Innocent victims of the foreclosure crisis...

[one_voice]

(July 18) -- Abandoned pets may be one of the less-visible ramifications of the festering foreclosure crisis. Shelters in some of the nation's worst-hit regions report a surge in animals that have either been left behind by their owners or dropped off at shelters in hopes that new owners can be found.

Pet rescuers in some of the hard-hit areas of the country report they have been flooded with calls for help by pet owners no longer able to afford their animals. Statistics are difficult to obtain, but the Humane Society of the United States says it has noticed a huge increase over the past couple of years of reports of animals being left behind.

"It has been a regular occurrence," said Adam Goldfarb, director of the group's Pets at Risk program, adding that the reasons are murky. "Maybe people are a little embarrassed about the idea of going to a shelter."

Earlier this week, authorities in Glendale, Calif., near Los Angeles, discovered three pet dogs that had been left for more than a week without food or water at a foreclosed home. A Samaritan apparently gave the animals basic sustenance, but they were in poor condition when they were reported to the Glendale Humane Society.

*snip*

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/family-pets-also-victimized-by-foreclosure-crisis/19557083


;(

[Skittles]

1. people who abandon animals should be arrested

[flvegan]

2. My rescue now gets close to 100 calls per day.

5 or so are to report cruelty. 10 are inquiring about adoption, volunteering or donating. The rest are about surrendering pets, the highest percentage is due to folks losing their homes.

My e-mail inbox is far worse. It's only getting to be a bigger problem.

[lunatica]

3. I worry about our two dogs if I lose the condo.

I picture living as a bag lady and having them with me no matter what. I can't imagine leaving them at the shelter. I see lots of homeless people in Berkeley with pets. I've given money to people when they have pets, and if I have food I just give it to them for the pets.

In Berkeley being homeless and having a pet is an asset. It's definitely an animal friendly city. Even the entire UC Berkeley campus is a leash free zone.

[ThomCat]

4. I worried about what to do with my cats if I became homeless again.

It was a serious worry. I am too seriously physically disabled to take care of myself, let alone two cats while couch-hopping or living in a shelter, bouncing from place to place. I absolutely did not want anything bad to happen to my cats, no matter what. But how could I make sure they had a good home even if I did not? :(

I am very fortunate that my situation improved and I didn't end up homeless. My pets and I still have a home, and we have a roommate and her pets too. Together we have a nice family situation, and we do okay taking care of each other.

We have took in a new cat over the winter too that was clearly an abandoned domestic cat. She moved into our back porch, so we checked her out and took her in.

There seem to be a lot of abandoned domestic animals in our area. Not surprising. There are a lot of foreclosed homes in this area. We guess she came from one of those foreclosed homes.

A woman across the street has taken in 9 abandoned cats, that is on top of the colony of strays that she takes care of outside. A guy down the street has 2 dogs that he has taken in. Our vet has dozens of signs up for pets that desperately need homes. I'm sure other vets are desperately trying to find homes for animals too. Shelters were already full before the financial crisis hit. I can't imagine how overcrowded they are now, and what kind of pressure they are under to get rid of animals quickly. :(

I wish a lot of people could find it in themselves and in their stressed budgets to take in an extra pet. There really is a desperate need.

[roguevalley]

5. I hear you, ThomCat. I made a personal vow that my three remaining

dogs, three terribly elderly dachshunds will eat first. I will eat secondly and its been that way for about a year and a half as I claw my way back from disaster. Deaths in the family are the start of my horror and I think I am seeing daylight. I will live in the car with my boys before I do anything less for them. They would never live through separation from me. I have had them since they were five weeks old. I will include you in my thoughts and prayer, sweetie. Hug your kitties for me.

[ThomCat]

7. Thank you.

:hug:

I will definitely give hugs to the kitties. And to the dogs that my roommate has brought into our family too.

I hope your Dachshunds are healthy and doing well.

Her/our oldest dog just passed 21 and a half years old. He's a mostly boxer mutt, and a lovable old man . Elderly dogs and cats are really something else, and deserve all the love we can give them. Every single day that I can shower him with a bit more affection is a wonderful day. :)

[Contrary1]

6. 4 new cats have showed up in my back yard in the last few weeks...

None of them will come to me, only one looks like he has been out on the streets for a while. The other three have thick, shiny coats.

I tried not feeding them for a couple days to see if they had homes. Doesn't appear to be the case, as they were all very hungry on the third day.

And so it goes...the "crazy cat lady" is now feeding twelve. I didn't realized I was referred to as such until a little kid knocked on my door. Turns out their kitty had gone missing, and mom sent her to ask the crazy cat lady if I had seen it. Happily, it wasn't missing after all.

[dana_b]

8. more like the good hearted cat lady!

:hug:

[Taitertots]

9. What kind of maniac would release a dangerous non-native animal?

Feral animals are a danger to everyone in the community.

They should at least have the decency to send it to a shelter to be killed.