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The “Street Vet,” Dr Kwane Stewart, is a perfect example of how free vet care for pets owned by the homeless is possible. He has been doing that for nearly a decade across California. “The Street Vet is a fantastic veterinarian who decided to help the homeless and their pets, offering free vet care to pets living on the street with their owners. His story has captured the hearts of many.

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But how did it all start? We need to go back as far as 2011 when Dr Kwane Stewart wondered if the homeless with a dog would like to get vet care for free. In a soup kitchen, he asked them precisely that. On that day alone 15 pets were treated. Since then he has been treating countless animals for free. Yes, he does not treat only dogs, but also cats and once a python! 

 

And Dr Kwane Stewart knows how important a dog can be to a homeless person. As he has said to Today, “homeless people feed their pet before they feed themselves. I’ve seen them give their last dollar to care for their pet. They sustain each other, and that is the power of pet companionship”. 

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More than that, he has seen how a dog can be the very reason for a homeless to just keep going. In an interview for Michelson Found Animals, he said that their pets give them a sense of hope and make them believe there is a reason to wake up every morning.

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This only illustrates how deeply this veterinarian sets himself on this life mission. He sees their struggles and how their pets are so important to them. It is simply something that he feels that he needs to do. It is his own “crusade,” as he has said in the Los Angeles Times.

 

A mission like this didn’t always come as something he would be proud of and he was not open about what he was doing in his free time, treating the pets of homeless people he would happen to meet on his walks.

 

He also told the Los Angeles Times: “Maybe I was afraid someone would judge, you know, or say something like, ‘Why do you spend the money,’ or ‘They’re homeless, they don’t deserve a pet,’” he said. “I didn’t want any of the questions. I just wanted to do it.”

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But if his secrecy continued for a long time, eventually he realised how much the burden of the medical expenses that his personal journey was taking and, when the opportunity came to make it a reality show, he took it.

 

The series “Dr Kwane: The Street Vet” was broadcast on Canada’s Cottage TV in 2019. What followed was a surge in social media, which attracted the support of pet companies wanting to sponsor him.

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In 2020, Dr Kwane and his brother formed Project Street Vet, and the dream was finally coming true with the support of many. At last, Dr Kwane could see that his efforts in relieving the pain of the homeless with pets were not something to be ashamed of but deserved a lot of praise.

 

Many other companies rushed to support him and his non-profit charity is there for everyone to know that there is hope for the homeless that end up in the street with their pets. Alone and with not much to give them when they are sick, the homeless can now get free veterinary care for their pets with the help of Dr Kwane, whose work is done mainly in San Diego and Los Angeles.

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Dr Kwane’s story is one of the most inspiring ones in a world where the vulnerable still suffer in the streets. His project is something he truly holds in his heart. As he has said to GoFundMe, “The look on people’s faces when they get their pets back, especially after a surgery or a life-saving procedure—those are moments I’ll remember forever.”