Foreclosing On A Pet

For Families, Losing A Home Can Also Mean Losing The Family Dog Or Cat

(CBS)  The Resendiz family lost their first home to foreclosure in the subprime mortgage mess. They were forced to squeeze into an apartment - all six of them.

But one member of the family couldn't make the move, CBS News corresondent Sandra Hughes reports.

"We always wanted a house and a dog," said the family's oldest daughter, Jessica.

Fourteen-year-old Jessica Resendiz was talking about the family dog, Daisy Mae.

Jasmine is the baby of the family, whose first word was "Daisy."

"We wanted the American dream, basically," said the girls' mom, Jenny Resendiz. "You buy a house, you get a dog, you have a family."

In the past year, shelters in Massachusetts, Florida and California have reported an up-to-30 percent increase in the number of family pets left homeless because of the mortgage crisis.

Many owners will bring their animals into a Humane Society. Others will abandon them in the foreclosed home.

The increases have brought thousands of animals and dogs into shelters. In rural California, the problem is horses and exotic animals.

But no matter the pet, the emotion seems the same.

"We have seen them here with their head down crying filling out the paperwork," said Karen Zich of the Riverside Humane Society.

Riverside County's home foreclosure rate is the eighth-highest in the nation, up 228 percent over the past year.

Half the dogs at the shelter there were from people whose homes were in foreclosure?

"Yes, that is right lost their homes and had to move," Zich said.

But for most of these abandoned animals, having already been a family pet makes them good candidates for adoption - like Daisy Mae.

"I fell in love with her," said John Williams, Daisy Mae's new owner. "It was that quick."

Now, the Williams family of Rancho Bernardo are making a new home for Daisy Mae, which makes the Resendiz family feel better - and hopeful that like Daisy Mae, they could have a new home in their future.

[besttyper]

This whole mortgage thing is such a tragedy. I just don''t understand how people got themselves into this mess in the first place. When they were buying the homes, surely they were told their interest rate would go up after a certain amount of time. If your rate goes up, doesn''t it stand to reason your payment would go up? DUH!! I''m sorry this is happening to the families, but don''t blame the mortgage companies, because the families brought this all on themselves. And no, I''m NOT a Republican. I just make sure I understand papers before I sign them.

[sgtrds]

Losing my home would be bad enough, but losing one of my dogs would be much worse. A home is just an object, but your pet is a living breathing creature that you made a commitment to to always care for it. I would feel like I let my dogs down unforgivably.

[linfinster]

I am lucky to have a fairly secure job and a mortgage that will never change. BUT that company did tell me I could afford this when they really shouldn''t have! Well over half my monthly income is for the mortgage/PMI/homeowner Ins. What''s left is you know, basics. My one "big" expense is the Internet! Whoo hoo. I need a 2nd job to pay for the heating alone, kitchen sink is out of commission, my roof leaks, the basement is going to start flooding this spring, car repairs .. CALGON ... but no, wait! I''ve got that stimulus ck heading my way .. what? $600? Hmmm what will I use it on?

[grammawhamma]

Shame on those people that left their pets abandoned due to foreclosure! They could have at least taken them to the humane society. I wish more landlords would allow pets. They could charge a higher security deposit and extra rent per pet.

What ever happened to people buying small starter homes?? or fixer uppers?? This is what happens to the "I want it and I want it now" generation. I really don''t feel too sorry for people that try to live above their means.

[dylanxxv]

WaaaWaaaaWaaaa...If you lose your house you have absolutely no one to blame but yourself...To blame a mortgage company or anyone else is a cop out...
DO NOT BUY MORE THAN YOUR PATHETIC AZZ CAN AFFORD...It''s as simple as that...To expect the government to bail you out shows that your nothing more than a welfare wh o re...
These morons leaving their pets in an empty house should all be shot...

[andrew_693]

This is what happens when you wanna live like snoop doggie dog or P Diddy and don''t have a real job.

[andrew_693]

These people that buy expensive dogs, pit bulls, 30 foot snakes, etc... are all gang bangers without identity and pretend that their dad and role model is eminem, vanilla ice or notorious P.I.G because their real daddy abandoned them for the habit. They think people will respect them because they have bad *** pet they don''t take care off, in reality they are little childern afraid of the dark, weak and ignorant trying to protect what material possessions they have in order to fill the emptiness until one day, recession hits and they end up on the streets.

