Friends on the Streets, Companions for Life
Contents
With the increase in poverty, the number of homeless people sharing their lives with one or more pets has grown exponentially in all major Italian and European cities. In Milan, there are over 2,000 people experiencing homelessness, and at least one hundred of them live with a dog.
We would like to emphasize that the beneficiaries of Save the Dogs’ project are not those who exploit animals to encourage the generosity of passersby, often managed by real rackets, but people who are going through a difficult period in their lives, perhaps after losing their job and their family support network. People who rely on the only stable relationship in their lives: the one with a dog.
Protecting the health of these animals is essential not only to ensure their right to well-being, but also to safeguard public health and prevent uncontrolled breeding, which would increase the number of dogs confined in shelters.
Overview
Our Street Unit
Since 2021, it has been providing material and veterinary assistance to the animals of people living on the streets, offering structured and ongoing support while reaching different neighborhoods across the city.
Focus on people and their pets
A network of solidarity working in coordination with institutions and humanitarian organizations in Milan engaged in addressing severe marginalization.
Shelters
In 2025, the first dog was allowed access to a winter emergency shelter. We are working with the Municipality of Milan to open more facilities to animals in 2026.
Our intervention
The Street Unit alternates mobile outreach activities with others held at fixed locations, often agreed upon with other associations active in the humanitarian sector.
Our volunteer teams are mainly composed of dog trainers and veterinarians, whose primary task is to build a relationship of trust with those who approach us for help.
The goal is to provide animals with basic veterinary care, ensuring vaccinations and parasite treatments, and to prevent reproduction by offering free sterilization. In addition, we provide animals with what they need most: food, harnesses, leashes, bowls, muzzles, and coats.
Project beneficiaries receive a card to access the Street Unit’s services, and all in-kind donations are recorded.
Some project statistics
200 human–animal pairs supported
981 Street Unit visits
267 vaccinations administered
68 sterilizations
*data updated as of December 31, 2025
Actions 2023–2025
During this two-year period, Save the Dogs, thanks to the support of Fondazione Comunità di Milano, had access to extraordinary resources to expand the project, with the possibility of extending its reach to other Milan residents with animals in situations of economic hardship.
The strengthening of the intervention took place in synergy with Municipality 2 of the city, where numerous situations of distress were identified, and made it possible to significantly increase the number of Street Unit outreach activities.
Acknowledgements
We would particularly like to thank:
Donations in-kind
Arcaplanet
United Pets
Fody
Rinaldo Franco
Trixie Italia
Financial support
Fondazione Carlo Acutis
Fondo Dr.ssa Fulvia Anelli
Idealista
Arcaplanet
United Pets
Partner organizations
Lega del Cane di Segrate
Mondogatto
Squadra 4 Zampe
Fondazione Fratelli S. Francesco
Fondazione Padri Somaschi
Support the project
Your donations will be transformed into food, blankets for the winter and veterinary care.
What does Save the Dogs do?
- We assist homeless people living on the streets with their pets, currently solely in the city of Milan, by offering different forms of support that can enhance the quality of life for the animals in their care;
- We help individuals in need by arranging veterinary appointments or providing cleaning and grooming services for their pets;
- We provide pet food, and essential supplies such as muzzles, leashes, dog coats, and blankets.
Who does Save the Dogs work with?
What Save the Dogs is not able to do:
- Perform activities that require an emergency response
- Be present in all areas where there are homeless people living on the street with their animals, for operational and economic reasons
- Undertake measures to prevent potential mistreatment, as our staff members are not trained to intervene directly.
What can I do?
- In the event of your witnessing incidents of maltreatment, please call the emergency number 112 or contact the Milan Local Police Operations Center on 02.02.08;
- If you witness instances of deterioration or suspected abuse, please report it to the Animal Protection Office of the City of Milan by sending an email to m.ufficiotutelaanimali@comune.milano.it or sending a Certified Email (PEC) to tutela.animali@pec.comune.milano.it;
- Support this project by making a donation.
What preconceptions should I steer clear of?
- It is only in rare instances that homeless individuals living on the streets with their animals employ their pets to garner sympathy from passersby and collect money. The vast majority keep animals for companionship, and have established a loving relationship with them;
- Not every person living on the street does so by choice: for many it is the consequence of severe economic hardship and the lack of a social network;
- It is not impossible for dogs living with homeless people to lead a happy life, perhaps more so than dogs who spend their existence in solitude or confined to a balcony;
- The project does not set out to encourage keeping animals while living on the street; the assistance offered always prioritizes the welfare of the animals, thereby reducing the likelihood of any exploitative situations.
