When our beloved Chloe, our 15 year old Golden Retriever passed away recently, we were devastated. Then one of my clients called me telling me of a 4 year old English Labrador that had been abandoned in PA. He was the victim of a foreclosure home.
In the current wave of foreclosures, which many experts say has not yet peaked, a new phrase has entered the lexicon - foreclosure pets. Foreclosure pets are pets that have been left behind when a home is foreclosed. In some cases it is clear that foreclosure (or eviction) was only one of a number of serious problems, like the case in Ohio where 50 cats were found in a house after an eviction. In other cases, it may be a single pet, left behind perhaps because a family's new rental unit doesn't allow pets.
It's all about survival. For thousands of people struggling to find money for food and shelter, pet care is often the last thing they think about. They spiral down financially, and in their personal life, and everything just falls apart for them. They feel like they have nowhere to turn, so they just close the door and walk away.
Foreclosure is an emotional and overwhelming experience, and it is not always easy to find a good home for a pet. I suspect that this phenomenon also has to do with a common misperception about foreclosure. Many of my clients expect that they will be put out of their homes immediately. They fear coming home and finding their belongings in the street; many times they have been told by collection agents that it will happen. In New York, a full judicial foreclosure state, it takes at least six months, and often six months or longer to complete a foreclosure. Other states it is a much quicker process, but it is never instantaneous. Perhaps some of those leaving pets behind believe that someone will be coming just behind them to take care of things. If that is the case, they could not be more wrong. It can take months to foreclose; even worse, because of excessive inventory of foreclosed properties, lenders are sometimes deciding not to foreclose, or to postpone foreclosure.
Don't let the truly innocent suffer needlessly. If you are facing foreclosure and cannot care for your pets, or if you know someone has left a pet behind, call your local animal shelter or humane society. There are also rescue organizations of all sorts, including those focused on virtually any type of purebred dog, cat, or horse. A couple of examples: www.emergencyanimalrescue.org rescues domestic and wild animals in crisis situations, and http://www.bestfriends.org/ rescues dogs, cats, birds, horses, and rabbits, to name a few. Oh, and those 50 cats in Ohio? Visit http://www.foreclosurecats.org/ to see how they're doing now, or make a donation. If you can take in an abandoned pet, there will be stars in your crown in heaven, and a lot of fun right here in the meantime.
Dwight, our foreclosure rescue from PA has happily settled in well with us here in Piermont, and now trusts us after a couple of months of sheer terror at the thought of being left alone again. He is my constant companion and sits at my feet when I work at the computer and loves to ride around with me when I am looking at clients homes. He continues to learn the rules of the house, like don't eat the cat, and hasn't quite picked up yet on don't eat the cat food!
Dwight on right, enjoying a romp with my daughter's dog Boston