Re: Sad News
- From: Jim10293@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:30:58 GMT
On Fri, 26 Dec 2008 05:27:34 -0800 (PST), mg <mgkelson@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
On Dec 22, 10:01 am, Sordo?<sordo?@prolefeed.org> wrote:
As Economy Falters, More Give Up Pets
Sunday, December 21, 2008 3:45 PM
A growing number of Americans are giving up their dogs and cats to
animal shelters as the emotional bonds between people and pets get
tested by economic ones.
I never could understand that sort of thing. It would be like giving
up a member of the family.
If people lose home and apartment they move into won't take pets, if
people can't afford to feed their kids and pay rent, and other
situations happen, hard choices have to be made. At least some care
enough to take pet to a shelter where the animal might have a chance.
Some just turn the cat or dog loose. After poor animal is homeless
for a while, loses weight, becomes difficult to manage and often
injured, and such factors make animal much less attractive for someone
else to give them another chance.
It is very expensive to feed big dogs for example. Even those little
cans of kitty food ain't cheap. But, I feel sorry for the poor people
who have to make the hard choices. Certainly they are tortured by the
decision.
Our birds are a real pain in ass and require more housekeeping with
their darn flopping wings over the food bowl and such. But, there is
no way we will ever give them up. Even if we had someone to take
them, I'd worry they would not care for them as we do. We handfeed
the koi on summer evenings and they will come up and nibble on
fingers. It is upsetting when one gets old and dies. But, such is
life.
.From the Malvern, Pa., man who turned his two dogs over in order to help
pay for his mother's cancer treatments, to the New York woman who
euthanized her cat rather than keeping it alive with expensive
medications, rising economic anxieties make it increasingly difficult
for some pet owners to justify spending $1,000 a year or more on pet
food, veterinary services and other costs.
The population growth at animal shelters in Connecticut, Nebraska,
Texas, Utah and other states shows how the weak economy is also
shrinking the pool of potential adopters. And it coincides with a
drop-off in government funding and charitable donations.
The effect has been cramped quarters for dogs and cats, a faster rate of
shelters euthanizing animals and some shelters turning away people
looking to surrender pets, according to interviews with several shelters
and animal advocates. Of the estimated 6 million to 8 million dogs and
cats sent to animal shelters every year, half are euthanized and the
rest adopted, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
"It's definitely discouraging for us," said Adam Goldfarb, a Humane
Society spokesman. "One of our major goals is to develop and celebrate
the bond between people and animals. It's so tragic when families reach
a point when they can't afford to care for their pets."
With two children, a husband on disability and a difficult job search of
her own, 23-year-old Mel Bail of Worcester, Mass., had begun feeding
leftovers from family meals to her three cats _ Rory, Ozzy and Mudpie _
before recently deciding to give them up.
"When I couldn't pay my gas bill, I knew I had to find another home for
the cats," Bail said.
But it wasn't easy to find a shelter that would accept them. "They're
completely full," said Bail, who ultimately turned to online classified
ads to find homes for Rory, Ozzy and Mudpie.
There is no nationwide data being collected on the reasons dogs and cats
are being abandoned by their owners, but shelter managers and advocates
for animals say the trend is undeniable _ and probably a bigger
phenomenon than they are aware of.
"People are embarrassed to admit that's why they're giving up their
pets," said Betsy McFarland, the Humane Society's director of
communications for companion animals.
An Associated Press-Petside.com poll found that one in seven owners
nationwide reported reduced spending on their pets during the past
year's recession. Of those cutting back, more than a quarter said they
have seriously considered giving up their pet.
The average annual cost of owning a dog is about $1,400, while the
average annual cost of a cat is about $1,000, according to a survey
conducted by the American Pet Products Association. The survey suggests
there are some 231 million pets _ excluding fish _ in more than 71
million homes in America.
In Omaha, Neb., the Nebraska Humane Society's shelter began tracking for
the first time this year those pets given up because of financial
constraints. Through mid-November, more than 275 pets were given up
because their owners said they couldn't afford to keep them.
Among them are two 9-year-old miniature schnauzers, dropped off
anonymously with a note that said their owners could no longer afford to
keep them.
Humane Society spokeswoman Pam Wiese said the obedience-trained
purebreds came into the shelter up-to-date on vaccinations and dental
care and were well-groomed.
"It is really sad, because for these people, it is not an excuse. They
are absolutely stuck, and they need to downsize and there is no one to
take the pets," she said. "You can tell these have been much-loved
pets."
In New York, Erin Farrell-Talbot recently made the decision to euthanize
her 15-year-old cat, Buki, when she was told within days of losing her
job that he would need thousands of dollars in treatment and medications
costing $65 a month to live.
"When it came down to whether I was going to charge food for the month
of September or give medicine to my cat, that was a clear decision for
me," Farrell-Talbot said. "It was horrible. It killed us."
The Animal Humane Association in Albuquerque, N.M., saw 69 dogs and cats
turned over through September because the owners couldn't afford to keep
them. That compares with 48 in the same period in 2007 _ a 44 percent
increase, said executive director Peggy Weigle.
In response, Weigle's shelter began a program to open its emergency pet
shelter _ normally reserved for battered women needing a place to keep
their pets for a while _ to those suffering financially. So far this
year 45 pets have been taken in through the emergency program, compared
with eight the previous year.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Virginia Beach,
Va., recently began a program called Help Out Pets Everywhere (HOPE) to
provide food, medical care and temporary homes for pets belonging to
families with financial difficulties. Eighteen applications were
received within the first week.
The program received 18 applications within its first week. Some of
those people have never experienced hardship until now, and therefore,
neither have their pets, McNally said.
"It's been devastating," said Amy McNally, a spokeswoman for the
program. "For somebody to say, 'I can't afford to feed my dog' _ it's a
humbling time."
___
On the Net:
Humane Society of the United States:
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals:
© 2008 Associated Press.
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