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Economic Slump Hits the Dog House

More abandonments, fewer adoptions put burden on shelters

By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 9, 2008 12:00 PM CST
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(Newser) – Our furry friends don't know what an economic downturn is, but they're feeling its effects as much as we are, Reuters reports. Between owners finding they can't afford the best cat food to dogs being sent to foster care when homes are foreclosed, shelters are seeing a spike in abandonments. Grooming salons and pet-accessory stores will be hit next.

One laid-off makeup artist with four dogs and two cats is getting some assistance. "I was finding I couldn't handle it all. It was costing me $350 to $400 a month just for their foods,"she said. "I can't tell you how many people said, 'You're being cruel to them, give them away.' But they're like family. I don't have family anymore, these guys are my family."

Coinciding with the local stock market plunge and a jump in the jobless rate in Taiwan, local animal rescuers say more and more dogs are being abandoned as owners look for ways to cut expenses.
Coinciding with the local stock market plunge and a jump in the jobless rate in Taiwan, local animal rescuers say more and more dogs are being abandoned as owners look for ways to cut expenses.   (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Pets are the unlikely victims of home foreclosure. Animals left behind in vacant homes have put extra strain on local animal shelters.
Pets are the unlikely victims of home foreclosure. Animals left behind in vacant homes have put extra strain on local animal shelters.   (PRNewsFoto/American Humane Association)
Chris Woehrle, of Denver, volunteers with the SPCA disaster team by caring for domestic animals left behind in a makeshift shelter Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008, in Galveston, Texas.
Chris Woehrle, of Denver, volunteers with the SPCA disaster team by caring for domestic animals left behind in a makeshift shelter Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008, in Galveston, Texas.   (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Nick de la Torre)
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