Pets Left Behind and Forgotten – Victims of Foreclosure

dog in foreclosure They can't speak for themselves: poor defenseless animals abandoned and left behind in foreclosed homes. It's a bigger issue than people realize, a serious consequence of the foreclosure nightmare.

Many homeowners do consider turning their pets into animal shelters, but due to overpopulation at many shelters, almost half of incoming animals are euthanized. Heartless homeowners sometimes leave pets in their abandoned homes without food or water, not to mention a non-temperature-controlled environment. Veterinarians say a dog or cat will become dehydrated within 24 hours without water and could die a slow, painful death within a few days.

Why or How Can Foreclosed Homeowners Abandon Pets?

It is not a question that can be answered easily, and most people reading this will feel angry and unable to understand what these villains are thinking. How can they be so insensitive and show no compassion for the animals they once loved and cared for? I've come up with five (5) reasons.

Revenge. Homeowners who leave animals abandoned in their foreclosed properties are the same type of homeowners who destroy their homes. They'll leave the water on to cause flooding. They'll tear the chandelier or the ceiling fan out of the ceiling, kick the doors and walls in, strip all assets, sell plumbing and rip out everything they can, including the kitchen sink. Sometimes frustrated homeowners get creative. One homeowner put three (3) 200-pound pigs in his repossessed home. The pigs quickly tore up the place, ripping away the foundation and reducing the back porch to rubble. When police found the pigs, the animals were barely alive.
Spite. Other pet owners don't think through their actions and wrongly assume that city officials or representatives of the bank will rescue their abandoned pets or that by leaving their pets behind it causes more problems for the bank. Pets should never be used as a weapon!
Depression. Some homeowners view themselves as victims of circumstances beyond their control. They feel totally helpless and are often clinically depressed. Depression causes people to be indifferent to others, themselves and their responsibilities, namely their pets.
Cost. People who have lost a home through foreclosure need to live somewhere else, which means they might have to rent an apartment because they no longer qualify to buy a home. Many apartment buildings do not allow pets. These people think of their own security first and leave their pets behind.
Indifference. They don't share the same sentiments toward pets as you and I. They don't look at a pet as a living, breathing member of their family, incapable of fending for itself. They see a pet as property, no different than a worn pair of shoes tossed into the garbage when a hole appears in the sole.