Furry Recession Victims

[Dulcee]

I'm a college senior working on a year long study that works with dogs housed in animal shelters. The shelter we visited today in rural PA was heartbreaking. This shelter is just bogged down with pets that have been relinquished by their owners due to home foreclosures. While its hard enough seeing the overwhelming numbers of stray cats and dogs in shelters its even more heartbreaking to see these family dogs, cats, horses, even hamsters and rabbits who have come from loving homes to being surrendered to shelters. :( Most strays run crazy when we take them out of their kennels, these surrendered pets just want to crawl into your lap and be cuddled. I know there are so many people out there who have been negatively affected by the recession, my own family included, but for these poor guys who can't even begin to understand where their families have gone, its heartbreaking. :paw:

[GoinGoofyPlanninThisTrip]

While I feel sorry for the animals, I can't help but think that a lot of these owners use the recession as an excuse to dump their pets and that a vast majority are owners who probably often use the shelter. I would sell my furniture and any other belongings before I would part with my pet.

[PirateLover]

I've definitely seen an increase in the number of strays in our neighborhood. The other night there was snow and ice all over and freezing temperatures. My fiance and I saw a full grown emaciated, disheveled looking pit/boxer with no collar just roaming a burger king parking lot at 11:30pm. My fiancee pulled over, opened the car door, and the dog when pouncing in. He was so bouncy but in a playful way, very happy to see someone take an interest in him. We gave him the temporary name of Tigger because he had a brindle coat. We turned him over to some caring local police, who turned him over to the shelter the next day.
I could just tell that this was once a family dog. It breaks my heart to know how much overcrowding is going on in these shelters and thinking about how much love this guy will need...I don't know that they just won't put him to sleep if he's too sickly.
Poor furry friends...

[kakn7294]

At least these poor pets in the shelters haven't been abandoned on the streets like so many others. Their former owners loved them enough to take them to a shelter with the hope that they will get a second chance at a loving home that can properly care for them since they no longer can. It is terribly sad.

[Stitchahula]

I can't imagine not bringing my dog with me. It would be like dropping off one of my children. I know some people don't get that ,but too bad my dogs are my children too they just have 4 legs and fur.

[SBETigg]

I've heard of this, too. It's heartbreaking. And in fact, my local ASPCA adoption center just closed down for lack of funding, so there's one less shelter to take in abandoned animals. It's not only homeowners and families struggling to afford to keep pets, some of these shelters are also still struggling for the funding to stay open and do the wonderful work they do. Tough times!

[Tinkerfreak]

I know it is easy to judge some of the people who drop off pets but in some cases they really do have no choice. If faced with homelessness and not being able to feed your own child then this is the best alternative for the pets. I'm sure there are some people just looking for an excuse to turn their pets over but there are some who just don't have a better choice.

[MNNHFLTX]

The know the shelters here in Houston are experiencing a similar influx of relinquished pets and it is heartbreaking. Can you imagine how it must feel to these poor animals, kept as a part of a family for so many years, now suddenly alone in crates and kennels? Even worse are the cases of neglect, especially where owners of farm animals (such as horses, goats and cattle), stop feeding them, either because they don't have the money for food or because they abandon them when the property forecloses. It's truly appalling.:(