Foreclosure and Pets

The following is a reprint of an article I posted last year at the Seattle Post Intelligencer blog:

While animals teach us much about living in the moment, relaxing, and stopping to smell the roses, or the dirt the roses grow in... the anxieties and practical dilemmas faced by many homeowners today do not go unnoticed by the family pet.

Perhaps a pet owner is facing forclosure due to losing their job, their health, their spouse, their youth... As they worried about their prospects they might have taken some comfort in their pet; not seen it as a cost or obligation, but a listening ear, a warm body, a faithful friend. Now they are going somewhere else--to an apartment, to a relative's or friend's house, to a nursing home, to a campground, or a homeless shelter--and their pet must fend for itself or depend on the compassion and energy of shelter staff.

Opening your heart to pets begins with living consciously, in other words, paying attention to the animals around you. If you are able, ask your local animal rescue organization what you might do to help. Adoption, is great, but there are many things one can do without actually adopting a pet, such as donating supplies (newspapers, old towels, pet food), money, time, or skills (designing a website, making fliers, volunteering at an adoption event).

If someone you know is facing foreclosure, they are likely facing many practical and emotional challenges. They may feel ashamed and afraid and may not answer direct questions about their move or what they are going to do with their pet. If you suspect no plans have been made for their pet, perhaps you or someone you know might be willing to foster or adopt the pet, and could gently ask if they are keeping their pet or looking for someone to adopt it. Particularly if there are children in the home, losing the home, possibly their school and friends, and then the family pet, seems like an unbearable stress for a child. Open your heart and see what you might do to help.

Be conscious of abandoned houses in your neighborhood, houses that once contained pets. If you hear a dog barking hours on end and suspect it is in an empty house, contact the local animal control officer. There are people who abandon pets inside of homes, and these animals will die inhumanely unless a human intervenes.

The first step in openness is awareness of a need, and seeing how you might say "yes" to a solution. You don't have to be the entire solution. You don't have to exhaust or bankrupt yourself to be someone else's solution. Just open your heart, and you will know what to do.

The Humane Society of the United States writes on their website that they help "rental managers, property owners, and pet caregivers solve the challenges of keeping pets in rental properties. It's all part of our Pets for Life™ campaign, designed to keep pets with their families, where they belong. In addition to helping people keep their pets when they move, we also help solve other problems that threaten human-pet relationships, such as behavior issues and allergies." Visit HSUS for more information.