California Central Valley animal shelters overwhelmed

[Louisiana1976]

For thousands of Valley pets, the recession is a death sentence.

Layoffs and foreclosures have forced families to give up pets in large numbers, loading shelters that already were struggling. And if Fluffy or Fido are older or have chronic medical needs, that means they are less adoptable -- and more likely to be killed.

"We can't give them as much time to stay up for adoption," said Beth Caffrey of the Central California Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "The euthanasia rate climbs when that happens."

The situation has become so dire, Caffrey said, that just last week the SPCA board decided to start charging pet owners for surrendered animals: $10 per pet, $25 per litter. The new fee starts Monday.

The agency needed a new source of revenue because it expects budget cuts from the city of Fresno and Fresno County, she said. Meanwhile, donations of food and money are down.

snip

http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/1728661.html

[mike_c]

1. damn, this just means that more folks will abandon their pets...

...to avoid paying the fee. This is terrible. :cry:

[Gormy Cuss]

2. I agree, that will be a side effect, unless Fresno Co maintains a shelter too.

My county has two shelters (overflowing too at the moment) and even though they work hard to find foster placements they're still euthanizing a number of animals these days.

[azul]

3. Dang. If only we had a chemical sterilization option

like years ago to help prevent just such suffering. Life may not be as cheap as some simply imagine. We seem to be all in this living world together.

Some people are working at it, at least:

http://www.acc-d.org/Home%20Page

[Momgonepostal]

4. Very sad, but I'm not surprised

My family just "adopted" a small dog. She was dumped in a box and left outside my work.

In talking to other people, it sounds like this is happening more and more. A worker at Pet Smart told me they regularly have people dump boxes of kittens at the front door overnight, or sometimes leave dogs tied to bushes or posts out front.

Here's our new baby:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30664417&l=d24eda9f46&id=1141676309