136,481 New Listings - November 2009 - Last update November 7, 2009 12:30 PM EST 
Pets Are Victims Of The Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis Too
Humane Societies all over the nation are experiencing many calls from homeowners who need o give up their pets as a result of mortgage foreclosure. This is happening due to the fact that many former homeowners faced with moving into an apartment are finding that many of these residences don’t accept pets. Others have large dogs that they feel won’t do well if deprived of the space to romp and exercise formerly available in their owner’s back yards.
The Escondido Humane Society (California) reported that they are getting twenty to thirty phone calls each day from people that want to ‘give up’ their pets because they are losing their homes to mortgage foreclosure. The Escondido Humane Society, which is near San Diego, stated that they 643 dogs and cats in residence now compared to a normal count of around 400. The Sarasota in Defense of Animals organization in Florida reported similar findings. This eighteen-year old organization operates a ten acre pet sanctuary in the eastern area of their county. It is a non-profit operation that currently cares for about 300 homeless animals large and small including 25 dogs and 150 cats. They report receiving an “unprecedented” number of telephone calls from people who are pleading for them to take their dogs and cats due to mortgage foreclosures.
Reports of a similar nature have been reported from a great many states but seem to be most concentrated in California, Nevada, Arizona, Ohio, Massachusetts, Indiana and Illinois, those states where mortgage foreclosures are highest. The tragedy here is that even under normal circumstances, dogs and cats can only b retained for specific and limited periods of time before they must be euthanized if not adopted. Given these unfortunate facts, it would appear that for many pets relinquished due to mortgage foreclosures and home loss by their owners, this amounts to an almost certain death sentence.
In some more rural communities, foreclosed owners who had homes on larger pieces of property that permitted them to have horses, goats, cows and other large animals that must also be given up. Fortunately for these animals, finding new homes is usually a bit easier and, of course, their overall numbers are far lower.
The problem of high mortgage foreclosure affecting people and their pets doesn’t appear to be ramping down in the near future with finance professionals expecting the problem to continue or even worsen until at least the third quarter of 2008. Very few national ASPCA and other humane societies have a “no-kill” policy based upon space and economic considerations alone. Fortunately, there are a few ‘private’ sanctuaries that do, but they are woefully limited in size and number. This hard fact bodes poorly for the pet victims of our current national mortgage foreclosure crisis. Since humane societies receive their operating funds through public donations, additional gifts could provide some relief, but is not expected to be anywhere close to a solution to the pet problem.
According to government statistics, there were 8.4 million adjustable rate mortgages given in the sub prime boom between 2004 and 2006, and nearly 13% or more than 1,092,000 are expected to be foreclosed nationwide before the problem goes away. That adds up to a very-large number of pets to be given up even considering the low end of possible numbers.
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Why should pets be given the death sentence , they did not do anything, but , trust their humans to give them a life commitment. I guess kids are given up ,because kids are not allowed in the rental either…..I am a single Mom, that had four kids and a dog. I got insulted, fought with, and looked until I found one, that would take both………..I have been there and done that……Please exert yourselves and look harder for a new residence….