Joe sits on a picnic seat and looks out across the large field that stretches ahead of him.

On his lap sits Bongo, a nine-year-old Patterdale-cross terrier which Joe had had since he was a puppy. At the bottom of the field is the tiny tent which has been their home for the past three months.

“I’m not doing this for myself but for everyone out there who’s in the same situation as me,” he said. “And there are loads of them, all over England and Wales. I just want people to understand.”

Joe and Bongo arrived in Wales following Joe’s decision to leave Cambridge and return to the place where he’d spent so many happy holidays as a child, staying with his grandparents near Tenby.

He contacted Pembrokeshire County Council in a bid to secure social housing, but despite completing all the requirements and answering all their questions, he has been told that unless he puts Bongo into a kennel on a permanent basis, he will be unable to be given a home.

“He is my life and for me, this dog is everything,” he says as Bongo looks up into his face.

“A lot of people are starting to worry about me living rough with the winter ahead but I’m not going to part with Bongo. It wouldn’t be fair to me and it wouldn’t be fair to him.

“I’ve had him since he was a puppy and they just don’t understand what it means.

“I’m trying to be as positive as I possibly can, and I know that if it was just me on my own, I’d find it tough, mentally. But Bongo makes everything so much easier.”

Western Telegraph: BongoBongo (Image: Western Telegraph)

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Since he has been sleeping rough, Joe has received a tremendous amount of support and advice from Homeless Pembrokeshire as well as from individuals who are trying to do all they can to support him through the difficult weeks ahead.

“The man who owns the camp site has been very generous and has allowed me to stay here free of charge,” he said.

“And people are doing all they can to help me. Some people have offered to pay for places for me to stay but they shouldn’t be expected to do that.

“It’s not fair for anyone to have to live like this and it’s not fair to expect people to have to help me out. I’m not going out on the streets begging because I don’t want to.”

Meanwhile Joe is doing his best to remain positive.

“I wanted to stay in Pembrokeshire because it’s such a good place so I’ve got to stay positive and deal with it.

"Bongo has been through all of this with me so we’re in it together, right to the end.”