StreetVet has spent nearly a decade providing free vet care for the pets of people experiencing homelessness. For Mick, Debs and Andy, their animals were more than companions – they were lifelines.
by: Sophia Alexandra Hall
29 Sep 2025
Andy says getting his dog Bailey helped turn his life around
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Mick remembers the first winter he spent on the streets.
“It was very hard, because you have to learn how to keep the elements out,” he says. “You become so frustrated with the cold, and it can reduce you to tears. If I didn’t have Benson, I don’t think that I would have survived it.”
Benson, his Staffordshire bull terrier, wasn’t just a dog. He was a lifeline. And thanks to StreetVet, the charity that provides free veterinary care to pets of people experiencing homelessness, Benson received the treatment and support he needed to stay by Mick’s side.
StreetVet began in 2016 when vets Jade Statt and Sam Joseph packed rucksacks of medical supplies and took to the streets of London. They knew that for people like Mick, the human-animal bond is often the most vital thing holding life together.
“To meet somebody who has nothing apart from that dog, you’re just like, ‘I’m gonna help you,’” Jade says. “Because I know if I help you with your dog, you will feel better, even if everything else is terrible.”
Almost a decade on, StreetVet has supported more than 3,300 pets, delivered over 13,000 consultations, and now operates in more than 20 towns and cities. Its volunteer vets and nurses give vaccines, parasite treatments, check-ups, and work with a network of veterinary practices for surgeries or anything that can’t be done on the streets. They also help hostels and other homelessess support services adopt pet-friendly policies through their Accredited Hostel & Day Centre Scheme, so no one has to choose between shelter and the animal they love.
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‘I’d rather lie down with him in the rain’
For Mick, Benson’s companionship was survival itself. He isn’t alone in that feeling.
Andy, another StreetVet client, explains how his life changed with Bailey. “I ended up homeless through drugs and drink. I was in and out of jail for theft. I didn’t want to live any more. I just decided to end it.
“I walked around the corner. I saw two street beggars, each had a young pup, and I said to them, ‘The dogs are too young to be begging. You’re abusing them.’ In the end, one of them turned around and sold me Bailey [for £12], and a whole new chapter started from there.
“People thought I’d sell him for crack… and it was really good to prove them wrong. I couldn’t afford to be arrested for anything, because what would happen to him? You could stick me in Buckingham Palace, but I’d rather lie down with him in the rain.”
That bond is often misunderstood, Mick agrees. “I get offended when people say, ‘You only use that dog for begging.’ They don’t understand that bond. I know that I’ve got him to worry about, and I have to keep going for him.”
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‘They don’t realise they are our family’
It’s a frustration StreetVet hears often from the people it supports.
Mick recalls being told: “‘Well, you have to give up the dog, otherwise you’re making yourself intentionally homeless.’”
He adds, “They wouldn’t turn around and say to a parent, ‘You have to give up your kids.’ Do you know what I mean? They don’t realise they are our family.”
Debs, another client, faced the same choice. After leaving an abusive relationship, she refused to give up her dog, Bluebell, even if it meant sleeping rough. “I had to make that horrible decision of living on the streets with [Bluebell] or giving her up just to put a roof over my head. I don’t think I could ever live with that guilt.”
Debs has recently finished studying hairdressing, and credits StreetVet with helping her rebuild her life. “My life has come on in leaps and bounds, especially this last year to two years. I’ve been back at college doing hairdressing. It’s the best thing that I’ve ever done. It feels good to be doing something for myself and working for a better future, but I honestly don’t think my life would be what it is now, if it wasn’t for StreetVet. I’ve come so far from where I was, that makes me proud.”
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These stories come together in StreetVet – Never Underestimate the Power of Pets, a short film directed by Steph Keelan and supported by Purina.
The film was shown in London as part of the Raindance festival in June and has just completed a successful screening with the team behind the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Set to appear in 30 film festivals (to date) across the world, StreetVet – Never Underestimate the Power of Pets will be shown at the International Film Festival of Wales on 18 October.
‘People don’t understand the grief’
In autumn last year, StreetVet shared sad news: Benson passed away following the making of the film, shortly after celebrating his 14th birthday.
He had been one of StreetVet’s early patients, a fixture on their London outreach visits, and a beloved presence for everyone who met him.
As Mick says in the film, “People don’t understand the grief of when you lose an animal. People don’t understand that it’s just like losing a family member.”
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It’s a reminder that behind every person and pet on the streets lies a story of love, loyalty and survival. And why we should never underestimate the power of pets.
