Have you been following the news of pets that are being abandoned at record rates due to the economy? Seems that those who have lost their jobs can’t afford to keep their pets, which makes sense, but boy what a hard choice to make. I know, you have to feed your kids and pay your electric bill, but it sure would be hard to have to give up Fido just to make it through.
The Watertown (NY) Daily News reports that their Humane Society in Potsdam actually has a waiting list for people who want to drop off their pets. Due to job loss or foreclosure, these people are having to move into apartments that may not allow them to bring the animals with them. The shelter is a no-kill facility with only 50 cages. Currently the waiting list is at 50, so even if they adopted out every animal they currently had, the cages would still be full.
Other shelters report an increase in the number of drop-offs when troop deploy from nearby military bases. You never thought about the impact of the war in Iraq on dogs and cats, did you?
So, what can you do to help? Visit your local animal shelter and see about adopting a new member for your family. If you can’t adopt, see if you can help out as a volunteer, or if you can bring in food, blankets and other things that are always in short supply at animal shelters. If you own apartments, reconsider your decision not to allow pets. If you live near a military base, contact the Chaplain to see if you can temporarily keep someone’s dog when they are deployed. And as always, spay or neuter any pets you have in your home so you are not adding to the problem.
Working together, we can lessen the impact on the innocent four-legged children who get caught up in adult’s troubles.
Good day, and good dog!
Great ideas!