Four-Legged Victims Of The Recession

(CBS)  Some experts believe the economy is beginning to slowly recover. But in many cases the damage has already been done - both to people and their pets.

Dr. Debbye Turner Bell, the The Early Show's resident veterinarian, took a closer look at this tragic problem facing many pet owners.

As many people have lost their homes due to foreclosures and lost jobs, it is the family pet that often ends up homeless. These days shelters are struggling to keep up, and pet owners worry about how they can afford their four-legged family members.

Rick and Leslie Hardin talk about their dogs like their children.

"I called them my girls," said Rick Hardin.

But when Leslie lost her job and Rick's income as a salesman plummeted, they also lost their home.

"Things fell apart," Rick Hardin said.

The Hardens found a new place to live, but couldn't take their beloved dogs Sophie and Chloe with them. So they made the agonizing decision to surrender their pets to the shelter where they adopted them.

"When we went to drop them off, she was hysterically crying. It was awful. It was so awful, it is still so awful," Rick Hardin said.

The painful good-bye is still hard to bear.

"Just knowing we'd never see them again," said Leslie Hardin.

Like the Hardins, thousands of Americans have surrendered their pets during the recession. According to Petfinder.com, 84 percent of shelters and rescue groups across the country are reporting pet surrenders due to the bad economy, and shelters are buckling under the influx.

"These shelters are having to cut back their services because they're not getting enough charitable dollars or government money," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the U.S. Humane Society.

"We're all just really perplexed on how long we can keep up our adoption numbers and not have to start euthanizing animals because of space issues," said Martha Armstrong of the Animal Welfare League.

The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, Va., blames the recession for a 30 percent increase in the number of animals at their shelter.

Even when owners can keep their pet, they're foregoing costly veterinary care.

"Which was harder, losing your home or losing the girls?" Bell asked.

"The girls," Rick Hardin said without hesitation. "I could care less about the house. I feel like I let her (Leslie) down. I feel like I let them (the dogs) down. You're not supposed to do that as a man."

"It is so difficult, but there is good news with the Hardins," Bell said. "Rick and Leslie's girls were adopted by another family, and they're doing well. The Hardins are very grateful for that. Now more than ever, shelters really need people to adopt because they are chock-full."

For more information on helping pets through the recession, click here.

[Ichabod09]

November,

An old friend visited and left in October. Still no apparent updates on this approximately 4 month old article.

Dammm noisy crickets!

[Ichabod09]

October and another month has passed with this story of June 22 still on the web-This is kinda like the apartment complex that is quietly in bankruptcy with the only visible evidence being lack of maintenance of the facility. CBS? is anyone still in the building?

[mutnauq4842]

Hi Ichy,

Been wondering where you were hanging out. Ifen yur looking for Edward R Murrow or someone like him, you won't find him at CBS anymore.

Take a look at the active blogs and what do you see? You see sociopaths, OCD's and preverts hitting their electronic fun button trying to find either relief, self-worth, or gratification from their repetitive posts. They constantly change their IDs but not the content of their posts.

Murrow, Winchell and other of the great journalists won't be coming back-and if they could, there would be no audience for them.

Your ID is rather ironic. Most would think of Ichabod Crane from the Irving story. But if I'm right, yur thinking of the book of Samuel reference with respect to the departure of the spirit of God from a once great nation-or perhaps maybe even a great network ; )

What does it profit a man, nation or even network if it gains the world yet loses it soul? Political correctness or social cowardice?-either way CBS has apparently lost it's journalistic soul.

Great seeing ya agin Ichy-but ya really gotta quit hanging out in empty rooms. Gonna tip-toe out and leave ya alone. Take care buddy.

[Ichabod09]

It is now September and CBS is still posting this story originally posted June 22 2009. Maybe CBS is following the format of certain networks by having "CBS Classic News". Sounds a heck of lot better than reruns.

Didn't realize CBS believed in the Bible in principle where it states "There is nothing new under the sun".

[Ichabod09]

How long does CBS plan on running this article? Maybe when the new NEWS season starts? Gee, it's amazing how much advertisers are willing to pay for reruns be it news or programming.

[mary-miami]

The republican party caused this Depression with their cruel ideology of granting undeserved privileges to the wealthy. Many people will suffer for years, long after they have recovered economically, from emotional stress due to having lost their pets, because pets become like one of the family. The Depression can be solved by giving people livable wages. Increase the minimum wage to ten dollars an hour, so the working poor can pay their rent and bills and not have to ask for food stamps. The price of everything goes up but salaries do not. This is wrong. How will the poor rise up to middle class? No matter how many hours they work, they don't earn enough to pay for doctors or schooling.

[swin5]

'they're not getting enough charitable dollars or GOVERNMENT money' (emphasis added)

You mean they ARE getting government money but it's not enough? So our tax dollars are being forcefully taken from us and are being used to feed dogs. And you wonder why this country and governments at all levels are all broke? And you wonder what's wrong with this country? Will someone tell me where in the Constitution of the United States the government has the authority to tax people and use their money to buy dog food?