Foreclosure crisis hits innocent victims
Pets given up along with homes

By Sally E. Bahner

If you had to move would you leave your child behind? For many people, pets are their children. but unlike children, they’re being abandoned in record numbers around the country due to the foreclosure crisis and the escalation in the cost of living.
Although shelters are experiencing an increase in the number of pets being relinquished, the true tragedy lies with the pets that are locked inside trashed and abandoned houses.
News reports from Houston, Boston, New Hampshire, Arizona, North Carolina, Maryland and Ohio have a common thread – people losing their homes are being forced to lose their pets as well.
Connecticut is also experiencing its own share of abandonments. Animal Control Officer Kristina Ruszczyk of the East Haven Animal Shelter says she’s seen an increase in the number of purebred dogs being dropped off.
"Lately a lot of people are dropping off a lot of small and large purebred dogs, breeds that are normally sought after because they’re moving to places that don’t accept pets," she says. "Also, if an animal disappears, they don’t bother looking for it."
Indeed, the shelter’s web site on petfinder.com features a Cocker Spaniel, a Siamese cat and a yellow lab, along with the usual mixed breeds.
Forgotten Felines’ shelter in Westbrook was built for homeless strays. However, its president Carol Andrecs has seen an increase in private surrenders and says adoptions are slow. "We give them advice, coaching and contacts on how they can find homes for their own cats themselves," says Andrecs. She also sees that people are moving to places that do not accept pets. "I ask the why they would move there," she says. "It’s all about the money, financial strain and impulse decisions…People are generally more selfish and self-centered today and not so giving as yesteryear."
Cheryl DeFilippo of the Greater New Haven Cat Project says her group has discovered several friendly cats within the feral colonies they maintain. Those cats are placed in foster homes until permanent homes can be found.
GNHCP is also receiving calls from people moving to places that don’t accept pets.
At Animal Haven in North Haven the number of adoptions is about the same, but an increase has been seen in the number of pets being relinquished due to people moving.
Both Andrecs and DeFilippo ask why they don’t move to a place that accepts pets; Ruszczyk believes it’s because they must move quickly and can’t afford to search out pet-friendly apartments.
Recently fifty cats were found dead in a foreclosed structure on Quinnipiac Avenue in New Haven in March. A hoarding situation that was compounded by the foreclosure. The news sent shock waves through the community of animal advocates.
Despite numerous complaints from a neighbor, neither New Haven Animal Control, Living Cities Initiative, the mortgage company foreclosing on the property, nor the property owner acted to save the cats.
Authorities admitted something more should have been done and a warrant was issued for the arrest of the owner who had 30 additional cats, alive, at another New Haven location.
Local cat advocates Donna Lucente of the Branford Compassion Club and GNHCP’s DeFilippo along with Debora Bresch, Legislative Liaison, Eastern Region for the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals met with the New Haven Humane Commission on April 21. Commissioner attendance at the meetings is poor and the New Haven Animal Shelter is understaffed. Accountability was discussed at the meeting and though the commission has the authority to enact rules and regulations with the same force and effect as city ordinances, no one agency followed through on the Quinnipiac Avenue complaints.
So what’s to be done?
In many instances, people have taken the matter into their own hands, moving from outrage to action. A real estate agent and animal lover travels with a cat carrier and cat food in her car in case she comes across cats living in abandoned properties.
Another woman obtains lists of foreclosures in her area, then goes to those houses to look in the windows and listen for any sign of abandoned pets. All in all, the best bet is public education and awareness. Legislatively, municipalities are ham-strung. There is no protocol for dealing with pets and foreclosed/abandoned properties or hoarding situations.
In response to this economic downturn, the Humane Society of the United States has created a new grant program for animal shelters and non-sheltered rescue groups and animal and control agencies to help establish, expand and publicize services or programs that assist families in caring for their pets. Grants range from $500 to $2,000 per organization. Collaboration is encouraged and preference will be given to organizations that have a cooperative agreement with other agencies in their area such as a food bank or other community service agency.
HSUS encourages people to plan ahead and seek out pet-friendly housing, document that they are conscientious pet owners, keep their pets safe and discuss their financial concerns with their veterinarian.
Wendy Joyce at the Cosgrove Animal Shelter in Branford says she has seen relinquishments but nothing major. A pair of felines, Kelly and Kristy, were turned in several weeks ago by their owner, who was homeless and living in a car. Because they were about 10, their chances for adoption weren’t great. However, a caring individual adopted them together.
And since June is Adopt-A-Cat Month, head down to your local shelter and look into adopting a kitty, or two, who might be a victim of this foreclosure crisis.   
Sums up Andrecs, "It is a harsh world for cats and dogs, which is why it is our responsibility to insure that no more are born by spaying and neutering." n
 
Sally Bahner is a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and offers feline consultation services. She is "Dear Sally" on Tracie Hotchner’s Cat Chat Radio (www.catchatradio.com), found on Sirius Satellite Radio, Martha Stewart Living channel. She is a longtime editor and writer on everything feline.