Abandoned foreclosure pet rescuers, caregivers and volunteers across the country are calling for families who are willing to adopt pets left behind by struggling families who were forced to move out of their foreclosed homes.
Families who have lost their properties to foreclosed home sale do not want to leave their pets behind but if they are moving to rental properties where pets are prohibited or moving in with relatives or friends in small spaces, they have no choice but to leave their pets behind and hope other people would adopt them.
According to animal shelter volunteers, many victims of foreclosure do not bring their pets voluntarily to shelters or rescues because they do not have the money to pay the fees or they do not know which shelters accept animals for free. They are also going through strange emotions while needing to pack and do hundreds of other things, so the pets are typically the ones ignored.
In the Ohio city of South Euclid, Sunny Simon, a South Euclid councilwoman who founded the South Euclid Humane Society, has been facing a sharp increase in pets left behind in vacant properties and abandoned on the streets. Staff and volunteers at the shelter, which has turned largely into an abandoned foreclosure pet facility, spend their waking hours finding foster homes for their rising number of dogs and cats and finding adoptive families.
Simon has also been spreading word around, advising people to adopt pets and not buy animals from pet stores because there are fewer families who can adopt animals.
Anne Oswald, who volunteers at SEHS, specializes in abandoned cats. Since most shelters do not accept cats, Oswald has volunteered to foster cats and has convinced others to care for cats while waiting for adoptive owners. She, however, has been overwhelmed by the rising number of cats that need foster care.
Brian Miller, animal warden for South Euclid, said he is now also responsible for abandoned animals in the cities of University Heights and Richmond Heights. He said dogs are typically held in a holding space at the South Euclid City Hall and then discharged for foster care.
Among the tasks of volunteers at the SEHS are finding foster homes for the pets, conducting temperament tests to make sure the pets are compatible with families and taking them to veterinarians for abandoned foreclosure pet checkups.