There are many fewer options for folks with pets that those families without pets when hard times come. I listen to many of their stories everyday on the telephone here at Animal Aid (www.animalaidpdx.org). We provide counseling relating to re-homing as well as limited no-interest loans for emergency veterinary care.
We’ve been working with another local organization called the PAW Team (http://www.portlandanimalwelfareteam.org/index.php) to serve the pet-owning homeless in the
There are so few people shelters that will take pets in with their people. The Oregon Humane Society (www.oregonhumane.org) offers temporary foster care for pets belonging to folks escaping domestic violence or to pets displaced by natural disaster but there are so many more in-need! American Humane Association has started a pilot program to help women’s shelters look into the possibility of opening their doors to pets as well as their owners – Pets and Women’s Shelters (http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=lk_PAWS) but that is still only a one segment of the population in need of help…
SANTA BARBARA, California (CNN) -- Barbara Harvey climbs into the back of her small Honda sport utility vehicle and snuggles with her two golden retrievers, her head nestled on a pillow propped against the driver's seat.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/05/19/homeless.mom/index.html
Abandonment of pets is way up (I’ve read 12 – 24 %) this year in our metro area.
Animal abandonment on the upswing in county http://www.theoutlookonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=121099987056950400
There is not enough shelter space for them, and not all shelters are playing fair through the media -
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Police cited a woman who was caught on a security camera dumping two animals out of her car in front of the Oregon Humane Society, officers said… http://www.kptv.com/news/15970641/detail.html ... "We don't charge a mandatory fee for bringing an animal to us, so there's no excuse for endangering an animal by dumping it in a very busy parking lot next to a very busy street," OHS Executive Director Sharon Harmon said...If you ever have an animal you feel you can't take care of you can take stray dogs to the Multnomah County Animal Service Center that's located on the Columbia River Highway in Troutdale.
Oregon Humane currently has a very long waiting period due to the number of people looking to relinquish their pets. Normally this would be a consult appointment 3 to 6 weeks out now it is up to 12 weeks out.
We are being crushed by a combination of lack of affordable housing/pet-friendly rentals, economic down-swing, and pet over population.
2 comments:
We are not seeing ( or at least not publicly ) hearing of such dramatic changes. People have alway put " moving" as the main reason for surrender so it is hard to tell. I agree those with the least, suffer the most. My Mom always said the burden is dropped on the lowest dog and I find that to be true. But stories of dogs being locked in cars all day don't sound very sensible to me. I mean if they don't have a job, and they don't have a house where do they see getting out of the hole ??
I read the stories and think about setting up something in our area for temporary housing for pets, with a two week limit , but ya know , what happens at the end of the two weeks when the job doesn't come through ? I see that as a real can of worms that some innocent well meaning folks could get caught up in... The dogs and cats may be better off in a shelter if a home isn't found in a very short period, there will be dog fights in the parking lot.how sad..
So many folks have nothing but their pets left...
And if they must surrender them, there is no room for them at shelters, in too many cases.
Marginal dogs like my Rio, or eldery pets, are not likely to stand much of a chance even if their owners can find a shelter to take them.
I do my best to keep the pets with their people, that doesn't work as often as any of us would like.
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