Las Vegas Animal Shelters Maxed Out On "Foreclosure Pets"

In Nevada, the Las Vegas Review Journal reports:

• While local pet owners have long been giving up their animals when they move, the housing crunch has contributed to an alarming increase in what many have dubbed "foreclosure pets." And Las Vegas facilities are overwhelmed with them, animal rescue and shelter representatives say. "It is the No. 1 way we're getting animals right now," says [Doug] Duke, the executive director of the Nevada SPCA. "We've really noticed it in the last three months and it seems to be escalating on a weekly basis."

• Duke says the SPCA has received a goose, ducks, numerous chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, a potbellied pig and ferrets recently. Cats and dogs make up the majority of the foreclosure pets, though. It's hard to keep track of the numbers because the shelter receives so many calls, Duke adds, but he estimates 150 animals a month are coming in because their owners give them up or leave them behind when they lose their homes. Las Vegas is among the leaders in the nation in foreclosures.

For more, see Overwhelming Situation: Innocent Victims (Animal shelters full of pets that are abandoned during home foreclosures).

For more on foreclosures and abandoned animals, go here and go here. petsII and foreclosures