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Pets
The Office of Housing now allows people to keep pest in
community rooming houses, as long as they do not cause problems to
other folk. Artist, musician, actor and long time rooming house
resident Dave Ewer wrote the following words in 2003 when he was
living in the Layfield Street rooming house.
 Today I got angry. Today
I felt like ripping a persons head off. Steam was emanating from my
ears and I was pissed off - real bad.
The
circumstances do not matter - only the result. I went to my room
and slammed the door shut behind me.
My little
kitten named Toki came to my side and jumped into my lap. I looked
at her and felt her small fragile body in my hands. Immediately I
relaxed. The anger took a back seat and flowed from my
body.
I have
heard of the therapeutic value of pets in situations not unlike my
own. Suddenly it became clear. Pets in rooming houses play a major
part in keeping the peace. Companion animals have long been studied
in hospitals, but now I experienced the value at first
hand.
I think
it’s about caring. The time one takes caring for a pet, feeding,
changing litter trays grooming, exercising and training all add to
the pet’s owner feeling to be needed. This spills over, in my case,
to an element of control over depression and aggression.
Of course,
in a rooming house situation, pet ownership has to be viewed with
health issues in mind.
The
inherent responsibility of pet ownership gives some semi balance of
structure to my daily life.
David
Ewer 2003
Pictured right are David and
Toki in 2009. Yoki has certainly done well for himself.
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