Foreclosures take toll on pets

Fri, Apr 4, 2008    to del.icio.us

Homeowners aren't the only victims of the slumping economy and high number of foreclosures.

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Many pets are also paying a high price.

As more people are forced to downsize to an apartment or tighten their expenses, more pets are being brought to Harbor Humane Society in West Olive.

"We are busting at the seams," said Heidi Yates, the animal shelter's development director. "It's sad. There are situations that are absolutely heart-wrenching, but then you have the opposite where pets are the first thing to go."

As Ottawa County's only animal shelter, Harbor Humane Society had 131 more animals in its facility at the end of February compared to the same time a year ago.

When more animals come in, more have to go out through either adoption or euthanasia, according to Harbor Humane Society adoption counselor Amber Sleeper.

"Now with 'kitten season' coming up, we'll almost always be full," she said.

Sleeper said pet owners are always asked to make the humane society their last resort.

"It's just hard right now because the economy's so bad," she said. "In some cases, the animals have been left behind. I think some people assume the new tenants will take care of them."

The humane society uses euthanasia if the animal is found to be unadoptable, or has serious behavioral or health problems.

"We're very clear that animals will be euthanized," Yates said.

The Noah Project — a no-kill animal shelter in Muskegon — has seen a slight increase in the number of callers, but employee Karen Fowler said their facility is almost always full.

"There's always that need (for adoptions), because we can't save more dogs unless we find a home for the dogs we already have," she said.

Pine Hill Pet Care, a kennel in Grand Haven Township, has recently experienced an increase of calls from people who can no longer care for their pets.

Pine Hill owner Gail Pellegrom said an elderly woman recently called looking for a place to house her seven cats. Pellegrom offered the woman a large discount, but still couldn't take in the cats because they lacked proper vaccinations. Pellegrom said at least five of the cats had to be euthanized.

"We've had other calls asking how much we would charge," she said. "We've been trying to accommodate these people by trying to keep it cheap."

A friend of Pellegrom's from Indianapolis also ran into financial trouble, and had no place for her three cats and three dogs after moving in with another friend. She had to euthanize the cats, and brought the dogs to Pellegrom's kennel last week.

Pellegrom has been looking for homes for the dogs ever since — even taking out a classified ad for them last week. A Spring Lake family already took Lucy, an 11-year-old basset hound; but the two elderly terriers, 13-year-old Bart and 15-year-old Cody, are still waiting for a home.

Pellegrom said she'll wait a week longer, but may eventually have to give them up.

Yates said an influx of older animals with greater needs are being brought to the Harbor Humane Society. She's taken four elderly dogs into her own home, and many other employees have done the same.

"This is not really the place where a senior dog should have to spend the last part of his life," Yates said.

Many people assume the animal shelter has endless space for more animals, but Yates said 5,000 animals come through the Harbor Humane Society doors each year — many more than the facility can accommodate.

Both the humane society and shelters like The Noah Project rely on donations and adoptions to save animals.

On the Net:

Harbor Humane Society: www.harborhumane.org

The Noah Project: www.petfinder.com/shelters/MI181.html