Jul 17, 2008 3:26 pm US/Eastern
Housing Market Slow Down Hurting Pets Too
(KDKA)
The slow down in the housing market has troubling implications not only for people, but also for their pets.
Some people who have trouble paying their mortgage, are not only leaving their homes, they are leaving their pets behind when they move.
Across the country, family pets are being turned over to animal shelters or left to fend for themselves because their owners either can't afford their home or can't afford them.
There are no hard figures nationwide, but shelters in foreclosure hot zones like Florida, Arizona and California all report significant jumps in the number of family pets handed over due to economic hardship.
Compounding the problem is that the number of adoptions is slowing down.
But the Humane Society of the United States has now launched a foreclosure fund to help local chapters care for the animals. So far, it has brought in $80,000.
For more information: 
Humane Society of the United States
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