The economy seems to be impacting increased numbers of animal abandonment and surrenders.
When News 9 decided to do a story on pet abandonment, they went internally to their own expert, Cheryl Melton, News 9 Engineering Supervisor, and vice-president of Forever Friends Humane Society.
The story appears
here.
Cheryl added comments of her own below:
I said so much more than this, and if you know me, you know how I can talk! I am so glad they touched on the topic even if it goes so much deeper.
I did not say that OKC shelter no longer euthanizes, although I did comment that they haven't had to euthanize any cats for a while. The city shelter has had positive news of late in spite of the economy.
One thing I said that did not get used, was the difference in the abandonment. We have seen animals dumped in the country, in trash dumpsters and in the river for years, and that still happens. However, the people that do those acts are not the ones that are doing what I am seeing now. Now, we have people trying to leave the animals in what they consider to be a "safe" place, like under my carport! When they call, I say there is no room, but if I come home and just find them, what will I do? I will deal with it and make room somehow. However, it ultimately jeopardizes FFHS by causing me to have too many animals.Related article on woman living in car with two golden retrievers found
here.
How You Can Help:
Review related article on
HSUS plan to help families in financial crisis.
Help yourself and others consider a contingency plan in case you no longer have a home for yourselves and your animals. Contact family, friends, rescues, or local social support organizations.
Support your local rescues such as
FFHS in their efforts to support the local community during this crisis.
Posted by Marti Lombardi for the FFHS Community of the Best Friends Animal Society