Tough times put additional burden on animal shelters
They don't know the Dow from a bowl of chow or a bailout from a bale of hay, but our animal friends are affected by the faltering economy just the same.
In a time when families are losing jobs and homes and it's hard enough to put food on the table - let alone in a doggy dish on the floor - pets suffer financial hardship, too. Either their owners make the heartbreaking decision to render them homeless or potential owners decide this is not a good time to bring a new pet into the family.
Across the nation, animal rescue and shelter populations are up; adoptions are down. And the financial support these nonprofits rely on is generally heading south as well.
"People are cutting back on their own personal finances, which means that they don't have the luxury - if it is a luxury - of bringing an animal into their home," said Michelle Groeper, director of operations at South Elgin's Anderson Animal Shelter.
Effectively bursting at the seams, Anderson comfortably houses 150 cats and 45 dogs, Groeper said, but the cat community has peaked at 210. Staff had to create new living space for the overflow.
Groeper now shares her office with five free-roaming cats. Another feline pair was rooming with a dog in the auditorium until recently, when the dog and one of the cats were adopted together.
"We haven't had this many animals in our building for about three or four years," Groeper said. So far this year, adoptions at Anderson are down by 18% from 2007.
When the economy was healthier, Assisi Animal Foundation placed as many as 30 to 35 dogs and cats in a good month, said Isabelle Linklater, founder of the Crystal Lake careless shelter. But, "it's down now to about 15, and the animals keep coming," she said. "The phone has been ringing incessantly."
It's the same in Huntley, where Cindy Ritter is adoption and administrative supervisor at Animal House Shelter.
"People are saying they're losing their homes and moving to apartments due to financial hardship," Ritter said. "When we run out of space, we just have to turn the animals away."
Dogs and cats aren't the only pets in trouble; horses also are feeling the pinch of hard times. Sue Balla blames overbreeding and a "throwaway society."
"The economy is bad, and people can't afford to keep them, but they keep breeding them," said Balla, president of Field of Dreams Horse Rescue and Adoption. "These horses are not out there breeding themselves. It's not like dogs and cats on the streets."
Balla said Field of Dreams gets at least five calls a week from people who say they can't afford to feed their horses and wonder if she'll take them. But with only seven stalls - two are makeshift, and one is occupied by a lovable 42-year-old donkey - the St. Charles organization is full and has a waiting list of 25.
So Balla tells owners to e-mail her the details and a photo which she can pass on to someone looking to adopt.
She recently talked with an Iowa stable owner, who told her that his friend had taken a horse to auction but couldn't get any money for it. On the way home he stopped for lunch, leaving the horse untended in his trailer.
When the man returned to check on the animal, he was shocked to find another mouth to feed - someone had abandoned a second horse inside the trailer.
"People are getting desperate," Balla said.
Kane County Animal Control is seeing that, too, as owners are apparently unable or unwilling to pay veterinary bills. "The number of animals that are abandoned that are older and sick, that people can't seem to take care of, those numbers are up," said administrator Mary Lawrie.
She doesn't have statistics yet, but "I suspect our euthanasias may have increased this month because of the number of sick and injured animals we've seen."
The government agency rounds up strays from the streets and has 30 cats and 15 dogs waiting for adoption. Animal Control makes every effort to avoid euthanasia by placing special needs animals as well as healthy ones, Lawrie said.
The shelters aren't desperate yet, but they're understandably nervous. Linklater is looking for ways to cut the budget at Assisi and so far has focused on trimming staff hours and utility bills.
"We haven't cut into services for the animals yet," she said. If that becomes necessary, she may hold off on ultrasounds and other expensive medical tests for animals who need them and possibly cut back on the quality of chow.
Ritter said Animal House may resort to denying recommended surgeries. At Anderson, "for the next year, we're just planning no new expenditures," Groeper said. "We're always looking for deals on supplies, and for this next fiscal year we will dip into our reserves a little."
The reserves were already spent at Assisi, Linklater said, but the organization held a dinner/dance and silent auction last night to rebuild the bank account. All the shelters are hoping fundraisers and ongoing donations will carry them.
"We're struggling right now with our veterinary bills, food costs and transportation costs when our animals need to go to the vet," Ritter said.
Last weekend, Field of Dreams fetched $38,000 - enough for a whole year, Balla said, "except one big vet bill could wipe out $10,000." To stave off that threat, another fundraiser is planned for summer.
Of course, the shelters also are hoping to reduce their head counts and find "forever homes" for pets by encouraging more adoptions. Some even offer two-for-one deals for cats, and at Anderson, senior citizens can adopt older cats for free.
Adoption costs range from $75 to $350 for dogs and puppies, $50 to $155 for cats and kittens, and $100 to $2500 for horses. Fees vary depending on the pet's age and health status and usually include spay/neutering, vaccinations up to that point and often a microchip, tests and extras like a collar, leash or puppy training.
Though times may be tough, Fox Valley pets can rest assured they have friends - overwhelmed though they may be - at Kane and McHenry County animal shelters.
"We're just doing the best we can with the situation we have," Groeper said, "and keeping a smile on our face."