LIL' BUDDY'S BLOG - UNSUNG VICTIMS OF FORECLOSURE - Dogs, Cats, and Other Pets!
THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG!
Look Closely! Very Closely! See those eyes with a Lil' White Dog attached? That's me, in my locally-famous pose a couple of winters ago. (They put this shot of me on the Channel 5 Morning News, you know!)
Brrrrrr! We had 10" of snow this afternoon and tonight here in Chicago. Woof, what a bear to shovel it all!
You know, there is a very serious side to the growing number of foreclosures and defaults in the housing market recently - people's dogs, cats, and other house pets are sometimes left behind and abandoned, when humans are forced to move.
As you have read, foreclosures have increased 75% nationwide in 2007, versus 2006. The State of Illinois ranked 10th in the U.S. last year in foreclosures. In all, 90,752 foreclosures were filed in the state in 2007 - up over 25% since 2006, and nearly double compared to 2005. Over 1 out of 100 homeowners in IL got foreclosed upon last year! (Data from Realty Trac, January 29, 2008).
But when people have to leave their homes - what happens to their trusty cats and doggies?
In some cases, where pets can't follow their humans from houses to rental apartments or houses, we get dropped off in local animal shelters. In a few unfortunate situations, we are abandoned at the old home.
Mary Umberger's story in the January 22nd edition of The Chicago Tribune tells the story of MacKenzie and Rocket, two dogs from a foreclosed-upon Naperville IL family, who wound up in a local animal shelter late last year. "We're seeing quite a few animals being surrendered due to economic reasons, including foreclosure," said Angie Wood, assistant executive director of the Naperville Area Humane Society. The shelter is also currently housing a foreclosure cat - Bailey.
Although there are few scientific numbers, many staff members and directors of local and regional shelters are seeing an increase in drop offs of former household pets due to changing economic circumstances of their owners.
"We're probably getting 25 [animals] a week coming to us for those reasons," said Terri Sparks, a spokesman for The Animal Welfare League in Chicago. "It's probably increased a lot in the past six to seven months."
Some rental apartments, townhomes, and detached single family houses allow pets, but their owners often cannot afford the hefty pet security deposits many of these landlords now require. The result: many dogs and cats end up in shelters, or, in a few cases, are just left behind.
Stephanie Shain, Director of Outreach for the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, DC, does not blame distressed homeowners with animal cruelty in these unfortunate situations. "They might presume that people are going to find the animals [left at the house] or they're too embarrassed" by the foreclosure to take them to a shelter, Shain said. Often, the animals left behind die from starvation in their old homes, before they are found by local animal care authorities.
According to David Dinger, Acting President of the Anti-Cruelty Society here in Chicago, the organization does not specifically track the number of pets abandoned by those encountering home foreclosure - but his volunteers are noticing more and more victims of loss of their owner's home.
However, there is a often a happy ending, as many of the orphaned pets of those enduring the distress of the loss of their home find new adopted homes.
Folks - those of you with only two paws - visit the local animal shelter near where you live, and help out those of us with four paws, who may have lost their homes, and even their human families, during this stressful time. We little pups and kitties need a warm place to stay and be loved, especially this cold winter here in Chicago.
Thanks a lot!
YOUR ACE REPORTER ON FOUR PAWS,
BUDDY HOLLY MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
