The Forgotten Victims of Foreclosure
Posted by Traci Hansen | Visited 90 times, 1 so far today |
With the rising number of foreclosures around the nation and right in our own neighborhoods, our sympathies go to the families that will leave their homes behind and out of desperation move on.
The question I pose is, what about the pets? The number of family pets that are left behind is staggering. The family pet, once part of the family, is now abandoned and trapped in an empty home, with minimal or no food and water.
The people to arrive first to a foreclosed home i.e. the junk haulers, Realtors, bank inspectors, and neighbors typically do not have the authority to remove the animals. Once the Humane Society has been called, it can take several days to respond to the foreclosed house due to the volume of other cases.
One of the Humane Society employees, who has personally responded to about 1,000 foreclosure calls last year, tells of finding the animals chained up, or running loose in the house. The Humane Society does not keep numbers on how many animals are found in foreclosed homes. The pets are simply listed as abandoned. Animal cruelty charges are rare in foreclosed cases because it’s hard to prove malice involved in leaving the pet behind.
The before mentioned Humane Society employee has found 15 dead animals in foreclosed homes and has filed charges in each of those cases. When he found a boxer tied to a tree in the backyard next to a pile of trash, no charges were filed. And nothing was done to the owners of a yellow lab who left the dog chained to a water faucet.
He states, “Once the family has been tracked down the first thing they tell you is, ‘Man we loved our dog, but we just couldn’t take him with us,’” Personally, there is no reasoning that I can wrap my head around to justify leaving your beloved pet behind. And if the family is moving into a place that does not accommodate pets, then why not drop them off at a shelter? At least that gives them a chance, even though the numbers are climbing at the shelters and due to overpopulation almost half of incoming animals are euthanized.
A majority of the pets found are in poor health, some can be rehabilitated, but approximately 15 percent are euthanized. As more families are forced from their homes, the fallout is painfully clear at the animal shelters nationwide. Experts say a dog will become dehydrated within 24 hours without water and could die in extreme heat within a few days. Like humans, dogs and cats can go for a long time without food but will quickly die without water.
How Can You Help Save Abandoned Pets?
In most states, by law, pets are personal property, which means they have little or no rights. Personal property left behind by home owners are subject to seizure by the lender that has taken the home back in foreclosure, but most REO lenders don’t want to take care of pets. Some laws do not allow for forfeiture of personal property until a certain period of time has passed, so lenders are prevented from removing pets, and often discourage others from intervening.
- If you know that a home in your neighborhood is being foreclosed upon, why not ask the occupants if they have made plans for their pets?
- Some homeowners might willingly turn over their pets to an animal welfare agency that specializes in rescuing stray and abandoned pets, if they knew where to take their pets.
- Leave animal rescue literature with the owners; it’s better to offend and apologize than to do nothing.
- After the owners have moved, check on the home to see if any pets were left behind or tied up in the back yard.
- Call your local Humane Society to find out how you can help to rescue abandoned pets.
- Call a local real estate agent and ask the neighborhood specialist to inspect the home for abandoned pets. Most will gladly oblige at no obligation.
- In some states, animal cruelty is against the law, If you suspect animal cruelty, call the police.
- If you find a dehydrated pet, provide a small amount of water under supervision—some pets can become so thirsty and weak that they can drown in a water bowl—then call a vet before administering food.
Because if you don’t speak up for these helpless animals, WHO WILL??????
If this blog has moved you in some way, please take a look at the nopawsleftbehind.org website… It is a nonprofit that helps the pet owners find shelters. Please take a look and see how you can become proactive and help the forgotten victims of foreclosure.
Popularity: 60% [?]
