More Owners Giving Up Pets In Tough Economy

[harvey007]

Source: USA Today

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — A south Mississippi animal shelter says the number of pet owners leaving their animals at the facility has increased as more Mississippians lose their jobs or homes amid the sluggish economy.

"We've had people that have lost their jobs or lost their homes and they are forced to move into apartments," Michelle Bullock, the shelter's office manager, told The Hattiesburg American. "In those situations, pets are usually the first thing to go."

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/pets/2010-12-21-giving-up-pets_N.htm

[Parche]

1. its a .....RUFF economy

:hi:

[madinmaryland]

16. Gorn!

:hi:

[northernlights]

36. very funny.....NOT. frightened, homeless animals facing death

and their people forced to abandon them. What about that do you think is worthy of mocking? Seriously :wtf:

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

10. Dude...

:eyes:

[Skittles]

3. I'm guessing they give up a lot of things before they give up their pets

:cry:

[AndrewP]

4. Well, two stupid posts so far.

It's a horrible situation when you work at a shelter.

[CurtEastPoint]

6. Thanks for saying that. I thought the first two posts were unkind.

We're talking about animals' (and PEOPLE'S) lives here. Not funny.

[Myrina]

9. Indeed. I'm a doggie foster mom ...

... and it's been heartbreaking to see these furr babies come thru the shelter system and into my house so confused where their families went and why they're in this strange place with other dogs they don't know (or don't want to know, in some cases) ...

Its truly hard on them, too. :(

[virgogal]

14. I have great admiration for people like you.

I am dogless for the first time in years,and it's been tough.

(I'm a senior and moved to a place a little better for me,but no dogs.)

Thanks for all that you do.

[kimi]

15. Thank you for doing what you do

and caring. I do not think I'd have the fortitude to do it, so I appreciate folks like you.

[Myrina]

27. Thank you both ...

... when I got the call that my first foster doggy was getting adopted, I cried for 3 days. I cry for some who I've really connected with when they're leaving with their new families but in their leaving, I know there's another one (or 2, or 3) waiting for my help.

I always take time to type up a 'note' for the new parents - what the dog likes for treats, what our schedule/routine has been, any habits I've noticed etc, to try and make it easier for them to adjust to each other. And sometimes I get misty - in a good way - a couple months down the line when I get emails/photos and the dogs look so happy and settled in their new homes ...

... so yeah, it can be sad but each one has taught me a life lesson about trust and resilience and love ... I'm the one that's indebted. :)

[northernlights]

35. thank you for what you are doing...

Funny, I was just thinking about fostering this morning. I can't right now...in school and unemployed. Hopefully once I finish in June, I'll find work asap (although I'm trying not to think about it because the local hospitals are laying off right now :(). As soon as I'm on my feet, I'm thinking of fostering. I have a small farm, plenty of space. We'll see what happens. I'm so afraid of having to give up my horses. I promised my elderly gelding a home for life. The filly is just his companion. But while if worst came to worst, I'd live with my dogs and birds in a camper or van, can't do that with horses. :(

[dana_b]

5. more innocents suffering

someone I work with was going on about their new, purebread dog (that I'm sure he paid a lot for) and I just shook my head. There are so many beautiful animals that are suffering because of this economy and I just don't understand NOT adopting right now.

[Rochester]

7. I would never give up my kitties

[BOG PERSON]

8. i've had a really hard time finding an apartment

that doesn't have a "no pets" policy... and even the ones that do allow pets always seem to make an exception for my horse...

[pitohui]

30. yeah being allowed to have pets in a rental situation becoming a thing of the past

in new orleans it really started after katrina and i figure it's the same for mississippi -- there was a sudden shortage of rental units & landlords took the opportunity to raise the rents to "what the market would bear" and to tell people that they would no longer be allowed to keep pets in rental units

if you're a homeowner and have had a pet or two for some time and then lose your house, whether to storm, economics, whatever...what are you going to do? even if you stay in a tent, you have to keep moving every 2 weeks and a lot of parks don't allow pets either

you can't remain homeless forever, you've got to rent something...and this means the pets have to go

i think this trend is the way it is now, renters will not be allowed to have so many pets as they did in years gone by

in the 1980s i had over 30 birds (quiet ones!) in a rental unit and even sold some of my canaries that i would raise, and no one said boo, the manager thought they were cute, today this would never be allowed...as recently as katrina one of my friends had 12 dogs, now she has 2 and it was VERY difficult to find a rental unit that would accommodate them

it's been a long time since a middle class person expects to keep a horse/pony so i realize that bog person is joking with us...but soon a renter will most likely have to give up on having a dog or cat as well...too many bad apples, on the landlord side of things, i know folks who have very expensive damage done to their property by slob pet owners, such that they felt they could no longer afford to allow pets

the slobs in the end ruin it for everybody

[kestrel91316]

11. Fewer pets + less money to care for them = fewer veterinarians needed.

Ask me about it. It's been hell.

