Is it just Miami?

[kermit]

I hope this is just a local problem but still upsetting to me. I look in the paper and I know the economy is bad but people are giving their pets away like used furniture. Free to good home, with a rehoming fee. Adult dogs that people have had and cannot keep. I am sure if they wanted to they could but it seems like the first budget cut is the dog. I can't fathom it. Are people this shallow in other towns? The pound is full, and you know what that means.

[smurfalicious]

Sad to say but this had been happening like mad to horses for the past few years. Mind you horses are more expensive and hay skyrocketed in recent years. As in I went from $100-125 a ton of hay to $185-250. So naturally horses got cut quick for a lot of people even before the economy tanked. There was an article about it in the Boulder Daily Camera recently.

So I can see it for dogs. Dogs are a lot cheaper to keep, and people who perhaps don't have horse as hobby budgets could certainly have dogs. Naturally tightening belts means cutting the fluff and for some that means dogs. I just keep feeding my dogs fancy food and drinking less beer.

[bike4ever]

I noticed this in St. Louis. Check your local Craigslist - the number is amazing. All have a sad luck story - can't keep due to finances, house foreclosed, lost job.

[kermit]

The horses are out of control. I used to ride hunter/jumpers until my last horse kicked me in the face. Major surgery and my life flashing before my eyes. Any bike is cheaper. The circuit is now in Wellington, about an hour from me, and the horses are going for nothing. I have been tempted but don't have the time. The local horse rescue is busy but people with farms are taking them. I hate to see any animal suffer from the hand of an inconsiderate human.

[abejita]

No, it is not just you. I work with giant schnauzer rescue and there have been a ton of owner surrenders. The thing that gets me is that the people that I have met are not in what I would consider dire straights. There were a couple of people last fall who gave up there dogs because it was possible that they would get laid off. I think so many people feel that animals are accessories...and can get rid of them when they get a bit inconvienent. My husband and I have been through three layoffs in nine :eek: years that we have been married. We have managed to keep ourselves, our dog, and our house cared for. Part of it is that we planned for bad times and didn't spend every penny that we earned.

[sfa]

There was an article in our paper a few weeks ago about the numbers of pets being brought to shelters as a result of the economy. In most cases the families really don't want to give up their pets but are forced to when they lose their homes and go to live in rental units that don't allow pets. It's really sad, and something I can't even begin to imagine doing. But I suspect that the people in that situation thought the same thing until their circumstances forced them into it.

Sarah

[tulip]

I've read the same thing as sfa. Once people lose their houses, they have to rent. It's very difficult to find apartments that allow pets. Perhaps more landlords and rental companies should amend their policies during this time.

[ASammy1]

Unfortunately, it's not you. It's everywhere. I live in a very big military town and people are always looking to "rehome" pets due to transfers. The economy has just made it worse here. :(

[Aggie_Ama]

I have read it is increasing in Austin even though we are weathering the economy better than most. :(

[GLC1968]

It's everywhere. We often see people rehoming chickens, goats and sheep (along with horses) both because it's gotten expensive to feed them and becasue they lose their homes and can't take farm animals with them to rentals.

It's going to get exponentially worse when the shelters can't keep up and stop taking animals so that people start just letting them go 'free'. I can't think if a worse fate for a dog or cat!

Luckily, in the case of goats and chickens, there is also a rising demand if they are producing as more and more people search for ways to save money on food costs.

[Thorn]

Interesting, albeit sad, thread. As my cats enter the geriatric phase of their lives, they have gotten to be a bigger slice of the budget (somedays I think that they eat more $/day than I do).

For me, it isn't currently a problem, but the other day I was wondering what happens if you've been on a fixed income, your pet is getting older and requiring special food. Can you afford it? Yet, knowing the importance of pets, can you not? It is a sad side of the economic times. Very sad.

[snapdragen]

There was a story on the news about a Pet Food Bank (http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_11584911?source=rss)starting up, to help people feed their critters.

