Humans aren't the only ones losing their homes in the rough economy. The number of dogs abandoned and surrendered has increased dramatically in the past several years, shelter workers and dog wardens says.
"The numbers have gone up significantly with the problems of the economy," said Denise Feldle, administrator for the James A. Brennan Memorial Humane Society in Mayfield. "Last year and so far this year, there have been more owner surrenders than I've ever seen in the past."
Jane Potts, the dog warden for Broadalbin and Mayfield, said when people have to make a choice between feeding pets and feeding themselves, animals lose. She said most people try to keep their pets as long as they can, feeding them as little as possible, but eventually they either dump the animals or let them die of starvation.
She said dog owners used to abandon their animals on back roads in the country, but she's finding more dogs being left in populated areas. She said it's because people want their pets to be found and given a home.
William Lints, who has been dog warden in Oppenheim since January, said since April he's been called by neighbors three times about dogs that were abandoned by their owners. One dog was chained to a tow truck that was sunken in the mud and another was emaciated, he said. In the third case, a couple divorced, leaving their home and dog behind, he said.
Feldle said in 2010 about 120 dogs were surrendered to the humane society by their owners and another 50 to 60 were brought in by rescue groups. Animal control officers brought in 75 more dogs, only 27 of which were redeemed by their owners.
The shelter also helped about 230 cats, she said.
The humane society has facilities for about 45 dogs, but they try to keep the number below 25 so they can accommodate any that are brought in by municipalities. Although they can make owners wait to surrender their dogs, they have to take the ones brought by animal control officers. Feldle said some animals are at the shelter more than a year before they're adopted.
"We absolutely do not euthanize to make space," Feldle said.
She said only five animals out of 482 were euthanized last year, because they either were old, suffering or extremely aggressive.
When the shelter gets too full, animals may be sent to other facilities. Feldle said three Akita dogs had recently been transported to a rescue group in New Jersey after being at the humane society for about three months.
Feldle said the shelter also holds adoption clinics. They recently participated in Pet-a-Palooza with Steve Caporizzo of WTEN-TV's "Pet Connection" feature, that resulted in 10 dogs and five cats being adopted.
Officials seek more
microchipping
Joseph Passino, Perth's dog warden, says requiring all dogs in Fulton County to be microchipped would make it faster for lost dogs to be returned to their homes.
Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice, and are implanted just under the animal's skin, between the shoulder blades. Each microchip has a registration number, which can match up to the owner's information when the chip is scanned.
Unlike collars and tags, microchips cannot be lost, altered or removed, so even if a dog is stolen, it can be returned to its owner. When a dog was stolen from Perth, Passino said a veterinarian in another state made the discovery after scanning the microchip.
Feldle said even cats should be microchipped, because they tend to wander farther than dogs when lost.
The humane society offers microchipping for $25 when an animal is adopted, and $40 to the general public. Many veterinarians also offer the service, whose costs can include yearly fees for registration.
Potts said microchipping clinics used to be offered, but very few took advantage because of the cost. She said even the rabies clinics, where shots are $5, aren't well-attended.
Lints agreed most owners would be unlikely to spend the money to have their dogs microchipped. Passino hoped microchip manufacturers could offer free scanners to municipalities and provide microchips at a reduced cost. He said he brought up the idea at the Perth town meeting in April but wasn't encouraged to pursue it.
Barbara Cook covers rural Fulton County. She can be reached at ruralnews@leaderherald.com.
