As Foreclosures Increases So Do Instances Of Pet Abandonments

Posted in Foreclosures, July 30th, 2008 |

As foreclosure numbers increase so do instances of abandonment of pets. The four-legged friends of Man are the latest casualties in this foreclosure crisis.

Nobody knows this better than Shih Tzus of Associated Humane Societies branch in Newark. He said that in the last six months he has had to give shelter to dozens of dogs and cats that were surrendered by owners who had no homes of their own at that point of time; neither did they have the means to feed extra mouths. The owners giving up their pets come in crying and upset.

Across the state all the shelters are reporting a rise of minimum 10% to a maximum of 25% in the number of animals seeking protection. The director of Public Policy at the American Humane Association apprehends that as many 1 million pets could be affected nationally. This is inferred from the fact that foreclosures will hit as many as 4 million families.

The regional director of the Humane Society of the United States, Nina Austenberg analyzed that when the economy is bad everything suffers. A pet then becomes just another mouth to feed. The old animals need medical attention. Previously the owners did not count the expenses. But now the reality is different – people are without jobs and at threat from foreclosures.

One of the acute problems being faced by pet owners displaced by foreclosures is that many apartment complexes have adopted a no-pets policy. Apart from that under the duress of foreclosures, the pets are no longer uppermost on the minds of the family members. It has been calculated by The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that the average cost of caring for a dog is anything between $580 to $875 per annum. Cats cost around $670 annually. Many people do not fully realize that they have to give up a pet until the talk out details of the budget with the housing counselor. At the last minute there is very little time to hunt out a proper shelter or arrange for a friend or relative to take charge of the pet. Caught in the pincers many just abandon the animal to fend for itself and vanish. The pets are left confined within the four walls of the foreclosed abandoned jail. The police in Newark, Irvington and South Orange are flooded with reports of pets left cruelly deserted in confined environment. It is a trend that is causing alarm for all animal lovers.