[nancielle]

As sad as it is at least people are trying to rehome their pets. I came to own Hunter after his owners just put him out on the street when they were evicted.

[Brandi]

I am dealing with it on my own street. Remember Ponce? http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=28350 The cat with the stick in his face? I wrote about it before christmas while my niece was in the hospital. Well Ponce doesn't belong to me he belongs to my neighbor who works full time, has three kids under th age of 10 who are all at home by themselves all day till dad get's home at around 6:00. They have 3 pet's. Ponce, His little brother (unfixed) and their dog. The dad doesn't have time for his pet's. let alone his kids. He and his wife split about 8 months ago. I believe she has a drug problem. But you know things are bad with the family if they can't find time to help their animals stay healthy. I want to ask them to just let Ponce live here since he does most of the time anyway. I really want to get the brother fixed. He doesn't have time or the money to do it. I don't talk with him much. The fact that his cat walked around for 6 months with an open sore on his face kinda tells me the time he has for his pet's.

[Biciclista]

Brandi, just take the cat and make him an indoor pet!!

and then tell them, oh by the way, your cat came to my house and just stayed.

[Aggie_Ama]

Take the cat. The kids will be sad but the father will likely be relieved. Just my thoughts.

My husband and I are absolutely appalled at people who do not get the animals spayed. His brother included. Their cat is pregnant and they asked "Oh do you want a kitten?" I said no, but I would tell them I place in Austin that does spaying for less than $50 after the kittens are born. :rolleyes:

[kermit]

The sad truth is they probably won't even notice he's gone!

[spokewench]

I used to live in California and our two doors up neighbors were Yemenite (sp?) and had a bunch of cats (not neutered or spayed). They did not seem to understand the concept of taking care of pets. So, our neighborhood was becoming over run with cats. Some of this was good; cause i got two cats from this (and the best is my 23 year old guy who is still hanging in there).

Other neighbors took in some cats, including our downstairs roommate; and then finally, all the neighbors pitched in money and we had the females fixed so that there would be no more babies. Our roomate downstairs would take the ladies to the vet and then keep them in the length of time the vet asked them to be kept inside; then she would let them lose again. The neighbors never noticed that the cats were missing; or if they did, they never said anything.

spoke

[bikerHen]

Years ago, our neighbors cat spent more time at our house than his own. His house had rowdy kids, big dogs and lots of confusion. Our house had my sister and I, in high school, my parents and one small dog. At some point he just became our cat. A few years later, when I was in college my parents moved to a condo in another town and the cat when with them. He was a beautiful siamese and I don't think his orginial owners ever missed him. He lived to a ripe old age with my parents. :) bikerHen

[SadieKate]

The BLM's Wild Horse Program was already under severe stress. It's imploding.

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro/new_factsheet.html

[TsPoet]

The fact that his cat walked around for 6 months with an open sore on his face kinda tells me the time he has for his pet's.

When I was a kid, a 30 lb white mutt used to appear on our doorstep with injuries every few months. My mom would take him to the vet, get him repaired, take him back home and off he'd go. After about a year of this, the vet refused to treat him. The vet said the dog needed a better life and he'd rather put him to sleep then allow whatever kept happening to keep happening.
So, my mom tracked down the owner a few blocks away, a 12 year old boy loved and did his best with that dog, but the boy's father kept kicking him and/or just throwing the dog out of the house to run the streets.
My point of telling this story - when my mom offered to take Rufus, the 12 year old boy was thrilled. He knew his father was hurting his beloved dog and wanted Rufus to have a chance. The kid was great. His father, not so much. I hope that kid grew up to not be like his father, he sure had the right start.
Rufus was a great dog, we had him 11 more years.

[Grog]

There is something really sad about the epidemics of abandoned pets. Just like many other areas of the economies, it's probably one sector that has bubbled up these last few years (everyone seems to have a dog, a lot more than before... there must be stats somewhere) and now people realize they cannot afford to feed the critters... I have always had trouble with the idea of having pets as... well, pets. Having been raised on a farm, animals were always "working": dogs were guard dogs or shepard dogs, cats were catching mice and spent the night in the garage chasing them, and the day sleeping in the kitchen.

