With foreclosures skyrocketing and the prices of everyday goods rising, pets have become hidden victims. As many people are being displaced from houses to apartments that don't allow pets, they leave their cats and dogs with shelters, or even worse, abandon them altogether. Home inspectors and real estate agents have found starved, dehydrated, and terrified dogs, cats, rabbits, and even horses.  I personally had two similar occurrences earlier this year. The first one was a Pit-bull left chained in the backyard of the property with no food or water and in the freezing cold. Even though it took several phone calls and days, that had a happy ending - I was able thru the local HS to find a family that adopted him! The second one did not have such a happy ending! By the time the inspector and I were able to enter the abandoned property, the young dog that was left behind had died. And as a pet owner myself, I am still broken hearted over that!

Foreclosure is an incredibly stressful situation and people make rash decisions when they're under that kind of stress. A lot of animal shelters across the country are overwhelmed with the number of animals they have to handle. According to the Humane Society reports, the number of abandon animals doubled from 2006 to 2007, and it has gone up again in the first part of 2008. It is a very sad situation, but with the main reason being economic, whether it is a foreclosure, loss of income from sudden layoff, or any kind of hardship, makes it harder to deal with. When people cannot afford to provide food and shelter for their children, the pets don't even enter the picture.

So, please, if you are a Real Estate professional that deals with short sales and/or foreclosed properties, help the owners whenever you can, to make arrangements for any pets they might have. If nothing else can be done, at least call on Humane Society for help. They will do whatever they can to take these animals in and hopefully find them a new, loving home! We CAN make a difference!