[Kaleko]

18. I'm sending you a PM, kestrel.

Maybe we can help each other. That would be great.

[Skittles]

23. I set aside money for vet purposes

because I found that last time I struggled financially, it wasn't worth the stress trying to save on vet bills :(

[FirstLight]

12. i agree, shelter dogs are the right way to go...

had a girlfriend call me the other day all excited, "guess what?" I thought her hubby had finally found a job after 2 years unemployed... but no, she is buying a puppy!(half pitt/daschund) ...and she worked for a vet and knows the needs of shelter animals, but chose to spend money on a dog that they may not even be able to feed a year from now...so stupid.

[Bigmack]

20. Half pit.. half daschund. WTF... I mean... WTFF.... nt

[ZombieHorde]

13. When my wife and I had our first baby, we had to trade a bunch of our lizards for crickets so

we could feed our spiders. Pet ownership is rough for poor people.

[madinmaryland]

17. Sadly, my daughter and my wife would come before the pets, if we were

in that kind of situation. WE would take the pets take pet to the shelter in hopes of them getting adopted.

[TBF]

32. The sad thing in Texas is that so many are euthanized in the shelters -

but yes you're always going to see things like pets being given up, increase in child abuse, all sorts of these behaviors when the economy is bad. People can't afford things they need, and they have much stress. It is really sad all the way around.

[northernlights]

37. don't kid yourself: they're usually first in line for euthanasia

I'm not sure why -- maybe because the shelters assume because their owners are giving them up there is a behavior problem -- but in many shelters, the signed over dogs are the first to be euthanized.

If it ever comes down to it, make sure you find a "no kill" shelter.

[sasha031]

19. unfortunately the shelters and running beyond capacity

because of all the foreclosures, they need funds desperately. It's so heartbreaking, I recently got a shelter cat, wish I could take them all.

[mrdmk]

21. My dog suffers from Canine Cushing's Disease

It cost $345.00 every two months for a blood test.

There is a added cost of $100.00 per month for oral medication.

<snip>
Cushing's Disease (hyperadrenocorticism) is a common condition in older dogs, often mistaken for the aging process itself. Dogs gain weight, lose hair, urinate in the house, and make owners begin to prematurely consider euthanasia. Yet Cushing's disease is treatable and that treatment can result in a longer, more comfortable life for the dog and its owner. Thus, it is important for the regular pet owner to learn the basic facts about Cushing's disease.
<end of snip>

link: http://www.kateconnick.com/library/cushingsdisease.html

lucky for Max (my dog) and I my mom helps out with the expense.

It is very sad to me that someone must give up their pet.

Max is a member of the family (pack) and will live a long and happy doggie life!

[AC_Mem]

22. My cat, Joe

Love him and am nursing him through the twilight time of his life with me. I keep thinking, I don't want another animal after he crosses over. I don't want to get attached like this again, but you know - reading this makes me want to reconsider this and give a lonely and abandoned pet a loving home.

[glinda]

24. Apartment owners should attempt to help out animals in these times.

[AdHocSolver]

25. K and R. nt

[DainBramaged]

26. All you have to see is this face

to know we saved one wonderful dog this year.

[ladjf]

28. Call us crazy if you wish. But, at our house, we would not give up

our pets for any financial reason.

[pitohui]

31. yes you would (see my post #30) you would not go homeless forever over a pet

i don't judge people for this, the world has changed, landlords don't accept pets any more, and renters cannot be judged for choosing to get a place for their human family to stay even if it means they have to give up the pet

what else can they do?

[ladjf]

34. You have made a good argument. However, we would be willing

to try to find some type of living arrangement that allowed pets. If unable to find anything, we might make the decision to relinquish our pets.

[TwilightGardener]

29. If you have to rent, there's just so few places that are decent, affordable AND allow pets.

I know, I had to live in a rental for a while recently--we had to, er, hide some of our family members (ever spend 6 months trying to keep your indoor cats from sitting on the windowsill?).

[Shandris]

33. I hate seeing things like this. People giving up what are essentially

family members when I would give just about anything to be allowed to get a simple ferret where I live. There's a ferret adoption center that has some adorable ferrets, and I can't do a damn thing to get one. :(

[City Lights]

38. We think foreclosure is what brought Isaac to us.

Rather than take him to a homeless shelter, his former owners dumped him in the neighborhood. He used to sit on our patio at night listening to the coyotes off in the distance. We could also hear him drinking water out of the pond. We watched him and befriended him for almost three weeks before he came in to stay. We searched for his owner, and had him checked for a microchip. We watched for "lost cat" signs in the neighborhood and at a couple of local vets. No one ever looked for him. His former owners removed his claws and dumped him into the wild. :mad: Their loss is our huge gain. We :loveya: him and he :loveya: us.