Pets and foreclosure: Does leaving your animals behind constitute cruelty?
Sami and Danni, these two sweet-faced Spaniel-mix sisters, were found alone in the back yard by a real estate agent checking on a Boca Raton home going into foreclosure. Their family had left the name and number of the dogs' veternarian and a note: They had to leave, they said, but could not bring their pets with them. The dogs, taken in by the Tri-County Humane Society in Boca, were healthy and in good shape. But they are 7 years old, cutting their chances for adoption.
I wrote about Sami and Danni in this story that ran last Sunday, on companion animals becoming the silent victims of foreclosures. Although the trend is hard to track, the people running South Florida's shelters fear its on the rise.
"Wow, sad article in Sunday's paper....," wrote Bruce in an e-mail to me. "Absolutely pitiful. Just wondering ... doesn't the Police Dept have any authority to cite or arrest these losers who abandon animals ? Surely this constitutes some form of animal cruelty?"
The answer is: Not necessarily.
There is no Florida law directly addressing animal abandonment.
Owners who leave their pets without water or shelter can be charged with animal cruelty, a misdemeanor that can be upgraded to a felony in extreme cases. But in Broward County, animal control or police officers who discover an animal alone but with shelter and water, and not in distress, post a 24-hour notice on the door. If the officer still finds no one at home when checking back a day later, the animal is taken to the county shelter and the owners notified.
Owners then have five days to claim their pets, and will be charged for boarding and other fees. But no criminal charges are filed.
So -- what are your thoughts on people facing foreclosure who leave behind their animals? Do you know someone who has been in this situation? Is abandonment cruelty if the pets are well-cared for and safe?
It's hard for me to imagine ever leaving my cats behind -- but then, I never have lost my home.
ANGIE BRENNAN, a Sun-Sentinel page designer,
lives with four dogs and one boyfriend. And has a lifetime of animal stories to share.
DIANE LADE, a reporter on the Sun-Sentinel's Help Team, has lived with cats, dogs, reptiles, fish, an iguana, and an armadillo.
CYNDI METZGER, editor of the Sun-Sentinel's Outlook section, is smitten with Bella, her poodle who regularly ignores requests to sit, stay and get off the ivory-colored sofa. 
JOHN TANASYCHUK, a Sun-Sentinel lifestyle writer, has lived with cats as long as he can remember. He and his partner currently share their home with three.
Comments
I feel the majority(not all) of the time foreclosure is due to irresponsible people anyway. I mean, what kind of person leaves behind their two dogs with just a note? These are losers who shouldn't of had a house or pets.
A responsible person even in the worst case scenario is going to make sure their pets are cared for or make the decision to put the pets to sleep.
A couple of months ago, someone dumped a cat where I feed a couple everyday. This cat was very friendly, had a collar, wasn't neutered and solid black. Great a hard to adopt cat and then you turn him loose without having ever had him neutered.
I tried to make arrangements for him to have a chance at adoption, but in the meantime when he was tested, he tested positive for FIV. So instead I had to make the decision to put him to sleep. Do you know how much this irritated me that I had to make the decision to put "your" cat to sleep and that I cared more for "your" cat in the short period then you did?
I know people don't like to compare kids and pets, but I can no more understand "we're moving and can't take the pet" as opposed to "we're moving and can't take the kids".
Posted by: KCK | May 1, 2008 9:12 PM
I have met and worked with so many people who buy more house than they can afford and make excuses for their poor financial planning and then claim to love their family and their pets. If you love your family and pets you buy the house you can afford, you forgo the new granite kitchen in favor of saving some money for a rainy day. You don't drive the lastest and greates car, you keep a reliable affordable car, and put that extra oney into savings. It's about responsibility. Be responsible and find a home for your pets, or take them to a facility (of course you now make the animal facility the person who has to decide whether or not your pet lives or die. YOU ARE YOUR PETS LOVING HOME, don't shirk YOUR responsibility
Posted by: mikey | May 1, 2008 9:57 PM
I think that this pet abandonment is terrible and it SHOULD be a CRIME. Except that, in this kind of case, these heartless losers would probably just dump the pet in the street without a collar, rather than leaving them with a note in the backyard, so the cops couldn't trace them....I have moved heaven and earth to keep my large dog and cat when I have changed residences, sometimes paying a high pet fee at a rental apartment, but I do it gladly. There are, thankfully, a lot of good people out there, animal lovers who will take in the strays and/or donate to their care, so I try to concentrate on the positives....check out the website for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah, www.network.bestfriends.org to see how people who really love animals behave!
Posted by: TJ | May 2, 2008 1:53 AM
I would like to know if Sami and Danni got adopted? Do you know what's going on with them?
Posted by: Webbyzard | May 18, 2008 1:23 PM