A HOMELESS woman was left in desperation after the council refused to rehouse her with her dog.

The woman, a former dementia care home manager who asked not to be named, said the presence of her pet dog Bella during an ongoing period of mental health difficulties had saved her life.

She said she had lost her job as a result of her illness, brought on by the stress of dealing with the impact of the pandemic.

In March she was evicted from her flat in the BCP conurbation, after being forced to claim benefits for the first time in her life.

In desperation, she turned to the council for aid.

“I was on hold for four-and-a-half hours trying to get through," she said.

“The counsellor arranged for my things to be moved into a lock-up garage and then, that afternoon, they told me that they could place me but not my dog, and I’d have to give her up.

“After that call, I nearly became incredibly unwell, I was very close to having another breakdown.

“We ended up sleeping in my old flat on the floor with nothing, no furniture, just my clothes and stuff that they told me to keep with me and it was horrendous.

“There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing and then the duty team said they didn’t have anywhere for us to go.

“Despite the fact that my psychiatrist and my doctor have both written letters saying that if it wasn’t for my dog, I wouldn’t be here today, and that she should be treated as my therapy dog.

"The council told me they had a blanket decision on no dogs in emergency accommodation or temporary housing.”

At this point animal charity Every Paw Matters intervened.

“A person from the charity happened to know of a place where she had seen somebody move out," said the woman.

“And so she phoned up and strangely enough a miracle happened and they placed me here with my dog.

“I have to say I was overjoyed that we could be together and have a roof over our heads.

“Talking to other people that are here, some people have been here 18 months."

Her future is uncertain and she is unsure when she will have somewhere to stay permanently.

“I had been doing really, really well, but this, this whole experience nearly tipped me over the edge," she said.

"When you’re at your lowest and you need comfort, and you’ve got no one to call because everybody else has gone home to their cosy houses and forgotten about you, then your pet keeps you sane, whether it’s the therapy dog and emotional support dog, or just your goldfish, a cat or a bird.

“It’s a comfort. It’s your friend. And you’ve got to be allowed that surely.”

A BCP Council spokesperson said: “When the council is assisting someone who has become homeless and requires emergency accommodation, we are always sensitive to the importance of ensuring suitable options are also available for their pets, recognising that often they will form an important part of the household.

“Some of the temporary accommodation available to the council for homeless households can accommodate pets, however when this is not available and often at short notice, alternative options and advice is provided to ensure pets have somewhere safe to stay on an interim basis, until settled accommodation is identified.

“Anyone who is worried about losing their home and has a pet, should seek advice and support as early as possible, so adequate planning can take place should temporary accommodation arrangements be required.

"This can be done by emailing bcphousingadvice@bcpcouncil.gov.uk”