Foreclosure Pets Crowding Shelters

June 30th, 2008

Desperate foreclosure pets are crowding shelters. In Lee County, Florida online classified advertisement posts are loud in strident calls for help. Lee County has the dubitable distinction of being the top ranker in foreclosures across the nation.

From Carroll County came an appeal for help from a child who had two dogs. When her parent’s house would be foreclosed there would be no place for the pets. Those in charge of animal shelters are at their wits end – these are filled to the capacity. They do not have room to take on more – and that too a pregnant dog.

Foreclosures are taking its toll of middle class families lock, stock and barrel. In many cases jobs have disappeared adding insult to the injury of being foreclosed upon. If bag and baggage are a problem it is more so with pets. A trend has caught on – sending dogs and cats to animal shelters. One lady was distraught with a cold hard choice – whom to feed first, her child or her pet?

Shari Johannes owns a shelter – Dog Pack Rescue in Kingston. It does not undertake euthanasia of animals but cares for the animals until somebody adopts them. Shari is housing 180 dogs on five acres of land – already well beyond bursting capacity. She is not accepting anymore no matter how the people beg and wail. When no-kill shelters refuse the animals the only alternative left is to send them to units that do so – after a specified time expires.

Reports are coming in from all across the country. In May Georgia had ranked 6th in the foreclosure race. The heads of animal shelters reported that during the first part of the year the number of people seeking shelter for their pets had sharply increased.

The number of animals left with Henry County Animal Care and Control in McDonough rose by 71% from January to April this year as compared to the same period in the previous year.

In Clayton County the increase was by 22% during the same period said police captain Mark Thompson. He is also the director of animal shelter in Jonesboro.

Similar spikes have been noted in other places that have been hard hit by foreclosure houses said the president and chief executive of the Humane Society of USA, Wayne Pacelle. The alarming fact is that side by side with this increase in abandoned animals, donations towards animal welfare have declined.