Founder of Street Paws charity shared ‘amazing’ OBE news with dogs
Michelle Southern was recognised for services to homeless people and their pets.
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Your support makes all the difference.The founder of a charity providing free veterinary care to pets belonging to people experiencing homelessness has said she only confided in her dogs that she was being made an OBE.
Michelle Southern, 54, of Blyth, Northumberland, founded Street Paws in 2016 and created its “dog champion scheme” to help rough sleepers and their pets find a bed for the night.
She has worked closely with kennels to provide free space for rough sleepers who need to spend time in hospital, and leads outreach teams across several locations in the UK.
Less than 10% of hostels will allow you to take a dog into a hostel or homeless shelter, so people who have dogs can't access those services. So we're trying desperately to change that ...
Ahead of the New Year Honours list being published, Ms Southern, who has been recognised for services to homeless people and their pets, told a press conference at Admiralty House in Whitehall, London, on Thursday: “I was on my own when I got the letter and I didn’t quite believe it and I was a bit scared to open it because it’s not every day you get a letter from the Cabinet Office.
“But I did pluck up the courage and had to read it about 10 times and I did tell my dogs, it’s been a struggle to keep the secret but it’s amazing for the charity.
“Less than 10% of hostels will allow you to take a dog into a hostel or homeless shelter, so people who have dogs can’t access those services.
“So we’re trying desperately to change that, we’re educating the hostels, training hostel staff and making it impossible for them to say no to allowing a dog on the premises.”
I was working in a vet practice and it was really easy for me to persuade a vet to come out with me and that's where we all started to provide some vaccines and some flea and worming
Ms Southern founded Street Paws after seeing a man who was homeless and realising there were no support services available for his pet dog.
“I was working in a vet practice and it was really easy for me to persuade a vet to come out with me and that’s where we all started to provide some vaccines and some flea and worming,” she told the PA news agency.
“Since the pandemic, we’ve lost a few vets but there’s around about 230 volunteers for the charity at the moment.”
She said there had “definitely” been a rise in demand for Street Paws in recent years.
I'm just a normal person and saw a gap in provision. I think it's hard enough being homeless, without being asked to give up the one constant in your life which is a companion animal, and just wanted to really protect that bond
Ms Southern told PA: “People (are) contacting us for support who you would never imagine would find themselves in a homeless position, people in their 60s who’ve been tenants … for 30-plus years, landlords have decided to sell the property and they have got nowhere else to go and they can’t find anywhere else to move and they’ve got dogs.”
She said the charity predominantly catered to dogs “because it’s easier if you’re rough sleeping to have a dog with you, but there are some cats and we have had a rat and a ferret in the past as well”.
On learning of her OBE, Ms Southern said she felt “dumbfounded” and “shocked”.
“I’m just a normal person and saw a gap in provision,” she said.
“I think it’s hard enough being homeless, without being asked to give up the one constant in your life which is a companion animal, and just wanted to really protect that bond.”