baltimoresun.com

« Terriers weren't terrorized, VW says | Main | If you've seen one black Lab ... »

Help for pets in foreclosures

With the surge in foreclosures resulting in more homeless dogs, the Humane Society of the United States has created a new grant program for shelters and rescue groups.

Pets have been among the voiceless victims of the current economic downturn, with some families struggling to keep and feed pets, and others forced to leave them behind when foreclosed on, according to HSUS.

To ease the hardships, HSUS is offering grants to animal shelters, rescue groups and animal  control agencies to help establish, expand, or publicize services or programs that assist families in caring for their pets. Grants range from $500 to $2,000 per organization.

"Dealing with a financial crisis is scary enough," said Stephanie Shain, director of outreach for Companion Animals at the Humane Society of the United States. "We hope to ease the burden in some way for families by helping their local shelter help them keep their pet home and part of the family."

Examples of the types of programs that would be eligible for funding from The HSUS fund include organizations that are partnering with local food banks to donate and distribute pet food and supplies, and working with veterinarians to develop service vouchers to be distributed to people who need assistance with veterinary care.

HSUS officials urged families in crisis not to abandon pets. "No one likes to think of leaving their pet at a shelter, but if you can't take him with you, it is by far more humane than leaving them in an apartment or a house alone," said Shain. "

To see the press release about the new grants, click here.

Posted by John Woestendiek at 10:00 AM | | Comments (0)
        

Post a comment

All comments must be approved by the blog author. Please do not resubmit comments if they do not immediately appear. You are not required to use your full name when posting, but you should use a real e-mail address. Comments may be republished in print, but we will not publish your e-mail address. Our full Terms of Service are available here.

Please enter the letter "x" in the field below:
About this blog
Jill Rosen is a reporter at The Baltimore Sun. During her nearly 20 years in journalism, she has covered news and features — including a surprising number of stories that involved animals. There were the dog Christmas carolers in State College, Pa. There were the hounds who toured with a production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The story of a preschool teacher at Baltimore’s Father Kolbe School who had to replace her class guinea pig, who died over the winter holiday. A harrowing tale of what it was like to make homemade pet food ...

Though her clean freak of a mother refused to allow her to get a dog, she has had a number of pets through the years, including goldfish named Bob and Fingle, a beta fish named Ichabod, a wild rat terrier named Wendel, who she shared with a roommate, and, currently, sweet, sweet kitties named Leo Sesame and Milo Pumpkin. She, Leo and Pumpkin live in Baltimore.
Your pet photos
Upload your own pet photos

More animal photos
-- ADVERTISEMENT --

Most Recent Comments
Resources