Islander experiencing homelessness says no-pet rules limit access to services

Steve Wotton spends most of his days walking Charlottetown streets, dragging two shopping carts he fills with cans, his dog Nova on a leash by his side.

Shelters and the Charlottetown Outreach Centre don't allow animals unless they are a licensed service dog, said Wotton, who is experiencing homelessness.

"I need this dog because I am in a situation right now where I have no family. She is the one being on this earth that is by my side," Wotton said.

"When I take an epileptic attack she is there to tell somebody, in her way, that I am having an epileptic attack or she keeps me conscious so I can call somebody for help."

Wotton said he worries that without Nova by his side, he could die.

"I can name at least five situations where I couldn't help myself. I could have choked on my tongue."

The Charlottetown Outreach Centre won't even allow the dog on the property, Wotton said.

A reporter from CBC saw a worker asking Wotton to take his dog off the property when he was at the edge of the parking lot on Wednesday. 

Other locations have been more understanding, Wotton said.

"I've been to the casino, I go to the racetrack to groom horses … she lays right underneath them, she's great," he said.

"At this time, pets are not permitted in emergency shelters," officials with the department of social development and housing confirmed in an email. 

"Each emergency shelter operates based on their policies and procedures, not set by government, but the organization's governing body," the email said.

While there are exceptions for service animals in most situations, Wotton said he has been told he has to get a licence to prove that Nova is a certified service dog. He has tried different ways to get that done, such as contacting local dog trainers, but said he hasn't had any luck.

Officials with the P.E.I. Human Rights Commission confirmed there is no place on the Island to get a dog certified as a service animal — but according to the commission's website a licence shouldn't have to be provided in all cases.