 residents, realized that many homeless people avoided the city's 14 shelters during the current Southern Hemisphere winter because their pets were not allowed, according to Fabiane Tomazi Borba, the city's animal welfare special secretary.

Encouraging the Homeless

According to the animal care professional, "many times, they choose not to stay in a shelter, so as not to abandon their dogs."

With space for up to 150 individuals each day, the La Salle Sao Paulo school facilities can now provide refuge from the cold for homeless people and their dogs.

A shelter resident named Machado de Lima has been sleeping with his pets.

"I would bring them (the dogs) to sleep with me if I couldn't remain at the shelter. They join me in the street to sleep, he claimed.

Breakfast and supper are served, and homeless persons also get an amenity box with soap, towels, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. A veterinarian examines their animals.

Precautionary Measures

According to animal care expert Borba, pets are examined for parasites, given vaccinations, and castrated or neutered.

The assurance that they won't spread diseases allows them to reside here with their parents and sleep in a warm, healthy environment. Therefore, the viewpoint is to care for both humans and dogs.

Why do people feel safe with pets?

Animals have the power to cheer us up when we're down, anxious, terrified, or unsure about how we will handle whatever life throws at us.

Interacting with animals, including fish, has been found in studies to lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety, and lessen depressive symptoms. Additionally, researchers have shown that contact with animals raises oxytocin levels. The body experiences a variety of significant consequences from oxytocin. It lowers blood pressure, decreases breathing and heart rate, and prevents the release of stress chemicals. All of these adjustments contribute to the feeling of security and comfort.

Oxytocin has some powerful effects on us in the body's capacity to be in a state of readiness for healing, as well as to grow new cells, so it predisposes us to an environment in our bodies where we can be healthier, according to Rebecca Johnson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Director of the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.

Due to oxytocin's ability to make us feel good, foster trust, and foster bonds with others, this healing can also be emotional and physical. This contributes to the understanding of why we genuinely adore our dogs.

Helpful Critters

Pets give us their unconditional love-and yes, even empathy-in return simultaneously. Pets don't criticize or advise people who have been diagnosed with cancer or are undergoing treatment. They don't inquire about anything or want assurances that everything will be well.

Pets are always there for you when you need them, offering comfort, companionship, and displays of devotion.

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