Big Issue North: The Power of PetsPETS

For our Big Issue North vendors, the power of a pet’s companionship provides great comfort. Owning a pet makes many of our vendors feel loved, needed, and provides great meaning in their lives.

More than half of UK households today own a pet, with an estimated 13 million dogs and 12 million cats living in our homes. Since 2020, the UK was the second highest-ranking European country in terms of its dog population and as a country consumer spending on our pets and pet products reached almost £8 billion!

If you have a pet yourself or know someone with a friendly companion, you will already recognise how powerful that bond is between owner and animal. Pets alleviate feelings of loneliness, isolation, and depression, and as you can imagine, for our Big Issue North vendors this provides a sense of purpose, motivation, and determination to change their lives for the better. Vendors have taken the remarkable opportunity to earn their own independent income by selling our magazine, outstandingly defeating the pull back to homelessness, begging and in some cases reluctantly turning to crime just to survive. Alongside gaining valuable skills in sales and networking with our local communities, the power of a pet to our vendors offers meaning to their day, provides company if a vendor feels isolated and overall, naturally improves happiness and mental wellbeing.

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