A bum with a dog?
I haven't done much street photography lately, but this by @dek made me get back into it.
Walking across the square with the pubs around the old church in my hometown I saw this scene:
Olympus Stylus 1s, 56mm, ISO1000, f2.8, 1/160
Probably most people passing thought: "Oh look, a bum with a dog" and continued on their way.
But he's not a bum, he's a man, called Pauli.
Olympus Stylus 1s, 56mm, ISO1000, f2.8, 1/160
He's actually a person with a story, like we all are. He's a former self-employed bricklayer who busted his hip and lost his income and his house. He doesn't qualify for welfare because he has no fixed home address, and shelters won't take him in because they don't allow dogs. He has had this dog since it was born and he can't bear being separated from it. Looking at the two, I noticed the dog was better fed and groomed than he was.
As I was out shopping for groceries anyway, I asked him if I could get him something to eat, and he politely asked for some dog food. I got him the dog food, and he fed his dog, which really seemed to cheer him up.
Olympus Stylus 1s, 100mm, ISO1000, f2.8, 1/60
Not "a bum". Not "a nice photo opportunity". A man.
Oh, I've missed that post! I'm happy to get you out on the street again! :)
That was both a nice and a sad story. I was about to comment that the dog looks very well taken care of - probably better than the owner takes care of himself - but you've spotted that. Wouldn't he be able to register at a government shelter?
No, they don't allow dogs and he refuses to part with it.
I didn't mean live there - he could sleep wherever he wants, but register there. I guess there's a back check from the government, as this may be considered fraud.
In my country, there's no check whether you live where's you claim to reside. Which resulted in apartments with hundreds of "occupants", of whom the actual owner was unaware of.
As a tradesman, myself, the thought of debilitating injury is always present. There, of course, is always that fear that something will happen, at work, and I won't be able to work anymore.
I can attest that, as I have not been in as bad of a situation as he, I have been in pretty dire straights when work did dry up. The economy was really bad, and people weren't building anymore. I can relate to wanting to care for your dog better than yourself. As far as my dog, and my daughter knew, we never had bad times.
Nice story and photos. All my life, even as a child, I've wondered about the homeless people I've seen, who they are, how they ended up there... I honestly don't know how people can pass them by without a thought or a care, it just seems strange not to wonder or to see them as 'bums'. I've known plenty of bums, and some of them live in lovely houses!
hope both are getting what they need
How nice of you to help the less fortunate, most people wouldn't even notice this man.
Or notice and ignore. Thanks for saying it's nice, but I remember it used to be normal. I must be getting old.