(708)301-1594 
Open 11 am-4 pm Tuesday through Saturday Closed Sunday and Monday webmistress                   |
Animals become latest victims of mortgage crisis
Reprinted from The Herald News February 26, 2008
Special to the Herald News
One of three puppies picked up from Joliet Township Animal Control by a volunteer looks out of a cage at the Plainfield Humane Society, where it will be given medical attention and adopted out.
(Liz Wilkinson Allen/Staff photographer)
The rare, white Doberman got out of its crate only one hour a day after his owner fell behind on her house payments and moved in with relatives.
After a couple of weeks, she couldn't stand to see the regal dog caged up so long, so she dialed the call she hoped she'd never have to make.
She called the TLC animal shelter in Homer Glen.
Two beagles and a pit bull wound up at TLC when another foreclosure put one more dog lover out of a home. They were such good dogs, the owner tearfully told Janine Carter at the shelter. They deserved better.
These are a sampling among dozens of desperate stories waiting for volunteers who work at Will County pet shelters as the home foreclosure crisis filters down to dispossessed furry friends. Rescue center workers have to brace themselves before checking their in-box, they say.
There's no doubt the lame economy is behind the boom in animals in need of rescue, said Meg Kremer, director of the Humane Society of Plainfield, which is changing its name to Help Save Pets.
"The voice mail fills up very quickly. It's heartbreaking to listen to the messages," she said.
Shelters packed
With Kendall and Will counties leading the pack as one and two in the state for foreclosure filings, area shelters are packed with homeless pooches and pussycats that are the faultless victims of an economy gone astray.
The HSP last week expected eight displaced pets from southern Illinois. When the truck showed up, it brought double that amount.
Moving in with relatives or downsizing to rentals after losing a home is a recurring theme at animal control and adoption agencies throughout the county.
"Sadly, so many try desperately to hang on to their pets until the last minute," Kremer said. "Then they'll leave a message they have to find a place for them to stay -- like tonight."
At the same time needs are surging, pet adoption agents say, donations are dropping as charity dollars dwindle away to pay for people's basic necessities.
County animal control centers are full and looking for places to move pets out. Often the animals are lacking in basic medical care such as shots and worming. People who cannot pay their mortgage have no room for vet bills in their budgets, Carter said.
"When money and animals mix, unfortunately, the animals always lose," Kremer said.
State of emergency
Pet homelessness linked to the nation's economic woes is a state and nationwide emergency. The Chicago Animal Shelter Alliance, made up of a dozen animal-welfare organizations, last month added foreclosure to its list of pressing issues.
The Humane Society of the United States recently issued a press release urging foreclosure victims to make plans for their pets. There has been a recent spate of media reports across the country of all kinds of pets - from bunnies and birds to horses and hounds - left starving at repossessed farms and homes.
"We've been hearing horror stories," said Nancy Peterson, spokesperson for the Humane Society of the United States. "We've been speaking to the shelters and they are seeing more surrenders due to moving and a lot of them may be linked to foreclosure."
There are no exact numbers, largely because people who are losing their homes are too embarrassed to give that reason for taking pets to shelters. The root reason may be camouflaged under explanations of "moving," or even "behavior problems," Peterson said.
"If you live on a farm and have a dog that barks, that's one thing," Peterson said. "If you get behind on your house payment and the bank forecloses - now you live in an apartment and you've got a behavior problem."
The wave of calls started coming to HSP about the second week of January, Kremer said. That's about the time the post-holiday bills started showing up in mail boxes, she speculates.
While information from some pet some adoption agencies says owners may have to pay a fee to leave their pets, that fee can be waived, Kremer said.
"We don't want people to simply abandon their pets, which would be even more tragic," she said.
Peter Zammer, of Plainfield, talks to another volunteer as he puts rescued dogs into a cage at the Plainfield Humane Society. The mom and puppies were picked up from Joliet Township Animal Control by another volunteer.