Dogs and Cats Forced Out of Repo Homes

Dogs and cats and other kinds of pets have also been suffering from the continued increased in repo homes across the country. As many former homeowners lose their homes and go to home shelters, they have no more space to care for their pets so they give them away to neighbors or animal shelters.

Some pets are even left inside the repo homes for others to discover, as many former homeowners have little children to take care of, have belongings to check and have no more energy for pets.

In the township of Clyde in Michigan, the Blue water Area Humane Society has been accepting a rising number of dogs, cats and other pets from former owners of repo homes since 2008.

Monica Ceckowski, director of the animal shelter, said it is a sad sight when pet owners and their children come to give away their pets. The owners say they have lost their homes, their cars and they have nowhere to stay.

Ceckowski said the shelter is presently taking care of about 30 dogs, with some smaller dogs occupying the cat kennel, as there are fewer cats. She said the shelter frees up space everytime other rescue organizations come to the facility and take several dogs that fit their shelters which are dedicated to certain dog breeds.

The shelter also advertises pets from repo homes on petfinder.com and show off pets at the Pet Supplies Plus store in Fort Gratiot during awareness campaigns.

Recently, one of the most effective programs that helped the shelter was a Girl Scout project launched by 13-year-old Girl Scouts Alysia Thomes and Emily Kearns. These two scouts held a PetPalooza event for nearly 70 Daisies and Brownies at the headquarters of Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan in the township of Port Huron.

The girls asked for donations of pet supplies and toys or five dollars for admission to the event. They also made crafts and baked dog biscuits for the shelter. They watched dog demonstrations from the Klever K-9 4-H Club and learned about therapy dogs from dog trainer carolyn Crowe.

Thomes said she saw the conditions of dogs and cats while her father, a real estate broker, visited repo homes for sale. She said stories about dogs and cats left behind repo homes are true.

Ceckowski said she is grateful for the Girl Scouts’ efforts. The Scouts’ project raised $45 and lots of supplies such as pet food, cat litter, pet toys and laundry detergent.

By Cassiano Travareli