Abandoned Foreclosure Pets: The Unsuspecting Victims
The surge of housing foreclosures is taking a heavy toll on families across the country, and our pets are paying the biggest price of all.
Last summer one family in northern California lost their home. They hurriedly packed what they'd decided to take with them, and drove to the dump with the rest. There they dropped off an old tired couch, and a brown pit bull mix. For several days the dog waited for her family to return. Tied to the couch she had no choice.When she was finally discovered, she was dehydrated and very tired.
Debbie Eaglebarger, caretaker of the local Corning, California shelter and the one who untied her, gave her something to eat and drink, and named her Summer.
There will always be people like Summer's former owners, who get rid of their dogs thoughtlessly. But Eaglebarger says the number of dogs who've been hastily abandoned due to an eviction or loss of a home is on the rise. "The foreclosure crisis is hitting very hard here," she says.
Summer arrives, Summer turned out to be among the lucky ones. Eaglebarger was able to find the once fearful dog a new home. The pit mix, who has blossomed into a wag-friendly dog, now lives permanently with her new family, a couple, in San Francisco.
Eaglebarger tries to help people on the verge of losing their homes find new ones, and there are options. But she also recommends bring your dog to a shelter if all else fails. "It's much better than leaving your dog on the side of the road to starve, get into a fight, or be hit by a car," she says, "or be thrown in a dump."
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