Recession-Affected Pets

Here’s how it works: Banks crash, automakers disappear, people stop spending money. The profits of businesses begin to decrease. People lose their jobs. Paychecks don’t show up. Dogfood is crossed off the grocery list. Pets are taken to the pound. Yep, that’s the gist of it.

When people drop off a dog or a cat at an animal shelter, they are asked to state the reason why. Pennsylvania animal shelters are seeing an increase in “surrendered by owner — can’t afford," a reason that hasn’t been used in the past. People who have owned pets for years are finding themselves in a position where they can’t take care of their four-legged friends. I’m not a pet owner, but this makes me sad.