How to ensure family pets get protection, proper care after foreclosure

According to RealtyTrac, home foreclosures in the first quarter of 2008 increased 23 percent from the previous quarter and jumped 112 percent from the first quarter of 2007. These increases in foreclosures have given rise to an unexpected problem: pet abandonment.

There are no figures to estimate the number of animals being abandoned or surrendered due to current economic hardships, but animal shelters across the country are taking in more animals every day as families find themselves without other options. Some families are taking advantage of shelters to temporarily board their pets with the hope of picking them up in a few days or weeks. Meanwhile, local authorities are seeing an increase in the number of pets being abandoned by their owners.

In Arkansas, three dogs were found starved to death in their kennels. The homeowners had left the dogs behind when they moved. Two dogs in San Diego were left at a vacant home for several months but survived. In Downy, Calif., four birds were found abandoned in their cages.

But abandonment is never the answer, animal welfare experts say. "Whether it's asking a friend to pet sit, finding an apartment that accepts animals, finding a local shelter that can help or asking your veterinarian for low-cost boarding, there's always a humane option," said Allie Phillips, director of public policy for the American Humane Association.

To help struggling families find options, the association has put together a list of tips to help homeowners either relocate with their pets or find other safe placement options for them. Some of those tips include:

•Look for apartments and rental homes that will take pets.

•If you cannot take your pet, ask a veterinarian if you can receive low-cost boarding for your pet or set up a payment plan.

•Check www.petfinder.com for a list of shelters and rescue organizations in the area that can help board the animal or will accept it for adoption.

•Strongly consider taking the pet. The comfort and companionship of pets can help ease the strain of a move.

Tip sheets for homeowners looking for ways to keep or care for their pets during a foreclosure are at www.americanhumane.org. Also available online are tip sheets for bank and mortgage companies that may find abandoned pets in vacated homes. In addition, local animal shelters may be eligible for grants from American Humane to help families stay with their pets.

Neighbors can help, too

Often a neighbor can help authorities and animal welfare groups spot an abandoned animal before it's too late. Neighbors should listen for animal sounds, look in windows, check with other neighbors and be on the lookout for signs that the previous homeowners had pets. If pets are known or suspected to be on the property, animal control should be called immediately. With a neighbor's help, animal control can get a search warrant to enter the home and check for pets that are abandoned or neglected.

American Humane is quick to point out that animals left behind or simply set free will probably not survive. It can be weeks or months before a bank or mortgage company will visit an abandoned home to make an assessment or a neighbor notices that pets are trapped in a house. That's too long for any animal to go without food and water. If abandoned, there is also a chance that the state criminal animalcruelty laws might apply, even if arrangements are made for somebody to feed and water the animals after the home has been vacated.

For more information, visit www.americanhumane.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent.