The council told a homeless man the only way he could get accommodation with his life-saving dog was if he moved to Birmingham.

Having returned to Swindon and ending up homeless, Barry Wilkinson, 40, would have been all alone if not for his beloved dog Gypsy.

But the homeless shelter he is staying in says Gypsy is not allowed to sleep with him in his room - leaving Barry out in the cold.Barry has been sleeping in a tent rather than be separated from his dog, Gypsy (Image: Dave Cox)

He said: “I've had her since she was four weeks old. She's 11 now. She's all I've got in my life.

“I don’t have children, she is my kid. We've got such good connections, it's unbelievable.”

At the time of writing, Barry is sleeping in a tent with his dog, as the council previously said there was nowhere they could be housed together in Swindon

He says his Swindon Borough Council homelessness officer told him he could sleep with his dog if he moved to Birmingham.Gypsy saved Barry's life at one of his lowest moments, and it 'breaks his heart' to be separated (Image: Dave Cox)

The council have now offered him accommodation in a hotel - but he does not know for how long.

Barry’s route to homelessness is a typical story of unfortunate events. Originally from Bracknell in Berkshire, Barry returned there to spend time with his dad with terminal cancer.

He came back to Swindon after a family falling out only for his girlfriend to break up with him - leaving Barry with nowhere to go.

He slept outside the Wyvern Theatre for two nights on October 22 before being accommodated in the Salvation Army’s Booth House and then The Haven, another homeless shelter.Gypsy requires medication each morning, which Barry must give her (Image: Dave Cox)

“I had to find a sitter for my dog, which broke my heart. I didn’t sleep at all that weekend”, he remembered.

Rather than be “depressed and anxious” without Gypsy in The Haven, he opted for a tent.

Gypsy, a British bulldog husky labrador, has been with him at his lowest times. 

He recalled: “When I’d had enough of life and I was about to kill myself she looked me deep in the eyes as if to say, don't do that. She saved my life.”

Barry feels that not being able to stay with his dog is effectively keeping him on the streets, and preventing him and improving his situation.

He said: “I want to be working and trying to better myself. I can't do that while I'm on the streets and have nowhere for my dog to be.

“As soon as I have a base, I can build up from there.”The Haven in Swindon offers emergency accommodation and support to the homeless (Image: Dave Cox)

He added: “I’m not the only homeless person in this world with a dog. There must be something [the council] can do for me.

“I've pitched up outside and they're telling me the only thing they can do for me is send me to Birmingham.”

Barry objected: “I started my life in Swindon. I'm not going to go and restart my life somewhere where I don't know anyone, and have no family.”

He has now been offered accommodation in a hotel where he will be able to stay with his dog, but only from Friday, November 1 and Barry has not been told for how long.

In the meantime, he says the tent has been "horrible" with a collapsed lung and asthma causing him pain.

A SBC spokesperson said: “We’ve been working closely with Mr Wilkinson to find him suitable accommodation and are pleased that he will be able to stay in Swindon with his dog.”

They added about the Birmingham offer that “due to limited options in Swindon, we sometimes have to look beyond the immediate local area to find suitable accommodation”.

The Haven did not respond to an invitation to comment.

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