Slumping Economy Impacts Pet Owners

[Kevin]

Slumping Economy Impacts Pet Owners
Local Shelters Dealing With Large Influx Of Pets

UPDATED: 8:03 pm CDT July 1, 2008


MADISON, Wis. -- The start of July is often a difficult time for local humane societies as more animals are surrendered to shelters in the summer months than any other time of year.

During a time when the economy is taking a down turn, some families are having a difficult time paying for food, clothing and even their pets.



"When the community suffers, the animals suffer right along side of them," said Chris Konetski, the executive director of the Rock County Humane Society

More than 400 animals have been brought to the Rock County Humane Society in the past month and shelter officials believe they know why.

"They're losing their homes, or their losing the resources to take care of them," said Konetski. "They're late on shots, or they don't have enough money for vet care. So we've really seen a marked up-swing of that since last fall."

In the past few days, the Rock County Humane Society has received calls for 60 animals to be surrendered to the shelter. Many of those calls come from pet owners who can no longer afford their pets, WISC-TV reported.

The Rock County Humane Society is out of room. Animals are in the lobby, in offices, and even in a bathroom, WISC-TV reported.

In the past three months, more than 70 animals have been seized after homes have been foreclosed on and the shelter can't keep up.

"There's no magic solution," said Konetski. "There's no magic solution for these people who have lost their homes to find food and clothing for their children, let alone their animals."

The shelter can hold about 240 animals, and can place another 60 in foster care, but the number of pets adopted out doesn't cover the number of animals coming in.

"We do our best and we try to save as many as we can," said kennel manager Melinda Markley. "We don't have time limits on our animals, but in that kind of situation, then yes, we do have to euthanize in order to make room, that's the unfortunate part of this job."

Shelter officials have no answer for the spike in abandoned animals, they're just asking pet owners to do everything they can to care for their pets on their own.

"For those people who are losing their homes, I'm encouraging people, please, lean on your family, lean on your friends," said Konetski. "That's the best suggestion I can make to them at this time."

The shelter is filled to capacity and can no longer immediately help families looking to surrender pets.

"We have a terrible waiting list and we're forcing people to wait," said Konetski. "We're taking as many as we can. The more we take in here, it's with a lack of room and a lack of funds. Our funds are down as well."

Shelter managers said some pet owners have simply abandoned their pets, which later get picked up as strays, WISC-TV reported.

The Rock County shelter is doing everything possible to help animals, but with so many coming in, some have to be euthanized.

Shelter officials remind pet owners to have your pet spayed or neutered, to help keep the shelter population down.

Right now, there is a very long waiting list for the shelter to accept new animals.

The problem is some refuse to wait and abandon their pets when they leave an apartment or a home.

Abandoning a pet is against state law, and could result in fines up to 500 dollars, plus restitution for the cost of taking care of the animal at the shelter.