When a person loses their home, they experience trauma and grief. Their pet may be their sole source of love and support.
For a person experiencing homelessness, losing their pet can make one of the most difficult times in their life even more painful. Yet, with few emergency facilities offering pet-inclusive housing, it’s a decision so many people feel forced to make. We know pet-inclusive solutions to homelessness are not only possible, they already exist.
Since 2021, we have hosted the annual My Dog Is My Home Conference with the hope that someday, nobody will have to choose between a home and their best friend. By showcasing emerging practices in keeping people and pets together, we are building the housing solutions and communities we want.
The 3-day virtual My Dog Is My Home Conference (Mar 24-26, 2026) brings together:
Leaders in the field of pet-inclusive housing
Individuals with lived experience of homelessness
Hundreds of representatives from human services and animal welfare nonprofits
The My Dog Is My Home Conference aims to increase access to pet-inclusive emergency and long-term housing through workshops, webinars, stories of lived experience, art, community networking, and more.
All of this happens online, so there are no associated expenses beyond registration.
A win-win-win for people, animals, and service providers—pet-inclusive housing:
Supports humans' mental, emotional and physical health
Saves hard-to-adopt animals from languishing or being euthanized in shelters
Frees space in animal shelters that are beyond their capacity
Last year's presenters included:
Dr. Kwane Stewart – CNN Hero of the Year & Instagram’s @thestreetvet
Joy Moses – VP of Research and Evidence at the National Alliance to End Homelessness
Lori Weise – Subject of the book Rethinking Rescue & CNN Hero
Holly Henning – Executive Director of Women’s Advocates
Co-Sheltering 101 - Step-by-step guidance from leading pet-inclusive emergency shelters: URI & Father Joe's Villages
Will you join?