How many times have you heard someone (or yourself) say something like: <\/p>\n
\u201cI love animals, but I can\u2019t stand people.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI like every single dog and maybe three people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never met a cat I didn\u2019t like, but there are tons of people I detest.\u201d <\/p>\n
I\u2019ve definitely said that I like dogs more than people on many occasions, usually in response to an animal abuse or welfare situation. And, truth be told, I\u2019d much rather spend my time at home with my dogs and cats than out in a crowd of people. <\/p>\n
But here is the reality, the hard truth of the matter: You cannot care about animals without caring about people, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n We simply can\u2019t have animal welfare without human welfare. <\/p>\n With assistance programs being gutted across the US on a near-daily basis, gas prices skyrocketing, grocery bills soaring, housing becoming unattainable, and so on\u2026 people are finding themselves in difficult situations. <\/p>\n Imagine the choices: <\/p>\n If you can\u2019t afford to feed your kids, what are you going to do with your dog? If you don\u2019t speak English well and your vet no longer provides a translator, or you can\u2019t afford your car and can\u2019t take your cat to the vet on the bus, or the spay-neuter assistance program you relied on got cut, or you get laid off and need to pay rent and your cat becomes sick, and on and on\u2026 put yourself in the shoes of someone facing these situations. <\/strong>(Read this post and the comments section<\/a> to really get a sense of the realities here.) <\/p>\n Welfare, to me, means health, happiness, and well being. It means we are all well<\/em>. <\/p>\n There are supposed to be safety nets in place to provide for the well being of people and pets. But those are disappearing rapidly, and\u2013at least here in the US\u2013the people who rely on them are being vilified. <\/p>\n By saying human welfare must come first<\/em>, I am not suggesting animal welfare should be sidelined until all human problems are solved. What I am saying is that the failing social safety nets will fail people first\u2026 and that will trickle down to fail our animals. <\/p>\n There\u2019s the age-old argument: Why should we care about animals when people are starving?<\/p>\n Can\u2019t we care about both? We absolutely can, and we absolutely should. <\/strong>And, also, we can\u2019t deny that the humans are the responsible party when it comes to animal welfare. We make the decisions and provide the care for our animals. So, again, people need to be cared for so that we can care for our animals. <\/p>\n Poverty is not a crime.<\/p>\n Experiencing hardship is not a moral failing.<\/p>\n If we gatekeep pet ownership only for those with perfect financial stability, how many millions of animals would be euthanized tomorrow for lack of a home?<\/p>\n \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have a pet if you can\u2019t afford to keep one.\u201d<\/p>\n Okay, sure, but what if you lose your job or fall seriously ill or get into an accident or any number of other things that can befall a human living in late-stage capitalism. <\/p>\n The social systems that help people keep their pets are being gutted. So, how about, instead of vilifying people who fall on hard times, we champion elected officials who understand the importance of social services? How about we donate our time and money to clinics and shelters that make pet care accessible? How about we turn our attention to the human end of the leash with as much care, compassion, and empathy as the canine end? <\/p>\n Recently, someone on my local Nextdoor app posted that she was devastated to have to re-home her dog. She explained that she lost her home and her job back to back and found a new job and apartment in another town. She would be working long hours, taking the bus, and simply couldn\u2019t afford to maintain her pet in the way he deserved. There were more than 80 comments blasting her for this. <\/p>\n \u201cI would sleep in my car before I gave up my dog.\u201d<\/p>\n They assume everyone has a car to sleep in, or that \u201csleeping in a car\u201d is a stable, safe environment for a dog (or a person). And that there\u2019s somewhere legal to park that car.<\/p>\n Again, imagine if we had as much empathy for this woman making a devastating choice as we do for her dog? We all want what is best for the dog. Sometimes, the most pro-dog thing a person can do is recognize they can no longer provide the safety that the dog deserves.<\/p>\n Sure, deteriorating social systems do not absolve us from personal responsibility. But, in a broken system, animals deserve to be cared for\u2013even if that means re-homing your dog is the hardest but best option. <\/strong>We worry about the dog\u2019s sadness without considering the cycles that led to the person becoming broken in the first place. <\/p>\n Focusing on the human side of the leash IS the best way to help the canine end.<\/p>\n If animal welfare can fail even when human welfare is secured, is human welfare truly the foundation<\/em>, or is it just one of many variables?<\/p>\n Obviously there\u2019s so much to take into account, and there are lots of people who are financially secure, healthy, and well-housed who still neglect their animals, just like there are people who are none of those things but still treat their animals like royalty. Obviously there\u2019s nuance.<\/p>\n But, I guess my plea today is a call for compassion. For empathy. <\/p>\n We are all struggling in one way or another, even on a good day but most especially right now. <\/strong><\/p>\n How can you extend some compassion or understanding to those around you? How can you help support animals in your community? And, maybe most importantly, how can you work to ensure that you vote for people who care about people?<\/p>\n What do you think? I\u2019d love to know your thoughts on these big topics in the comments below. <\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking to deepen your bond with your dog, my book For the Love of Dog<\/strong> explores the science and heart behind how we connect with our best friends with stories about me and my dogs Emmett, Lucas, and Cooper.<\/p>\n Click here to grab your copy on Amazon<\/a> or here for Bookshop.org<\/a>. <\/p>\n It\u2019s also available on audio<\/a> if you prefer to read with your ears!<\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/ohmydogblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Animal-welfare-requires-human-welfare-first-683x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nHow do we definite \u201cwelfare\u201d?<\/h2>\n
Without human welfare, animal welfare suffers. <\/h2>\n
On the flip side<\/h2>\n
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