Foreclosure and Pets: The big picture
By Christie Keith
September 4, 2008
For the last few weeks, I’ve been researching an article on pets and the foreclosure crisis, and the different ways that the two camps of the shelter world have reacted to them. The final article didn’t reflect everything I wanted to say — it would have been, as Gina said, a book instead of an article — but does take a look at how the battle between two philosophies of animal sheltering that is currently playing out in this country is impacting the people and pets affected by the current economic downturn.
One of the most gratifying aspects of researching this article was seeing all the ways that people are trying to help, and seeing a new paradigm of “How can we help?” replace the old one of the “blame the irresponsible pet owner.” Much of that came from interviews with the following people:
Cheryl Lang of No Paws Left Behind
Bonney Brown of the Nevada Humane Society
Nathan Winograd of the No Kill Advocacy Center, and author of Redemption
Also included is a record of my email correspondence with Traci Jennings, director the Humane Society of Stanislaus County.
I’d also like to give a shout-out to an effort I wasn’t able to mention in the final article. I spoke with Rob Aigner of Keller Williams Realty of Beverly Hills, who told me about a program started by his office called “A house is not a home without a pet.” They give a certificate covering an adoption fee at local shelters to clients who purchase a home through their agency – a program they’re working to expand throughout Southern California and to Keller Williams offices nationwide. This helps reduce the numbers of pets in shelters, making room for animals who are victims of the housing crisis.
I’ll continue to update this page with new information, as this is a story that will unfortunately be with us for a long time to come. You might also want to check out the “Foreclosure pets” tag for blog posts we make on the subject.
The foreclosure crisis is made even worse by the lack of low-cost housing where pets are allowed. Our organization ,Citizens FOR Pets in Condos, http://www.petsincondos.org (a 501-c3 tax exempt private operating foundation) is dedicated to increasing acceptance of companion animals in condos and other types of association-run housing. We educate the public about the health benefits of having animal companions and also advocate for responsible pet ownership/guardianship. Our motto: “creating a win-win situation for both people & pets.”
So far, California is the ONLY state with positive legislation to allow people who live in association-run communities to have pets. Similar legislation is sorely needed elsewhere, especially in area with lots of 55+ housing complexes such as Florida.
We have a petition to allow pets, which can be signed online. The link is in the upper lefthand corner of http://www.petsincondos.org.
Comment by Maida W. Genser — September 20, 2008 @ 7:55 pm
A whole lot of stuff needs to happen here. First, no tenant who adopts a pet should be allowed to leave the shelter with her new cat or dog without a one page sheet explaining the rights of tenants who have pets in the shelter’s community. The flyer should explain when landlords can force tenants to get rid of pets (generally at any time), the notice required etc. These days, tenants should know what their rights are in foreclosure (each state has different laws, and some local jurisdictions have greater tenant protections) and what they need to do to enforce their rights.
Second, if shelters really believe that tenants should be able to have pets, they have to be willing to go up against the real estate interests and help to pass legislation that requires landlords to accept pets under reasonable conditions. Landlords have traditionally used “no pet” rules to exclude families with children, to discriminate against non-white applicants etc. Shelters, which have been all too willing to condemn people who’ve lost everything, have been positively cowardly in their unwillingness to confront the landlord class.
And finally, shelters should be actively working with foreclosure prevention groups to help people at risk of foreclosure to find pet-accepting housing. Waiting until the former homeowners have shown up on the doorstep with the pet is not helpful; making sure that someone from the shelter attends every foreclosure-assistance meeting in the community with information and resources is.
Comment by PeonInChief — October 15, 2008 @ 4:14 pm