Abandoned Pets Innocent Victims of the Housing Crisis

by Steve Dale

Due to foreclosures and evictions, people have been losing their homes in record numbers. And when people are displaced, so are their pets. Now, many pets are paying the ultimate price. Feeling they have no choice, more and more struggling homeowners are abandoning their pets in empty homes. Some animals starve before they're discovered. Others are let loose to roam the streets. If they're not hit by cars first, they're snatched up by animal control. In a municipal shelter, their chances of adoption are often slim.

"I'm afraid the problem will get worse before it gets better," said Patricia Rushing of the University of Illinois Institute for Community Policing in Champaign. "But it's not only the families foreclosed on who are suffering; it's families who can't afford their own medicine or families now going to a food bank. How can they afford a pet's medication or pet food?"

These concerns were addressed at a summit Sept. 17 organized by Rushing. "Animals, Evictions and Foreclosures" was sponsored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and hosted by the Anti Cruelty Society of Chicago. Attendees included expert panelists from around the country.

At the opening of the summit, Rushing explained, "The goal is to recommend public policy changes statewide and then determine if it makes sense to make similar recommendations nationwide."

Brian Bernardoni, Chicago Association of Realtors Senior Director of Government and Public Policy, explained that many foreclosures are currently hung up in court because of changes in the law and for various other reasons. "Unfortunately, the problem will get worse; you'll see even more foreclosures in 2010," he said.

"The ASPCA has previously worked on disaster preparedness for pets (in hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc.)," said Stephen Zawistowski, executive vice president and science advisor at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in New York City. "The only difference between this disaster and a hurricane is that we know when this disaster is going to happen."

Foreclosures and evictions can happen to anyone, said Cook County Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy. "This isn't just the lowest strata of society, though they're definitely affected. It's also all the middle- and upper-management people who are being discharged, or maybe their company has gone under."

In any case, depending on where you live in America, the number of pets being delivered to shelters is up as much as a third -- not to mention the rising number of dogs and cats left to roam the countryside, forest preserves, and city streets.

Jane McBride of the Illinois Attorney General's Office and President of Illinois Humane, confirmed that since the economic downturn began, far more pets are being left behind in foreclosed properties.

"What the public doesn't generally know is that abandoning pets isn't anything new," she said. "Believe me, you don't want to know how often this has occurred. But now it's a crisis. And it's prosecutable because in most states abandonment of pets in empty buildings is a crime."

While most panelists agreed that public education to warn people that leaving pets behind in abandoned housing is illegal is valuable, this won't solve the problem. In fact, more people may even open the doors, allowing pets to wander off and fend for themselves. Having the funds to track down and prosecute offenders is a practical issue. And going after people with few resources didn't seem a helpful solution either for most panelists.

So what's the answer?

"One (answer) is to make people aware of all potential resources, where there may be help available, ranging from purebred breed rescue to a shelter in the text town over if you can't find a shelter where you live," said Dr. Robyn Barbiers, president of the Anti Cruelty Society of Chicago. In Chicago, a newly formed not-for-profit, www.realtorstotherescue.com, has been set up as a resource guide for both realtors and the general public.

Another idea is to increase the number of pet-friendly condominiums and apartments.

"It's the right thing to do to keep families intact," said Stephanie LaFarge, psychologist and director of counseling at the ASPCA. "When a family is undergoing this terrible upheaval, keeping the family together is very important for consistency and stability."

Ledy VanKavage, senior legislative analyst at Best Friends Animal Society, Konab, UT, said, "One study showed people with pets live there longer, so it's economically beneficial to rent to pet owners, or for condominiums to allow pets."

Bernardoni pointed out that many apartments and condo buildings have vacancies, so even aside from the foreclosure issue, marketing to pet owners might be a good idea.

Other suggestions included dedicating local phone lines for the public to report abandoned pets, and launching a program along the lines of the Military Pets Foster Program, which helps find foster families for pets owned by deployed military personnel.

"We owe it to families and to the pets to do something," said Rushing.

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