Previous |
Next S.C. Lawmakers Funnel $2-Million to Charity Via Universities |
June 3, 2008, 01:53 PM ET
More Needy Pet Owners Turn to Food Banks
As hard times mount, more pet owners are turning to food banks and discounted veterinary clinics to provide for their animals, reports The Associated Press.
Rising costs of food, fuel, and housing, combined with the foreclosure crisis, have affected people’s ability to care for their pets. Food banks report a surge in requests for pet food, and more owners are turning to discount veterinary clinics or skipping care for their animals. Other owners are giving up their pets altogether.
The Animal Welfare League, in Chicago Ridge, Ill., says 50 percent more people have sought monthly rations of pet food than last year. And the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ chapter in Santa Cruz, Calif., said that demand has risen by 20 percent for its pet-food bank over the past six months.
In addition, the foreclosure crisis has resulted in a growing number of pet owners abandoning their animals or giving them to shelters after the loss of a home or relocation to housing that does not allow animals.
The Petco Foundation, the charity arm of Petco Animal Supplies, is providing $5,000 grants to shelters to relocate animals abandoned through foreclosures, as well as to help people find housing that will allow them to keep their pets.
(Free registration is required to view this article on the Baltimore Sun site.)
Add Your Comment
Commenting is closed.