Part two of a two-part series looking at DTES pets and their owners. Read part one here.

It’s not every day you see a rat riding a dog.

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And not just any dog – in this case it’s a pit bull cross, with a heavy emphasis on pit bull, nicknamed Princess.

The rat-on-dog cowboy routine is not a party trick owner Diane Brisson forces on the rodent for entertainment. Peek-a-Boo, a white rat marked with splashes of black, appears to be enjoying himself. As Princess ambles around a rooftop garden of the Alexander housing complex, Peek-a-Boo makes no attempt to jump off and instead adjusts his body in time with the dog’s movements and holds on with his tiny claws.

Prior to the walkabout, Princess wriggles happily on her back in the garden while Peek-a-Boo rests close by under the shade of what’s left of a winter-weary plant.

“Peek-a-Boo is her pet,” says Brisson, with absolute sincerity. “One day I caught them watching cartoons together. Princess was in front of the TV and Peek-a-Boo was hanging from the curtain beside her and they were both watching another rat dance.”

Life can be hard in the Downtown Eastside, famous for its open-air drug trade, substance abuse, high crime rate and notorious, though sometimes disputed, label as being the country’s poorest neighbourhood. It can be even harder when you live with a seizure disorder, something Brisson has experienced first-hand. But when she was granted the money more than 10 years ago to have Princess trained as a certified service dog, her life changed.

“She can bring my keys to me and take laundry out of the dryer,” says Brisson. “I’ve been getting better though so I don’t need her to do all that anymore.”

Brisson has owned Princess since Oct. 26, 2001, but Peek-a-Boo came into her life just nine months ago. She rescued the rat from its previous owner who lives in another building.

“He was getting abused and used to hide all the time. Who does that? Who muscles a little rat?” says Brisson. “But now he has muscle on his side. When he gets nervous he heads straight for the dog.”

During a Courier interview and photo shoot, the curious rat scrambles over to meet everyone. Seeking a pat, nose and whiskers twitching, he attempts to crawl into a reporter’s coat and up her back.

Tired from the excitement of playing outside and posing for photos, Peek-a-Boo finally wanders over to Brisson who picks him up. The little rat ends the photo shoot by crawling into the hood of Brisson’s sweatshirt for a nap.

STRONG BONDS

Kim Monteith, manager of animal behaviour and welfare for the B.C. SPCA, volunteers her time outside of work to connect with pet owners, including street kids, living in the Downtown Eastside and on the Granville strip. Monteith is well acquainted with Princess and Peek-a-Boo.

“We helped spay Princess and did some lump removal,” says Monteith.

A monthly veterinary clinic for low-income and homeless pet owners was launched in 2007, following the creation of Charlie’s Food Bank in 2000, named after a dog starved to death by its owner. Charlie arrived at the SPCA in critical condition and despite the best efforts of animal hospital staff passed away after three weeks of intensive care. The food bank was organized by those involved in Charlie’s case who were deeply affected by the senseless act and the dog’s struggle and agonizing death. Charlie’s Food Bank operates every Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon at Mission Possible, 543 Powell St.

“We’ve also offered free dog training in Oppenheimer Park, but last summer was a problem because of the tent city,” says Monteith of the protest camp and squat that took over the park last year.

Monteith says using pets to approach street people and residents of single room accommodation hotels in the Downtown Eastside is a great way to make connections.

“It’s after we build those relationships that people feel they can come to us for help,” says Monteith. “The human-animal bond is strong and if we can help their pets be healthy, it might be a small thing to us, but to them it’s huge.”

Monteith has also been known to take her work home. She rescued one of her dogs, Kayo, from the streets after it was viciously beaten by its owner. The Doberman-pit bull cross hopped trains with his young owner as the pair travelled across Canada until settling in Vancouver when Kayo was four.

“He was beaten by his guardian, hung on a radiator and then kicked to be revived,” says Monteith. “He came to live with me after the beating and while we were waiting to see if charges would be accepted. He’s an SPCA ambassador and part of the downtown community. He’s 16-years-old and he’s been downtown with me for 12 of those years.”



HAPPY PLACE

Lana Fox gets a kiss from her dog Mackie during her shift as a custodian worker at the Alexander in the DTES Feb. 23rd, 2015. Photo Rebecca Blissett



Lana Fox, a maintenance worker at the Alexander housing complex on Princess Avenue, knows the important role animals can play in bringing people together, even in a neighbourhood known for its loners. Fox brings her blue heeler/border collie-cross Mackie to work with her, and during a recent interview, the dog looks at home as his owner chats with the Courier in a large sunny supply room.

It’s a familiar story. Mackie came to her three years ago after the dog was abandoned in Port Coquitlam and the landlord posted an ad on Craigslist. It was about that time Fox began working in the Downtown Eastside and taking Mackie to work with her, first to the Woodward’s Building for two years and more recently to the supportive housing complex on Princess operated by the Portland Hotel Society.

Fox says Mackie has been instrumental in gaining the trust of the residents of the Downtown Eastside she encounters every day.

“He helps me build relationships with people,” says Fox. “It can be hard to get to know people in an area where they don’t naturally connect.”

Fox adds Mackie is a quick judge of character and acts accordingly.

“He can judge their comfort level. If they seem afraid he’ll lie on his back and show his belly. But Mackie has become so popular it’s impossible to keep a low profile,” she says laughing.

Another resident living in the same supportive housing complex is Terry Neibergall, who gently holds a black rabbit nicknamed Diamond in his arms.

Terry Neibergall holds Diamond the rabbit. Neibergall, who calls himself an animal lover who once owned a 140 pound dog that was part wolf, owns several rabbits, and said they all have their own personalities. Photo Rebecca Blissett

Neibergall rescued Diamond last summer as he sat on the grass at Jericho Beach, an area that has unfortunately become a dumping ground for unwanted domestic rabbits.

“I was feeding her pears and she hopped right into my bag,” says Neibergall. “She’s super smart. She has her own toys and can stack stuff. And she has her own cage but she sleeps with me sometimes.”

Neibergall has since discovered Diamond “hates” pears. The rabbit hasn’t eaten one bite of the fruit since he brought her home leading him to believe she was looking for a new home the day they connected.

“She’s good company and very friendly,” says Neibergall, petting Diamond’s head protectively. “I love having her around.”

Just down the road from the Princess complex, De-Wane, who did not give his last name, lives on the ground floor of a single room accommodation building on East Hastings Street in a unit facing a courtyard that smells slightly of urine. That outdoor access comes in handy when De-Wane walks his Manx cat, nicknamed Teddy, on his harness. The healthy-looking cat boasts a gorgeous, charcoal grey coat and short stubby tail, a marker of the Manx breed.

De-Wane holds a curious Teddy in the courtyard of his DTES building Feb 17th, 2015. De-Wane and Teddy were matched through the Vancouver Orphan Rescue Kitten Association. Photo Rebecca Blissett

“He’s super smart,” says De-Wane. “Smarter than some people and a lot of politicians.”

As with so many of the animals the Courier encountered over the weeks working on this story, Teddy was rescued from an abusive owner before finding a loving home.

“He used to bite my feet and elbows all the time and would never sit on my lap. And sometimes he’d pee on my pillow,” says De-Wane of the cat, which snuggles in his owner’s arms. “But six months and lots of love later he started warming up. Teddy brings me so much joy, but it’s not just me, he makes a lot of other people here happy, too.”

sthomas@vancourier.com

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