Foreclosure pets in Texas and Ohio are being rescued by nonprofit animal rescues and shelters, just like in other parts of the country.
In Houston, the nonprofit No Paws Left Behind was founded by Cheryl Lang and her friends after Lang saw abandoned pets in foreclosed houses as she did her work as president of Integrated Mortgage Solutions, a company that provides collateral protection services to mortgage lenders and servicers.
Lang found that pets are being left behind by families moving out of foreclosed houses because they could not bring them into rented apartments. Some do not know there are animal shelters that accept pets while others think shelters perform euthanasia on most pets.
According to Cheryl Lang, her nonprofit has placed more than 250 abandoned pets through her networking with rescue organizations, has helped more than 60 troubled families pay their veterinary bills and has assisted over 60 families pay their deposits in pet housing services.
The Houston nonprofit has also developed a helpful website for families looking for animal shelters and information on how families in foreclosure can keep their pets.
In Hancock County, Ohio, the Humane Society has reduced its adoption fees so more of its pets can find homes. The fees cover rabies vaccination, microchip and spay costs. Paula Krugh, director of the society, said that the organization is currently taking care of about 200 animals, so it has been referring owners or finders of foreclosure pets to other shelters.
The Humane Society also cares for dogs rescued by Dana Berger, the dog warden of Hancock County, under an agreement signed with county commissioners.
According to Berger, because of economic difficulties, people have not been able to bring their pets with them when they move out of their apartments or when families are forced out of foreclosed homes.
While the number of abandoned pets has increased, donations to animal shelters have declined. Additionally, despite lack of funds, the Humane Society cannot just euthanize pets. The society puts to sleep only pets that are too ill or vicious.
In Findlay, the Teddy’s Rescue, which has been caring for animals since August last year, has been accepting some animals referred by the Humane Society.
Susan Hollington, vice chairperson at Teddy’s Rescue, more than 25 percent of animals taken in by Teddy’s are pets from families moving out of foreclosed homes.
According to PetFinder.com, 84 percent of 13,000 shelters in the country have been receiving more foreclosure pets because of job losses and the economic downturn.
