The Latest Real Estate Foreclosure Casualties - Abandoned Pets

I read recently about another disturbing secondary affect of the housing meltdown – abandoned pets. I quite often go to houses that have abandonment notices on the door, which are the legal notices that must be posted to go along with the letters that the courts also send to the foreclosed homeowners when abandonment is suspected. Abandonment occurs when the foreclosed owner just gets up and leaves, usually taking all of his possessions with him, but occasionally leaving stuff behind – including pets.

I’ve seen pictures of some pathetic looking cats and dogs that were left locked up in abandoned houses. I think I’d probably lose it, if I stumbled upon one of these forlorn pets. Certainly they did nothing to deserve that fate and ex-owners should be caught and prosecuted to the full extend of whatever laws exist on animal cruelty. No matter how bad things are; it is just inhumane to leave a dog or cat to die of starvation or dehydration in an abandoned house.

It might be OK to leave a pet in the house for a day, while getting situated in a new place, but there is no excuse for locking up a poor dumb animal in a house for days, even if you leave food and water. So, if you live next door to someone whom you think might have abandoned the place, check to see if you can spot any pets that might have been left behind. If you see any, call the local humane society or the local police and alert them to the situation. Check also if you see a pet tied out for more than a day with no food or water. The owners may have tied them up and then left.