She’ll bite someone if they act aggressive or anything toward me. “Sometimes I pull over and just talk,” Stewart explained.Īddie is Fancher’s first pet as an adult, and provides the 42-year-old with some comfort that she is safe living in a relatively unstable neighborhood of Oakland. If they’re going to you to beg or panhandle, it’s different but if you come up on them they don’t know if you’re law enforcement or you have an agenda,” he said, “so I do take it very slow and I’ll announce myself from afar.”Īpproaching Misty Fancher to see if her pit bull, Addie – purchased at a nearby gas station for $200 - might need shots, Stewart offers, “Can she have treats so we can make friends?” “People are reticent, they don’t always know why I’m coming up to them. He purposely wears his navy scrub top with his name so nobody mistakes him for animal control or other authorities and feels threatened. He can usually tell there’s a pet if he sees a dog bowl or animal toy. Stewart hollers “Hello?” outside tents, makeshift structures or campers.
He guesses that maybe 1 in 25 times does someone turn down his help. Stewart funded the group himself for years, saving a chunk of his paycheck before later gaining sponsors and donors. He founded Project Street Vet, a nonprofit charity dedicated to helping homeless pets.
Stewart sees it as his mission to help as many of them as he can.Ī 52-year-old former college hurdler at New Mexico now living in San Diego, Stewart is a lifelong animal lover who grew up in Texas and New Mexico trying to save strays - or at least feed and care for them. Homeless shelters often don’t allow pets, forcing people to make heart-wrenching decisions. Nationally, up to 10% of homeless people have pets, according to an estimate from the advocacy group Pets of the Homeless. About two-thirds of California’s homeless population is unsheltered, meaning they live outside, often packed into encampments in major cities and along roadways.
“It was a good catch,” Stewart said before heading out on his way to the next stop, in West Oakland.Ĭalifornia is home to nearly a third of the nation’s homeless population, according to federal data. Stewart always promises to cover all expenses. Since then, Stewart regularly walks the heart of Los Angeles’ infamous Skid Row, giving him a glimpse into the state’s homelessness crisis - and also just how much these people cherish and depend on their pets.Īfter treating Bear, Stewart hands Evans, a Louisiana transplant, a list of the medicine he provided along with contact information in case the dog needs further treatment. “The Street Vet,” as Stewart is known, has been supporting California’s homeless population and their pets for almost a decade, ever since he spontaneously helped a man with a flea-infested dog outside of a convenience store. He’s my right-hand man,” an emotional Evans says of Bear, who shares the small RV in Oakland. Stewart applies a triple treatment drop of antibiotic, anti-fungal and steroids that should start the healing process. That’s my boy,” Evans instructs the high-energy puppy as he eagerly accepts Stewart’s offer.Ī quick check of the dog reveals a moderate ear infection that could have made Bear so sick in a matter of weeks he might have required sedation.
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