[News] Victims of the Nations Mortgage Crisis

[yorkiegirl83]

I have no sympathy for someone that abandons a pet and leaves it for dead, no matter what the situation.

However, I feel terrible about what's going on w/the mortgage crisis and if someone is losing their home and has to rehome their pet, it's terribly sad but sometimes necessary for the good of the pet.

[miabellaamoure]

Originally Posted by jps71

I'm sickened by these people! Do we forclose on our loved ones? I can't bare the thought that people are so abusive to these animals! Where are the Laws regarding animal cruelty? Can these people be convicted? How can we the people STOP this? I can't take it anymore! I love my boys....I couldn't imagine life without them! Pacino & DeNiro's mommy

Actually, there are laws in place in most states that will arrest & convict a pet owner for cruelty of an animal which includes "abandonment"!

Just watch "Animal Cops" on Animal Planet to see how they go to the rescue of an animal from abandonment all the way to the arrest & conviction of the pet owner in a real life court setting.

This situation makes me want to take it a few steps deeper...I might be alone in this theory but, I truly think that too many parents are the ones to blame for the way things are going these days. Let me explain...

I think it has a lot to do with a society where parents are giving their children "everything" without teaching them how to value & appreciate all of what they have...even a pet!

What else can we expect from a generation of people who never learned the value of anything? Thus, a "disposable" society...pets included!

[Jenn218]

I found this article today.....

NO PET LEFT BEHIND: SLIPPING ECONOMY DRIVES UP ABANDONMENT
Thousands of homes across the nation have been deserted in recent months as a result of the subprime mortgage market collapse. A troubling side effect of this crisis, seen in city after city, is the abandonment of pets in empty homes. Bank employees and other lenders often are required to leave property—which includes pets—untouched until legal proceedings are complete. As a result, abandoned pets cannot receive the care they need. The ASPCA wants to remind pet owners that they have options when facing economic difficulties, and investigating these options in advance of a move is the best way to provide for your pet’s well-being.

“If pet owners anticipate foreclosure, we advise planning ahead to find a suitable solution for their cat or dog,” says Dr. Stephanie LaFarge, ASPCA Senior Director of Counseling Services. “Even though options in these cases are often limited and less than ideal, making an informed decision ahead of time is much better than leaving the pet in an abandoned home.”

The ASPCA offers this advice for people who are faced with foreclosure and the loss of their pets:

*See if friends, family or neighbors can provide temporary foster care for your pet until you get back on your feet.
*If you are moving into a rental property, make sure pets are allowed. (You should get written permission in advance.)
*Contact your local animal shelter, humane society or rescue group before your move. If a shelter agrees to take your pet, provide medical records, behavior information and anything else that might help your pet find a new home.
Find a shelter near you here

“It is difficult and heartbreaking to lose a pet as a result of economic hardship,” says LaFarge, “but pet parents may take comfort in knowing that their pets will be better off if they plan ahead.”

[tjdmom]

Boy this story makes me mad. I work for a real estate company and we have a foreclosure dept that handles the sale for the various banks that have foreclosed on homes for one reason or another. It takes about a year and in many cases longer to actually foreclose on these homes. That means that these people have lived all that time basically rent free. To top it off, sometimes they are multifamily homes and they collect the rent every month from the tenants and don't pay a dime to the bank they owe money too. If that's not enough, the bank frequently pays what is called "cash for key's" this is an incentive to move out of the house usually by month end and leave the home in "broom swept" condition. This saves the bank money in the long run because otherwise they have to evict the people and remove their belongings paying to have the home "trashed out" sometimes thousand of dollars and the remaining items of value are placed in storage also at the banks expense. Forgive me, but I have a hard time feeling sorry for someone who has that much advance time to plan and just leaves their pets behind to fend for themselves. Thankfully, I can only think of one instance ever where a pet was left behind.

[Zanders' mom]

Good point (see below), from previuos yter. I would be mortified, haunted forever if I were to teach my children that this type of action is OK.

I think it has a lot to do with a society where parents are giving their children "everything" without teaching them how to value & appreciate all of what they have...even a pet!

What else can we expect from a generation of people who never learned the value of anything? Thus, a "disposable" society...pets included!

[yorkiecrazy]

Originally Posted by Zanders' mom

I share YOUR view, people need to do research, too many are falling for the nothing down, flexible rates, etc. IF it sounds too good to be TRUE, it IS. I would not leave my children behind, if fallen on hard times, our pets are the next best thing to children. Rather I would seek family or friends to take them in until I were back on my feet. Leaving a dog locked up in an empty house is nuts? how would it survive? you wouldn't do that with a human? to think someone else may come along and rescue the dog? cmon, the dog has a better chance of surviving on the streets than left in a house alone. No matter how you dice it, slice it, reason it, this animal abandonement is CRUEL, CRUEL, CRUEL. The person should be fined or jailed just like when a child is abandoned on the streets or garbage.

