Don't Forget About Rover

I am shocked reading about the high number of pets that people are ditching due to the economy and foreclosures. As our readers may know, I am an avid dog lover and am parent to a very large and lovable black Lab named Louie.

While my annual pet expense category in Quicken teeters between $7,000 and $10,000, I could never think of leaving him behind if my home was foreclosed upon or I lost my job. I would figure out how to make it work.

With that said, I do understand that feeding a family must take precedence over caring for a dog or cat, no matter how lovable the pet may be. Rover sometimes has to take a back seat to putting food on the table for our kids. And as families lose their homes, they are relocating to not-pet-friendly apartments, forcing them to leave their family pets at shelters.

What can we all do to help our needy pets who may be in a bleak situation due to the recession?  Here are some pet-friendly tips towards a solution:

If you are thinking of giving a pet as a holiday gift, please adopt from a shelter vs. purchasing a dog or cat from a breeder or pet store. As a direct consequence of pet abandonment, the number of animals needing a home is greater than it has ever been. Adopting from a shelter is also a better economic alternative. Most adoptions are free, and vaccinations and spaying/neutering are also no- or low-cost alternatives to taking a newly-adopted pet to a vet. Donate to your local humane society or ASPCA. A monetary gift or the gift of a bag of food will help tremendously. If you notice that your neighbors have moved due to foreclosure but that the family dog is still in the backyard or in the house, don't assume that they are coming back to fetch Rover. Call your local humane society immediately! A staggering number of people are leaving pets behind when forced to leave their homes.

As the economy improves, I hope that this situation does as well. In the meantime, I am going to see what I can do with my local shelter to ensure that I contribute to their care of abandoned animals. I am also going to give Louie a big old hug when I get home today.