Mortgage crisis is hurting pets, too
By Cynthia Hubert - chubert@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, January 19, 2008
As thousands of area families surrender to foreclosure their dreams of owning homes, many are also leaving their dogs and cats behind.
Area shelters are filled with animals surrendered in recent months by people forced to move to apartments or other places where their pets are unwelcome, and managers are blaming the housing meltdown for the surge. National animal groups have noted a similar trend.
"Very clearly it would appear that the economy and the mortgage situation in particular are interfering with the ability of people to care for their animals," said Leilani Vierra, director of the Placer County SPCA. About three people a week are surrendering pets to the shelter because of "a loss of a home or becoming homeless," she said.
During the last four months of 2007, the Sacramento SPCA received 176 dogs and cats from people who cited "moving" as the reason they could no longer keep them, said director Rick Johnson. That is 100 more than during the same time in 2006.
The mortgage crisis, spurred by easy financing of homes, has affected people across the country but has hit particularly hard in California. More than 7,600 households across the Sacramento region suffered foreclosures last year.
Steve Brown and his wife, Deborah, of Citrus Heights are facing foreclosure and possible relocation. Adding to the pressure, Brown said, is the fact that they have three dogs, Lucky, Dakota and Chocolate, who are considered members of the family.
"They sleep on the bed with us at night, all three of them," said Brown, who lives on Social Security disability payments and could go into foreclosure in February if he is unable to scrape up about $2,000 toward his mortgage. "I don't know what we will do if we have to leave, but I can't imagine giving them up. Heaven forbid, even if we had to go homeless we would have to take them with us."
The Humane Society of the United States recently issued an advisory asking foreclosure victims to plan for their pets if they must move. The organization has received scattered reports of former homeowners simply abandoning their animals, said Stephanie Shain, HSUS director of outreach.
"Abandoning pets for any reason is not only irresponsible, it's illegal," said Shain. "People are so stressed. They may feel they can't care for their pets financially, or they're overwhelmed by a sudden move. But if you can't take them with you, the worst thing you can do is leave them to fend for themselves."
People who are no longer able to house their pets and cannot find a friend or rescue group to take them in should bring them to shelters, she said.
http://www.sacbee.com/101/v-print/story/646392.html
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
