A different side of homelessness: human and pet

Perhaps my new surroundings have made me more attuned, but I have noticed more of the homeless with pets this holiday season.

Yes, we as a society fret more over the welfare of animals versus humans, even children in foster care.

And yes, we as supposed believers might more respond to a plea for help from a homeless person with a pet than a homeless person without.

If there is a moral to this holiday story, and one for all seasons, perhaps it is that the homeless feel so beaten down and driven out that they'll employ whatever prop necessary to get help.

Or more likely, maybe it is only a pet -- in all its innocence and unconditional acceptance -- that has any love left for these people in society who have found fewer smiles and donations.

That truth is something for Nashville leaders to consider as they continue to crack down on the homeless and a nation that increasingly has no room left in the inn.