Mikey & Buddha / Transient Dogs

“He does have a home. It just doesn’t have four walls.” -Kiana replies to someone who tells her he wants to give her happy 3 month old puppy a home. I am documenting young travelers and their dogs in San Francisco. I am interested in the dynamics between the street kids and their dogs. Do they have these dogs for companionship? Protection? Psychological reasons? They have their dogs for all those reasons. Many of these kids take excellent care of their dogs and brag about feeding them before they feed themselves. Over time, I have come to realize these travelers are able to take care of their dogs maybe even better than someone with a full time job. They are with their dogs 24 hours a day and many of them are very well trained. With the help from the organization VET SOS, transient dogs get the vet care they need for free or very cheap. As a continuation of the Transient Dogs Project or "Road Dogs", I have been photographing Mikey and his pit bull, Buddha, for about a year now. Spending so much time with him, we have become friends. I want to tell his story through photographs of him and his dog. They are a great team. - Sophia Germer

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Zorro and his owner in Union Square today. 

I asked him if his dog could ever protect him if something happened. He said no, but he loved him anyway. The two of them are very tight and he takes excellent care of Zorro. 

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RIP Chris. Overdosed in the Cheesecake Factory. He will definitely be missed!! 

Photo taken November 15, 2014

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Back in the bay and glad to see everyone and their dogs again. Zoro and Luna playing. 

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Mikey says he's leaving Friday. 

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The hearing went well. Mikey and Buddha are reunited and happy. 

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Another Update

I went with Mikey to SF Animal Care and Control to bail out Buddha today. He was in quarantine for 10 days and today was his last day. Turns out Buddha has a hearing tomorrow to decide if he goes back to Mikey or if he is going to be put down. I was told Buddha got in a confrontation with another dog in the Tenderloin. Buddha's head came in contact with the nose of the man trying to break up the fight. The man claimed Buddha bit him. Mikey told me the guy later confessed Buddha never bit him and the nip on the man's hand was from their dog, not Buddha. Hopefully the man who was supposedly bit shows up to the hearing. From what I have noticed, the general population are not usually in favor of the homeless and pitbulls. Hopefully they see how much Mikey needs Buddha. I have a good feeling everything will work itself out and Buddha will be reunited with Mikey. I have my fingers crossed.

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Update

Buddha is at the SPCA. Mikey is trying to get him out. I'm sure everything will work out. 

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Buddha has been missing for the past 24 hours :,(

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Buddha

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A friend of Mikey's brought up an interestingly worded question today:

Who are "homies" amongst the homeless?

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Everyone wanted shade today. Too hot in the sun. 

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Documentary Photographer Rights

This was useful the other day when dealing with the cops. 

"Your rights as a photographer:

When in public spaces where you are lawfully present you have the right to photograph anything that is in plain view. That includes pictures of federal buildings, transportation facilities, and police. Such photography is a form of public oversight over the government and is important in a free society.

When you are on private property, the property owner may set rules about the taking of photographs. If you disobey the property owner’s rules, they can order you off their property (and have you arrested for trespassing if you do not comply).

Police officers may not generally confiscate or demand to view your photographs or video without a warrant. If you are arrested, the contents of your phone may be scrutinized by the police, although their constitutional power to do so remains unsettled. In addition, it is possible that courts may approve the seizure of a camera in some circumstances if police have a reasonable, good-faith belief that it contains evidence of a crime by someone other than the police themselves (it is unsettled whether they still need a warrant to view them).

Police may not delete your photographs or video under any circumstances. Police officers may legitimately order citizens to cease activities that are truly interfering with legitimate law enforcement operations. Professional officers, however, realize that such operations are subject to public scrutiny, including by citizens photographing them.

Note that the right to photograph does not give you a right to break any other laws. For example, if you are trespassing to take photographs, you may still be charged with trespass."

https://docuphoto.wordpress.com/tag/police/

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Luna 

sweet dog owned by a nice woman. Buddha and Luna get along very well. 

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what an eventful Saturday. Mikey is in town until he is able to get his Methadone transferred to Washington. I’m going to miss them both when he really does leave.