Guest Columnist
Surrendering Pets in Hard Times
By
May 3, 2009 - 8:40:09 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - We could have recognized that the country was in a Recession a year before the stock market crash, if we had known how to read the signs: Animal shelters were filling up in areas where foreclosures were high. In late 2007 newspapers and internet sites began to write about the deluge of pets flooding local rescue groups. In this case cats and dogs were the canaries in the coalmine. This early warning system failed to attract the notice of financial experts until it became a nationwide problem, and by then it was too late.

What makes the wholesale surrender of companion animals heartbreaking, or perhaps merely unexpected, is that for the last twenty-five years animal lovers have said their pets are members of the family. In survey after survey respondents report that their pet sleeps in the bedroom, receives and, in some cases “sends”, holiday presents, and is given a place of honor in the family portrait gallery that resides in our wallets. In my own research clients of a major metropolitan veterinary teaching hospital said they’d have to be life-threateningly ill to give up a pet. They added that in many cases they would give a scarce drug to their own cat or dog in preference to a human they had never met.

Should we conclude that pets are just fair-weather family and not the real thing? After all, pets are abandoned all the time. Just ask kindly farmers and city parks departments about the dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, fish, and turtles turned loose on their property. Visit college campuses and vacation spots after the part-time residents have gone home and look for pets left to fend for themselves in student dorms and summer rentals. Clearly some people buy pets for short-term amusement and do not hesitate to get rid of them when something more compelling comes along.

Human-animal interaction goes back thousands of years. Dr. James Serpell of the University of Pennsylvania is one of many scholars who feels that humans and dogs shaped each other’s development, giving each other food and protection. In 1984 E.O. Wilson, the biologist, coined the term “Biophilia” to explain the attraction people have to the natural world. This interest conferred an evolutionary advantage. Ancestors who paid attention to the plants and animals around them lived longer and reproduced more than ancestors who failed to move when the wildebeests took off running from a predator. Appreciation for the animal world seems to bring positive health benefits, such as reduced blood pressure and increased exercise.

In the last two decades American culture has recognized the importance of the human-animal bond. It is socially acceptable to declare that your dog is your best friend, that your cat sleeps with you, and that you were devastated when your 30-year-old parrot died. In fact your friends will be able to find an appropriate sympathy card at the local stationery store. While some observers suggest this visible attachment is a recent response to our changing family structure, others point to the long history of our relationships with animal companions, declaring that the feelings haven’t changed, just our openness about them.

Whether this positive regard is new or old, biological or social, how can people bear to give their pet/family member to a shelter for financial reasons? One explanation is that they are doing with dogs and cats what other people have done with excess children: Find them a home somewhere else. Not so long ago in America unwanted children were sent to orphanages by the thousands. In other cultures girls are married young and sent to live with their husband’s family. Some children are sold into slavery or servitude. Should we assume that in all these situations families care nothing for these children and are glad to be rid of them?

In other cases people want very much to keep their companion animal but are prevented by the systems they have turned to in crisis. Many women in fear for their lives will not leave their abuser because most domestic violence shelters will not take the family pet. Threatening pets is one more kind of power batterers have over victims. The world saw the lengths to which pet lovers would go to protect their animals in the aftermath of Katrina, where people remained on rooftops and refused transportation to safety unless their pet could come too. Officials learned the lesson, and when Hurricane Rita followed close after, provisions were made for pets.

These same obstacles are at the heart of the current pet crisis. By far the number one reason given for the deluge of pet surrenders is economic hardship. Once a family is evicted from their home, they have few options. Many apartment buildings do not allow pets. Family members who might be willing to squeeze in parents and children have no extra space for the Golden Retriever. Even if the family can find shelter where pets are allowed, financial aid sources can seldom spare resources for non-humans.

Responsible, loving pet owners make the choice to surrender pets to shelters in hopes that their animals will find a new home. Owners see this as a far better fate than dumping a dog or cat who has never had to fend for itself on the street. Rescue groups wish that families in trouble would call earlier, so that there would be time to prepare a plan, but often owners come in at the last possible second, when it is clear their options have run out. After all, if they had a friend who was eager to take on those pets, they wouldn’t be at the shelter in the first place.

What are the solutions for pet lovers facing hard economic times? They can conserve money as soon as they see trouble on the horizon by switching to less expensive pet food and keeping up with preventive care so that pet illnesses do not get out of hand. If they see that a major dislocation is inevitable, they can approach every friend and neighbor who ever stopped to scratch their dog’s belly or to admire their cat’s plumy tail to see whether this Good Samaritan would adopt the pet or foster it till the family can take it back. If possible, the original family might contribute money or supplies to help the transition. Pet lovers should approach every “no-kill” shelter and rescue group in their area to find one that may have space for their companions.

If we accept that in many households pets are true family members and that regular contact with animals can improve health, then we must look for a broader solution to the problem of pet surrender. It is a social issue, just like day care for toddlers and home aides for senior citizens. Some cities have foundations and networks designed to keep pets in the home. In New York City The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals provides help with spay/neuter procedures and micro chipping, while the division of Animal Care and Control offers low cost veterinary care and legal advice for pet housing problems called Safety Net.

Before we blame those who have lost their jobs and homes for giving up their furry, feathered, or finned friend, society should work harder to keep families intact, including pets. We don’t know the damage to families that comes from forced separation from a pet. We do know the physical and psychological benefits of having someone who loves you no matter where you live or how much you make.

Dr. Susan P. Cohen has been Director of Counseling at The Animal Medical Center in New York City since 1982. As a social worker she helps people whose pets are critically ill make decisions about treatment and supports those whose pets have died. She also teaches young veterinarians how to work with clients who are angry, sad, or confused about their pet’s condition.

www.amcny.org

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