Foreclosures are gobbling up houses and destroying families. It is not just about facts, figures and statistics but the tears of individuals. One of the worst affected are the pets – dumb sufferers of this man-made catastrophe. The foreclosure pets caught in this crisis net are paying for beastly economics.
In the previous summer one family in California had lost their house. They hurriedly took whatever they could but discarded the rest in a nearby dump. The items included a weary couch and a brown dog. For many dogs the canine waited and waited for the masters to return. The pet hardly had any choice as the beastly man had tied her to the couch. When humans located her, she was dehydrated and on the point of collapse. Debbie Eaglebarger of Corning California named her Summer. The types of Summer’s former owners will always be around in this world. But lately the number of abandoned pets has been increasing at an alarming rate. The culprit is the foreclosure crisis.
For over a year the news of the foreclosure crisis has hogged the media attention. Few gave importance to how it is telling on the pets. The animal shelters in from New York to California are doing their bit and reporting the incidents of abandoned pets. It is the worst in pockets where foreclosures are the most concentrated and intense.
In Cleveland 150,000 houses were foreclosed in 2007. Statistics says that the value of one house in every ten houses is worth less than the mortgage on it across the country. The position in Ohio is far worse. People bringing in animals do not want to admit that the reason is foreclosure, but it is obvious.
Sacramento ranks fifth as regards foreclosure numbers in the nation. The number of animals surrendered from September to December 2007 spiked by 130% as compared with the previous year during the same time span.
Generally the excuse given for leaving a pet in the shelter is that the family has to move. Today the crisis is hitting those who would never have ever thought of giving up pets. Those who are forced to be evicted do not have much choice before them. They often have to live in cramped space with friends and relatives. Then there are landlords who do not permit tenants with pets. Suddenly the country is finding that America has no room for pets.
