An increasing number of abandoned pets are being seen at the Dog Park in Mocking Point, Dallas when it closes at night. The dogs are considered deliberately abandoned because their dog collars have been removed.
According to dog lovers frequenting the park, around 50 dogs were already left at the dog park over the last year and a half. Jim Christian said that two of his dogs were among those abandoned and rescued from the park. He has also paid for exams and shots for other dogs so that they can be offered for adoption.
While some animals are pampered with tennis balls and colorful toys from the vending machine at the park, some are set free to be abandoned and left on their own until some kind souls get them.
In Dallas, the city animal control center and shelter has a nighttime drop box for stray animals or foreclosure pets, but some pet owners worry they need to pay fees before their pets are accepted, so they do not bring their pets to the shelter. Instead, they leave them at the dog parks. They figure that since the park is frequented by dog lovers, their abandoned pets would easily find people who would adopt them.
According to Christian, Dallas police officers told him that there are no city laws against abandoning dogs at the park. Nevertheless, Christian believes there ought to be a law against dumping dogs.
In the separate area for smaller dogs, pets are also abandoned, and because the city shelter cannot send people immediately to get the dogs, oftentimes pet owners who go regularly to the park are the ones caring for the dogs while they wait for adoptive owners.
Pet owners who are regulars at the park are getting concerned about the rising number of animals abandoned at the park. They understand, however, the reasons why former pet owners leave their pets after they get evicted from their foreclosed homes.
Among the animal shelters and rescues in Dallas is the Humane Society of Dallas County, a no-kill pet shelter along Manor Way that offers direct adoptions and off-site adoptions.
Another is the downtown Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center on North Westmoreland. The center provides animal control services for the city and evaluates stray animals before they are offered for adoption. Only abandoned pets that have good temperaments and good health are given to adoptive pet owners.