Pets Are Among The Worst Sufferers In Foreclosures

February 11th, 2008

Family pets are suffering greatly due to the rise in the volume of the nation’s foreclosures. In Stockton, California, a family wrec ked their home by smashing the walls and lights when it faced a bank foreclosure. When the workers went to survey the damage they came across a starved, ill, pit bull which was in such a bad condition thatit couldn’t be saved. A number of people when unable to pay their mortgage payments are leaving behind their pets when they abandon their homes. According to the president of the Humane Society of Stanislaus, Northern California, Traci Jennings, numerous pets are found abandoned all over.

There are several instances of farmers coming across dogs, abandoned on their grazing ground and tame cats are turning up at wild cat colonies. In such a colony in Modesto, a couple of tame cats could only watch, while a group of wild cats ate dry food offered by Jennings. Jennings remarked that they were very obviously cats that had been abandoned as they weren’t scared of people. They stayed away from the wild cats as they are shunned by them. Animal shelters are overflowing with these abandoned pets and this is creating a feeling of animosity among bloggers, who are viewing photographs of these sickly animals on the internet.

There have been a number of cases when real estate agents and property inspectors have come across abandoned animals, stranded in deserted homes. The exact number of abandoned pets are not recorded but the number definitely rises in proportion to the rise in the number of foreclosures. Inspite of being forewarned about possible foreclosure, homeowners often flee, leaving their pets behind, mostly when they move to homes where pets are not allowed. Such is the situation that the Human Society is asking people who are facing foreclosure to remove their pets to animal shelters. The shelters are finding it hard to keep up with the sudden hike in the number of abandoned animals as fewer people are coming forward to adopt pets. People cannot afford to bring home pets during these troubled times, according to the president of Animal Rescue of Tracy, California, Sharon Silbert.

People facing eviction make desperate calls to animal shelters where they’re usually their request is rarely entertained because there is severe shortage of accommodation. People should be more careful about their ability to maintain a home before they adopt pets, who are entirely dependent on the owners for their lives.