Pets Abandoned As Foreclosures Increase

[May 26, 2008.]

 

As foreclosures are on the rise more and more families are forced into abandoning their long time homes in favor of rental properties, temporary housing shelters, apartment complex, or friend’s spare bedroom. While foreclosures have a devastating effect on home owners financially, the crisis is affecting other areas just as severely. The silent victims in the housing market crisis are the beloved pets of families forced into foreclosure.

This epidemic is becoming all too common across America. Many Animal Shelters nation wide began to see a pattern of families giving up long time pets back in the fall of 2007. As the months progressed so too did the number of cats and dogs released in to the custody of Animal Shelters. Kathy Dillon works with the Montgomery County Humane Society and is used to give ups that are due to allergies or a temperamental pet. “Now every week we’re seeing whole families come in to say good bye to a longtime pet because they have to move.” Dillon says.

A report from the Montgomery Count Humane shelter estimates that about 15 percent of pets that find themselves at the shelter are a result of foreclosures or other economic hardships. Many believe that this number is similar nation wide and is possibly worse in the states seeing significant housing hardships such as Florida and California.

While these statistics are troubling and reflect a growing trend the other side of this is the number of pets left at foreclosed properties. Real Estate agencies are finding abandoned dogs, cats, and other pets left behind by their owners who had to move in a hurry due to foreclosures. Many real estate agencies are developing guidelines to deal with such a circumstance so they can be prepared when it occurs.

While so much focus is directed at the people effected by the housing market decline and on ways to stimulate the economy it is important to realize that the ripples caused by such actions can be felt in all areas of life.