[keithle1]

Read the fine print. All of it. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

What''s wrong with a 30-year mortgage at a fixed interest rate? Who needs drama, changes & excitement after you buy a house?

Stop trying to live the lifestyles of the rich & famous. Don''t worry about keeping up with the joneses. They won''t be joining you in the shelter or your cardboard house on the street.

[michellem99-2009]

Gamma love yer post and the Sgt too. I LOVE DOGS and yes the land lords they do say no. The police arrest the master/mistreass of the dog if it bark and bothers Miss/Mister Fussy. I would rather a dog over a whiny child. I can''t understand why they can sleep better in a richy house over a reg house that cost less.Made no sense. Sure there are things I would like but can''t afford.

[michellem99-2009]

I can''t afford credit cards so therefore I won''t ask for them. If offerd I say no thank ye.

[pedals2]

Thank you to CBS for trying to help enlighten the public on the plight of the most helpless victims of the mortgage crisis.

Abandonment of your pet is not an acceptable option if you must leave your home. As CBS showed there are much better options; please explore all of them if your pet can''t move with you. They deserve your very best, after all that is all they have ever given you.

[buddynyc1]

House pets are near and dear to us, so we are much more sensitive to their mistreatment. However, please remember that factory farms, where we get 70% of our meat and dairy, severely abuse farm animals everyday, and no one does anything about it except pretend it doesn''t exist.

[inrescuer]

As a volunteer at a horse rescue, I can tell you how hard it is on some to give up their horses. It is a very emotional time. We are a 501(c)3 non profit, but keeping up with the funding is a full time job for volunteers just to be able to continue to feed the animals that come to us. Thank you CBS for bringing the plight of animals to the front of the story that it is not just people losing their homes.

[mac4440]

to BuddyNYC1: you are severely misinformed, you said "factory farms, where we get 70% of our meat and dairy, severely abuse farm animals everyday". Anyone with any sense at all knows that is false. Animals that are under stress or abuse do not perform well. They will die if abused continually. Farms are in business to make money. Profit is made by animals thatdo well. The way to do that is to raise animals in a stress free environment. Just because they are raised indooors in a pen does''t mean they are abused.

[mjvw2]

Read the fine print. All of it. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

What''''s wrong with a 30-year mortgage at a fixed interest rate? Who needs drama, changes & excitement after you buy a house?

Stop trying to live the lifestyles of the rich & famous. Don''''t worry about keeping up with the joneses. They won''''t be joining you in the shelter or your cardboard house on the street.


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Posted by Keithle1


Keithle1 - sounds like you speaking of personal responsibility. Words never heard on this website.

[twadwis]

1st time here...came across mac444''s comments about factory farms and stress. He states that animals on such farms don''t have stress or the animals would die. Exactly...the ''modern'' cow is culled (shipped/slaughtered)long before it is 10 years old, very often before 5 years old.....why ?....stress. Milked 3 times a day, kept in daylight round the clock, given milk producing hormones and kept in crowded conditions. If you have been to a livestock auction barn you know there is tremendous stress there, the animals are bellering, shoving, butting, mass confusion. Also, do you know that USDA regulations allow milk to be hauled from a farm with filthy cows and terrible management as long as the milk in the bulk tank tests clean...I personally know of a farm where a cow laid dead for months yet milk was hauled out every week. Ask a cattle hauler how many calves die in transport. Please lets not be blind to the realities of todays farming....from day one animals are stressed in order to produce food for our tables....yes, managers try to keep it to a minimum but stress and ''animal unit loss'' (death) are still a big problem.

[mac4440]

You people don''t listen to reason, all you want to believe is the few horror stories about abused animals, out of the millions that are produced. Once again I will say it..An animal under stress will not be a profitable one! Farms are in business to make money. Buildings and equipment are designed to provide a comfortable environment so they will produce as well as possible. Just because they are confined does''t mean they are in crowded conditions. Death loss is avoided at all costs. That is just money down the drain. And yes, I raise cattle.

[mac4440]

And if you ask me, I think it is wrong to keep a dog confined indoors for most of its life.