More pets are being cut loose as owners respond to economic hard times

During an economic downturn what's the first expense to go? Some may say dining out or taking lavish trips.

How about the family pet?

Rising home foreclosures, food prices and veterinarian bills are forcing people to dump pets at the Humane Society for Southwest Washington — or, worse, drop them in the streets for animal control officers to pick up.

While the number of pets at the Humane Society this year appears consistent with previous years, Lisa Feder, director of operations, said trends show a significant tie to the plummeting economy.

People used to forfeit pets because of behavior problems. Now, it's because people can't afford food, vet bills or even their homes, she said. When pet owners downsize to an apartment, they discover one of the rules is no pets.

"I would say it has a lot to do with the economy," Feder said of reasons why four-legged furries are forfeited. "It's people who are moving from houses they owned to apartments, and they can't have pets."

This happens more with dogs than cats, Feder added, since cats are more apartment friendly and require less attention. This year, adoption rates of cats rose 27 percent, while the number dropped 6 percent among pooches.

The influx in dog numbers hasn't hurt the humane society yet, Feder said. When the shelter gets inundated with canines, pooches are transported out to area rescue organizations to free up space.

"Sometimes we have to have people wait to donate dogs," she said.

Cruelty cases up

Before animals reach the shelter, Lead Animal Control Officer Dennis Davidson finds them in some unusual places.

Dogs and cats turn up in boxes on highways, locked in abandoned cars or in the backyards of abandoned homes.

In eviction cases, Davidson's often called to pick up animals left behind. The situation used to end on a happier note: People claimed their pets. Now, they don't, he said.

Owners who no longer can afford pet food simply don't feed their pets. People who can't afford to take their ailing cat to see the vet just don't. Davidson said this results in the majority of cruelty cases.

And it's evident in the numbers. Animal cruelty cases are up 15 percent this year compared to last.

"It's obvious that people are taking shortcuts, whether it's not feeding them or not taking them to the vet," he said. "When people are faced with that choice, pets become expendable."

Horse owners, he said, are also having big problems. After hay and grain prices spiked nationwide earlier this year, animal control officers saw another jump: Horse abandonment cases rose 300 percent over last year, he said.

In July, for example, officers found 20 malnourished horses in La Center. The owner claimed that after her husband left her she couldn't afford food. She was charged with animal cruelty, Davidson said.

Sometimes cash-strapped animal owners come to the humane society, or to animal control officers, before a case becomes abandonment or cruelty. Owners ask for financial assistance, but resources are too thin for officials to help.

"If they can't get help for it, what can they do?" he said.

Laura McVicker: 360-735-4516 or laura.mcvicker@columbian.com.

— — — — —

(c) 2008, The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.