by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc.
Did you know, pet surrenders and abandonment is on the rise? Is it the state of our economy or are humans becoming more inhumane? It takes up to a minimum of three months for an actual eviction to take place when the contents of the house or apartment are put out on the street by the Sheriff’s Department. Do people really think that it’s not going to happen and only believe it when it does? Why am I writing about eviction of contents? Because some of those “contents” are animals with nowhere to go.
Max, the big headed American Staffordshire terrier was left standing on the street with the Deputy during an eviction. When his contracted shelter refused his intake because he wasn’t technically a stray, Max ended up with us.
In another eviction, six cats were left behind. In principle, the cats are now the landlord’s problem. Every shelter he called, refused. It took 2 of our Animal Control Officers, crawling through the attic crawl space, to catch them. Not that our shelter needed six more cats on top of the 130 in residence. The Osseo 6, as we call them, had been without food and water for few days and needed rescuing.
Camilla, our short, happy Pittie, was left in a crate on the bank of the Hudson River. She was transferred to our shelter to save her from euthanasia.
Kane’s family left him in a crate at our door before the sun rose because they took him from a friend and then decided they didn’t want him anymore. Our cameras enabled us to have the family formally sign this handsome, energetic Pitbull over to us.
Jerry, our senior hound mix, was brought to us as a stray. His microchip led us to his previous shelter who verified it was his family who turned him in as a stray after 7 years!
And now there is Tiana, a three year old mini Doodle, who was brought in as a paralyzed stray found on the road. Our initial thought was she was hit by a car. But there were no obvious injuries. No bleeding, no road rash. Yet she was dragging her hind legs. Her vet exam found no obvious pain or discomfort but she did test positive for Lyme disease. It’s unusual for Lyme disease to present as paralysis though. One would think that most owners would seek medical attention when their dog is limping from joint pain or swelling or becomes lethargic, the typical signs of Lyme. Through a google search A.I. says “neurological complications, including paralysis, can occur in severe cases”. Tiana was prescribed a full course of doxycycline and she is improving! Was she really a stray? Could her family not afford vet care? And no one is looking for this $1000+ sweet designer dog? Having her name and background information would have helped both her and us.
Some surrenders are evidently abandonment. As are all “unclaimed” stray animals.
“Abandoning an animal is not just a choice. It’s a betrayal of trust”. Unknown.
Pet of the Week:
Bella is a plus size 8 year old short hair female brown mackerel tiger. She was surrendered in June 2023 because her family could not afford her and were possibly moving. Bella literally dances for her food when she hears the food cart. She tolerates the other cats but would prefer her own space. She is not an overly attention seeking cat until its time to eat!
Adoption applications are available at wvhumane.org or call 845-986-2473 for more information.
