Another sign of a failing economy is the number of pets that are being abandoned by their owners. Some are just left behind as their owners move away. Some are taken to animal shelters that are feeling the burden of pets that no longer have a home.
As homes are being foreclosed on, people being evicted or people just walking away from a home that they can't afford anymore pets are being left behind. Sometimes they are left inside the home, sometimes left outside, sometimes just dumped somewhere.
Those who have also rented apartments or homes are just abandoning their pets. They find that they cannot take them with them or just cannot afford to feed them anymore.
Animals are among the innocent victims and they cannot understand why their family has not come back home. Children are also innocent victims as how can they understand that their parents have just left their pet and their "friend" cannot come with them.
A story that I saw in
freep.com on March 28, has kept this subject on my mind probably because I once had a little poodle and that is what the story was about.
The story was about a little unkempt white poodle that was left behind in Detroit in January. January in Detroit is cold.
Neighbors called an animal shelter and when they came to the house the little dog was waiting on the porch for his family to return. The family had moved and they were not coming back.
Deborah Thurman, shelter director for the Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society in Detroit said, "They drove off and the dog was trying to follow them, running after the car."
The animal shelter named the dog Albert Einstein because of his wild white hair.
Animals are found inside abandoned homes and apartments.
A collie lab mix was found inside an abandoned house in Detroit. The dog was badly groomed and it was eating garbage.
Thurman said,
"Three weeks ago, the family moved out and they left the dog inside. There were no footprints in the snow around the house, so we know it hadn't been taken care of."
A report in
The Arizona Republic tells of a Rottweiler and pit bull that were being fed by neighbors over the fence. They had been caring for them for almost two months after they were just left in the backyard when the house was repossessed by the bank.
Evan Deutsch a volunteer with the Animal Care Network, a Ferndale Michigan, agency that focuses on helping animals in Pontiac and Inkster Michigan drives around looking at backyards looking for dogs that are chained to trees, dogs barking, windows boarded up on houses all evidence that an animal my be abandoned.
He drives around in his SUV that is loaded with straw and bags of Kibbles 'n' Bits that have been donated. They are given to pet owners who cannot afford to feed or care for their animals properly.
He also tries to convince people who are unable to care for their animals to give them up. In recent months he is seeing dogs that are left in abandoned houses as well as those left in yards and those just roaming the streets.
As these dogs and cats are left on the streets they face sickness and starvation. They will often breed which is going to cause even more problems.
As reported in
detnews.com, Deutsch said, "
We're seeing more dogs being left behind. "We'll call the police. We'll call animal control and hopefully they'll take care of it. It's not unusual for someone to leave seven dogs behind when they leave."
The manager of the Dearborn Michigan Animal Shelter, Heather Mehi, said,
"Most of the animals we see are dogs that people are just dumping on the street. "You know that's what's happening because the animals are so nice. People just can't afford them anymore."
There are those that do take their pets to a shelter rather then abandoning them. According to Rob Cole who works as a kennel technician at the Anti-Cruelty Society shelter in Detroit
"We have people coming in here bawling their eyes out"
The bad economy also makes it less likely that the many abandoned animals will be adopted.
Cole also said,
"As much as people are dropping them off, they aren't taking them home, either,"
He added that with the bad economy the shelter is not receiving as much cash donations or food and blankets.
It is not just dogs that are abandoned or taken to shelters. Shelters are overloaded with abandoned dogs, as well as cats, birds and reptiles.
It is expensive to feed and properly care for a pet. Before someone gets a pet they should see what kind of care it will need and what the cost will be to care for it.
The economy is bad in many states besides Michigan and is getting worse. A lot of thought should be given if it is a good ideas to get a pet. If someone does want to get a pet and feel they can care for it properly consider getting a pet from a shelter.
Op-Ed: Pets abandoned as homes are lost due to the economy
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