Foreclosures Evicting Pets From Homes

Foreclosures are not restricting its activities only on humans but are evicting pets from their homes. Where will shelter-less humans keep their pets when they themselves do not have a roof and are unsure of the next meal? The financial strain is taking its toll on dumb animals – man’s greatest friend from ancient times.

Ruby, a mixed corgi goes around the lawns of animal shelter named Operation Kindness, with her tail tucked in. It does not need an expert to opine that Ruby is suffering from depression after the owners left her here last week. Ruby had been well cared for but when her owners lost their house they had to move in with another family. There was no place for Ruby in their lives.

Ruby is one of the many animals being left behind because of the raging foreclosure crisis. There are also other financial related problems like unemployment and rising prices across North Texas and the entire nation. Some animals are let loose near dumps while the really unfortunate ones are kept chained in the abandoned house or locked inside gardens. They either die or are looked after by the neighbours before people from the animal shelters find them.

The officials of various shelters do not have the exact figures of foreclosure pets left behind because of foreclosures. The owners are reluctant to give details. But it has been noticed that increase in foreclosure are followed by increase in pet abandonment cases during the past few months.

Operating Kindness in Carrollton does not allow mercy killing. A quarter of the animals left here are because of financial problems of the owners. Many are foreclosure victims said Mr. Daryani of the shelter. Tyrone McGill of The Dallas Animal Services reports that per day one or two animals are given up because of foreclosures. Sarah Kammerer of DFW Humane Society in Irving complains that ‘calls are getting more frequent’. More than two calls are coming in per week. ‘It is heartbreaking and concerning to us’ she adds.

Animal experts say that domesticated animals find it hard to survive by themselves. Meanwhile the overburdened shelters are finding it difficult to cope with less donations and even lesser number of people coming forward to adopt dogs and cats. The slow economy is to be blamed for this. If this trend continues then the animal shelters will have no alternative but to resort to euthanasia.