Home Foreclosures and Abandoned Pets
Foreclosure Pets Left on Their Own
The emaciated body of a German Shepherd left chained to a tree in the backyard as his owners left their foreclosed home has become a scene all to common as people leave homes and pets. The shepherd's dull, pale eyes tell the story of his suffering at the hands of irresponsible owners. As the vet injects the liquid that will end his suffering into his veins, his eyes stare into the eyes of the human who tried to save his life. If only his owner had thought enough of their pet to do what's right and responsible and made arrangements for a dog who was caught up in the foreclosure mess.
An abandoned pet left to fend on its own has no knowledge of how to find food. The lucky ones adapt, but most never do. People who have lost their homes to foreclosure are discarding pets in record numbers. People at their wits end who fail to recognize the death warrant handed down to an innocent pet.
Through no fault of their own, abandoned pets are filling humane shelters faster than most can handle. These cast away pets at least have a 50/50 chance if they are treated in a responsible way by their owners and taken to a local shelter. Many deserted animals will end up being put down simply because most shelters don't have adequate room to house all of the abandoned pets or because the pet wasn't found soon enough to save them.
The abandoned pets that are truly at risk are the ones who have been deserted and left inside their now empty homes, tied outside to a tree or stake and those that were simply dumped. Perhaps their owners hoped the pet would be found in time. Sadly, a lot of these abandoned pets aren't. One does have to question if the people who abandoned their pets were aware of the cruelty they imposed on their pet. An animal who depended on responsible people to supply food and water for the pet's well being.
I recently ran across a photo of a small, ragged looking kitten moving through a sea of human legs scurrying by the kitten with no acknowledgment of it's existence. One of the millions of cats and dogs that have discovered not all humans have a soft spot in their hearts for the plight of forgotten pets.
Abandoned pets have always been seen as statistics or someone else's problem as rejected cats or dogs roam neighborhoods. They usually pay the ultimate price for a human's insensitivity. Contrary to what some people believe, cats and dogs are not the hunters some assume they are. Most pets that have been abandoned will survive for only a short time after being deserted in a neighborhood or in the country. A cat accustomed to food that comes with a pop up lid or in a bag does not automatically know how to catch food that is running away let alone realize it is food.
The Humane Society estimates there are around 74.8 million dogs in U.S. households and 88.3 million cats. The number of abandoned pets that have been cast away due to foreclosured property will probably never be known. A sad number that didn't have to be. People who chose to desert their pets as they vacated their homes may be good, law abiding citizens, However, their decisions to abandon a pet was and is totally irresponsible and cruel. Most states have laws against abandoning animals, but people who abandon a pet are usually never prosecuted for the simple reason a pet can't squeal on the person who dumped them.
There are things we can do to help families facing foreclosure by reminding them of their responsibility to their pets. Help find local shelters or temporary homes if the owners can't take their pet but want to keep them. Check the house after it has been vacated to make sure no animal was left inside or out. Never break into an abandoned house if you suspect there may be an abandoned pet inside. Call your local police department or animal control officer.
Losing a home is heartbreaking. Leaving a pet locked inside is tragic.
Evelyn Nieves, Foreclosures lead to abandoned animals, USA Today
Elizabeth Weintraub, Abandoned Foreclosure Pets, About.com
Published by Linda Cole - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle
I've always found pets and all animals to be amazing. I will not turn my back on stray or lost pets who need a home or a helping hand. As a contributing writer for the Responsible Pet Ownership blog, I try t... View profile
- California Egg Farmers Take a Stand Against Critical Animal Rights Activists"The practical effect of the animal rights activists' proposal would be to double California retail egg prices -- increasing California consumers' grocery bills by tens of millions of dollars each year."
- Animal Rights & the 'Code of Cruelty' CampaignFor animal rights activists in the United States, there is a growing push to mimic the animal rights efforts in Australia through the initiation of a "Code of Cruelty" campaign
Implementing Animal Rights, Animal Welfare Programs in Your CommunityIf you are interested in starting your own animal rights or animal welfare program, it is important to consider the degree to which your visibility can be pursued. 
Anthem Pets Rescues Pets Abandoned After Arizona Home ForeclosuresThe collapse of the housing market has left unsung victims in it's wake. The family pet is being abandoned in increasing numbers. Please place your pets with an animal rescue...- What You Should Know Before Adopting Abandoned, Stray AnimalsThere are many people that see a stray animal on the street, pick it up and take it home to keep. While this is great to do, there are things that you need to be aware of when you bring a stray and/ or abandoned anima...
- Abandoned Kittens Survive on Styrofoam, Plastic and Antifreeze Tainted Toilet Water
- Animal Rights Activists Want to Kill Baby Polar Bear
- Humane Society of the US - Not What People Think
- Why Animal Rights Supporters Need to Be Vegan
- Animal Liberation Front (ALF): Animal Rights Website Review
- That's so Raven Doesn't Take Animal Rights and Environmental Issues Seriously
- Animal Rights
- Most states have laws against abandoning pets.
- Abandoned pets have become silent, innocent victims to home foreclosures.
- Shelters are overwhelmed with pets abandoned by their owners.
5 Comments
Post a CommentIt is a very tragic story. The United States has an estimated 8,000 houses that go into foreclosure each day. This puts about 15,000 to 26,000 pets at risk of losing their homes. We should find and save all of the abandoned pets we can, but we really need to solve the problem of shelter overcrowding that this neglect causes. The 5,000 shelters in the U.S. cannot hold the large number of pets coming in since the housing market burst. This has lead to a depressing 9.6 million pets being euthanized a year. In my neighborhood of Metro Detroit, shelters have experienced a 74% increase in surrendered and abandoned animals. To make matters worse they also have to deal with a 37% decrease in adoption rates. The solutions to this problem is to get more information out on cruelty and try to increase volunteering at shelters so we can work to more animals alive until the economy and get back on its feet and people can and will take care of their pets again. Increased awareness equals in
Terrific job
This makes me sick. I hate to think of innocent animals suffering.
This is very sad. My Daughter is an Animal Control Officers and her stories of animals left behind are heart wrentching.
I heard about this last year. It's really sad. How can you just walk away from your PET for God's sake, I don't care what you're problems are! Take it to the SPCA for God's sake, at least.