LIL' BUDDY'S BLOG: As Tough Times Continue, More Troubled Pet Owners Give Up Pets to Shelters!
THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG!
Good Morning, You Dogs!
This is a sad story, one that is tied to the troubled U.S. Economy today. As job losses, late-paid bills, and the possible loss of a home mount, many owners of dogs and cats are doing what they once thought unthinkable. They are giving up their pets to local animal shelters, as they become financially unable to take care of them.
The situation is summed up in the reasons many give to local animal shelters for brining in their pets for adoption - "No Money!' or "No Job!"
According to a story from The Chicago Tribune by reporter Sara Olkon, during these recessionary times, Animal Shelters in Chicago are taking in roughly 11% more unwanted pets than they did one year ago. And many of these relinquished pets come from those not accustomed to economic distress, many with so-called designer breeds, or purebreds.
Many of the pets have ID Microchips implanted, just like me and my lil' sister Gracie do. These animals were indeed loved, before tougher economic conditions made ownership financially too difficult for many.
Charles Craft, the Director of Programs and Services at Chicago Animal Care and Control, on the South Side of Chicago, says his organization took in 5,201 unwanted pets during the First Quarter, 2009, up from 4,666 one year ago. That is an 11.5% jump in pet relinquishments.
Some of the pets require expensive medical procedures or surgery. Others simply can't afford to feed both their pets and their families at the same time.
Last month, according to Nadine Walmsley, Vice President of Development for the Anti Cruelty Society of Chicago, 33 pets were relinquished at this shelter from owners giving "Poor Financing" as their reason to relinquish their pet. Many come from good families, and are socialized well. It is likely tough for them to move from a loving home, to a cage in a kennel, waiting for adoption.
Another, more attractive option for some pet owners is temporary adoption.
No-Kill Animal Shelter PAWS Chicago offers a Foster Program for pet owners in financial difficulty. One woman from Bartlett IL couldn't keep her 4-year-old mixed-breed dog in temporary housing after she lost her home to foreclosure. Another woman had to move in with her daughter, allergic to dogs, and used the same PAWS Foster Program.
Back at Chicago Animal Care and Control, the organization has been finding many stray or lost animals that have microchip ID's implanted. But most of the owners of these pets refuse to take them back, many citing money issues.
According to the shelter, true stray animals seem to have an easier time adjusting to shelter life, while those exiled from good homes have considerably more difficulty. These once-pampered dogs and cats often pace continuously in their cages, bark, and pant.
At the PAWS Animal Intake Facility on West 26th Street in the Little Village Neighborhood of Chicago, a greater percentage of relinquished dogs are purebreds. Today, as many as 40% of dogs taken in by the shelter are pure, compared to as little as 20% previously.
Want to adopt an unwanted pet during these tough economic times? Click the links above for more information.
We dogs do need to be taken care of, you know. No matter the economy!
YOUR ACE REPORTER ON FOUR PAWS,
BUDDY HOLLY MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
