Meet Poppy from Frankston.
And Shadow and Ash from Launceston.
Here's Smiley from Canberra.
They're all someone's best mate but – like their owners – they're homeless.
Pets in the Park is a national charity focused on the health of companion animals whose owners are experiencing homelessness. Photographer Abigail Varney documented the volunteers and the animals and owners they encountered in Tasmania, Victoria and the ACT.
Every month, Pets in the Park volunteers around Australia set up free veterinary health clinics offering health checks, vaccinations and flea and worming treatments to pets whose owners are homeless.
Fiona Russell, Pets in the Park Canberra co-founder and clinic coordinator, says many homeless pet owners will feed their companions before themselves.
"They still mean the world to these owners who have very little in life and who potentially don't have many enduring and trusting, reliable relationships in their lives," she says.
The program not only helps ensure the pets are not denied basic care, but it also looks after the owners by offering them connection, Fiona says.
One of the dogs visiting the clinic is Guinness, one of three rescue staffies owned by Carole Campbell.
She may not be a trained assistant dog, but she knows when her owner is upset.
"She comes up very close to me to make me pat her and calm down", Carole says.
"That's a natural instinct of hers. And then the others just follow."
At another clinic in Launceston, Tasmania, Tarlea Long has brought her pet mini lop rabbits Shadow and Ash to get microchipped.
Ash is the more social of the two, "mummy's little boy", as Tarlea calls him.
The aptly named Shadow is a bit of a darker figure — lovingly described as a "ball of rage" by his owner, a little more prone to nibbling at those around him.
"They're inseparable," Tarlea says.
Tarlea, who was living in her car at the time of attending the clinic, had been advised to get rid of her pets to get housing faster, but refused to do so.
She lives with anxiety, depression, ADHD and autism, and says Ash is a great emotional support for her.
"I have a friend that lets me borrow her washing machine, oven, stove and her other stuff in the house to keep myself breathing," she says.
After what she says felt like "forever" on a housing commission property waitlist, Tarlea was finally offered her own home three months after her visit to the clinic.
While pet ownership greatly enriches many homeless people's lives, the cost of it can be hard to meet.
Veterinary care would be "well and truly" beyond the clients' means if it weren't for the free clinics, Fiona Russell says.
"They would have literally slipped through the cracks", she says.
Surgery clinics are held quarterly to provide basic procedures, such as desexing and dental operations, but organising them is a "Herculean effort", Fiona says.
"Coordinating all of our volunteers and having a venue and transport, it's all the administrative tasks that are associated with making a surgical clinic a reality", she says.
"There's a lot of consumables and pharmaceuticals that are involved. Our volunteers will offer their time and expertise free of charge."
At the clinics, pet owners also have the opportunity to pick up donated items, such as pet food and equipment, for their animals.
Supporting the "beautiful bond" between owners and their pets is what volunteering at the clinics is all about for Fiona.
"I love knowing that we can do our bit, as small as it may be, in making sure that Canberra's homeless are assured that their pets are being cared for."
Credits
Words:Nelli Saarinen and Abigail Varney
Production:Nelli Saarinen
Photographer:Abigail Varney
The GreatCrumbling Australian Dream
This photo essay is part of a larger photojournalism project examining Australia's housing crisis.
The Great Crumbling Australian Dream is a collaboration between Oculi photographers and ABC News, with support from National Shelter.
The series was made possible with a Meta Australian News Fund grant and the Walkley Foundation.
Oculi is a collective of Australian photographers that offers a visual narrative of contemporary life in Australia and beyond.
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Louise Goode's fight for the place of "emotional comfort" she called home lasted a quarter of a century, until it was demolished in front of her as she screamed for help.
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A new way forward
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