I'm so old fashioned...

[denny]

S.W Florida NPR did a piece on this subject last week with the emphasis on what groups are doing to help people hold unto their animals. Many shelters are turning away people and providing donations of food, reduced vet and grooming care which is the bulk of the expense of owning a pet.

While it may seem heartless to give up a pet, it's an even colder fact that many people who are on a fixed or no income have to make the choice between eating a meal and feeding a pet. Before the economic down turn there were people in Atlanta in decent neighborhoods choosing between having a meal and paying for chemo treatments!

If you feel strongly about this (and are able to do this) then volunteer to help in your local shelter, offer to sponsor a pet, etc. There may be many ways we can help without displacing or euthanising a beloved pet.

[TsPoet]

If you feel strongly about this (and are able to do this) then volunteer to help in your local shelter, offer to sponsor a pet, etc. There may be many ways we can help without displacing or euthanising a beloved pet.

Most communities now have fostering programs, too. It's rather nice, you can foster a homeless pet for awhile while a permanent home is found for it. It's especially nice, since the foster mom/dad can give some information to the new home, like if the pet is housebroken or if it hates men in hats, whatever.
You can't get that info from the pound or humane society, so many many people are going to the foster program to adopt dogs and cats, too.
So, fostering is another way to help.
Fostering allows you to have a pet for awhile, it allows you to help socialize any pets you do have, and it can be quite fun to "borrow" a pet for awhile while also helping to find it a good home.
Our local fostering group (Pet Overpopulation Prevention) also takes donations and helps people with vet care, etc. they are a great group of people.

[TxDoc]

I have to confess that I used to be very judgemental towards people who gave up their dogs. My first thought was always, can't you sell your TV or the stereo first? Or give up going to the movies twice a week?
Late last year I saw several towns around the area go though a major hurricane. That, along with the economic turmoil, prompted sudden changes in the lives of many people. As someone mentioned, many homeowners have to give up their home and relocate in apartments and smaller rental homes. Most leasing management companies absolutely do not allow pets. The lucky ones that do, often allow cats and small dogs - but it is really hard to find a rental with a 100-150lbs dog.
Even temporary arrangements have driven people to give up pets. I have seen many colleagues and friends having to spend weeks and months on a relative's couch or in a hotel. And as you can imagine, pet-friendly hotels were the first to sell out on the FEMA list, and not every relative can accommodate one or more dogs/cats. Some have chosen boarding, but so many could not afford that, and had to consider finding a foster home or permanently relocate their animals.

And really, if I think of the odissey that my dog had to go through for over two months... He had to spend two weeks here, three weeks there, a few nights at the boarding kennel, then another new place for four weeks, then another boarding, then the neighbor's doghouse (spared by the hurricane :)), then another home, then a hotel, then a different home... and everywhere you have to provide new care items, blankets, dogbed, food, and so on. And then drive back and forth to every place to check on the dog... and of course all of this happened when gas was $4 a gallon. Seriously, had my income been different, I'm not sure we would have made it through it all without going bankrupt. Now we are both happily settled in a new house - although we're broke ;) - but still having seen all this first hand, I try not to be judgemental anymore. I know people that had to take up loans to offset living expenses and keep their animals, homes, cars... Good for them that they had good credit and were approved - what if they had bad credit and could not get a loan? Some people in my old neighborhood that have given up everything they could before thinking of the dog, and then in the end had no choice but to rehome their pet. And others were camping out in their homes for so long - and could not keep their animals due to the unsafe conditions of the home and yard.

Someone else's life is never as easy as we could think just by watching from the outside. So maybe yes, there are some shallow people around - but for sure there are many more people that have to make difficult choices. I am not saying that I approve people giving up their dogs, but I do understand how they got there - and I would not want to be in their shoes when they have to make that choice.