I totally agree with you! Very well said

[aka_yorkie_mama]

[QUOTE=MIZBROWN;1715162]Well... it is horrible that this is happening...but I cant say that Im completely angry at these homeowners either... Its so easy to judge these people like they are horrible monsters, but did anyone ever think about how bad they felt leaving their animals
I agree with what you have said .. i have worked at a homless shelter ... and i know the pain and Humilation these people go through .. the crisses is blooming perhaps if you go look at Mustardseed schools in places like sacramento and see how many new children go to school outside of homeless camps kids who last year were having partys and begging for swimmingpools and pets for there birthday. i dont know how a parent can keep walking when there world falls apart and the kids cant understand why they have to give up there kitty/puppy . but for the grace of god go I

[Proud Mommy]

I know of a family that lost their home and gave their children permission to destroy the house they gave them permanent markers to write on the tiles while the parents smashed holes in the walls and broke all the windows The child says they have 5 dogs and 2 cats... I guess the house was covered in "waste"

I don't live far from Stockton Ca, it is happening here too. There are signs on every street that have "bank owned home"

[JSHealdsburg]

but I cant say that Im completely angry at these homeowners either

Of course. I'm sure that they had no other choices than to leave the house destroyed and the dog locked inside to starve to death. My heart goes out to them for being unable to take the dog to a shelter and pass the keys back to the bank and go back to renting; as they did BEFORE they took possession of a house they could not afford (and have not paid a nickle for many months before foreclosure) and a pet they could not care for.

Many of us have been through difficult times. I know I have. But in the final summary, it's all about the choices we make and we must learn to accept the consequences and ALWAYS try to do the right thing for all God's creatures.

[txshopper73]

I had no idea this was going on...it just breaks my heart.

[Boosted Panda]

When I was looking for a place to live I searched with a few mandatory fields.

Under 1500 a Month,
1 Bedroom
PETS ALLOWED

My baby goes with me no matter what, even if I have to hide her from the landlord. She is cleaner than my human room mate. He doesn't clean his room or the house, Chloe puts all her toys in her bed at night and pees on a pee pad.

[yorkiepup2]

I just don't understand how anyone could just leave their animals to starve to death. I would do anything I could to keep them........or at least find someone that could care for them. How utterly sad.

[bettyeanne]

Thank you for starting this thread! Last year we got a little rescue that had been "abandoned" in a house near Denver. In trying to re-assemble the circumstances from sketchy information the conclusion was made that ... either the house was a foreclosure or quick sale and the people evidently bred Yorkies and the little guy was an old stud. He was left inside the house and God only knows for how long. He must have been gorgeous in "his day" but when we got him it was obvious that there was probably an old injury to his rear legs because he walked kinda funny. He had no teeth and a very distrustful look in his eyes. He wouldn't warm up to me no matter how hard I tried ... unusual because as a rule after awhile they would jump in my lap or at least snuggle near me. Not this little guy!! I kept trying and the last night we were at Trish's before moving back home last May, I tried some more ... nothing! Minutes before we said our goodbyes, he walked straight up in front of me and sat down as if to say ... "OK, you can pick me up now!" I picked him up and he immediately laid his little head on my heart and began to make the most pitiful crying sound I have ever heard coming from an animal! My heart just melted and I told Trish that noone would ever want this little toothless guy and that we wanted him. Trish and Frank would bring him to us in a few weeks!! I was elated! A few days later Trish called me to tell me that a wonderful family wanted to adopt him! At first I said "Noooooooooo" but after thinking it through I knew deep in my heart that this was a much better home for him than we could ever give him given the way we travel. Patrick and I talked about it and decided to put our feelings aside and let him go. I told Trish that the new owners must understand that their new "baby" had two hearts ... his and mine! I still cry when I think about the night he stole my heart!! We hear reports from him regularly and it seems he lives like a little Prince ... a family who adores him, goes for walks, has little ramps inside the house and out so he can access anywhere our little hearts might choose to wander, etc. Sorry this was long but my point is this:

Regardless of how uncaring a pet owner is, and regardless of how unlovable they view their pet, why in the world could they just restrain them or lock them up and just simply leave them!!? If they are free to roam, at least someone will find them! Better still, why not give them away or surrender them to people who care?? I believe people like the ones who abandoned this little one absolutely have no soul!!

BTW ... my little one is on our website ... his name is Bear. Indeed ... "One man's trash, is another man's treasure"!!!

[xxmxaxrxyxx]

that is so sad...regardless if i can't afford my mortgage...and end up on the streets...i am taking my babies with me...