Homeless Pets: Foreclosure's Forgotten Victims

Facing foreclosure and the uncertainty it brings is hard enough for people to handle. But what about their pets?

It's natural to focus all the attention on people who are displaced, but pets often are uprooted by foreclosures, too. According to Gail Buchwald, senior vice president of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal's Adoption Center says, "This is a tough subject matter for us because we already have an epidemic homeless-pet problem in this country without the foreclosure problem."

According to the ASPCA, 63 percent of households in the United States have at least one pet and, even still, the number of displaced pets is staggering: 5 million prior to the foreclosure crisis and, since then, at least an additional 550,000 to 1 million. So for pet owners who are facing the possibility of foreclosure, Buchwald says, "I urge people to act quickly and as soon as they foresee a problem."

Buchwald offers some advice and tips on how to best handle the situation and find the most positive solution for the animal: