Economic turmoil trickling down to pets
Sarie, in red, and Joey, a pair of miniature schnauzers, are walked by a Humane Society volunteer in Omaha, Neb. The two 9-year-old dogs were dropped off anonymously with a note that said their owners could no longer afford to keep them.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A growing number of Americans are giving up their dogs and cats to animal shelters as the emotional bonds between people and pets get tested by economic ones.
From the Malvern, Pa., man who turned his two dogs over in order to help pay for his mother’s cancer treatments, to the New York woman who euthanized her cat rather than keeping it alive with expensive medications, rising economic anxieties make it increasingly difficult for some pet owners to justify spending $1,000 a year or more on pet food, veterinary services and other costs. (more…)
