Foreclosures Affect Pets, Too

ROGERS — People aren’t the only ones affected by recent foreclosures in Northwest Arkansas — so is Fido.

Animal shelters are seeing an increase in abandoned animals related to the economic downturn. Higher costs to maintain homes and put food on the table also affect what money is available to feed the family pet.

The Bella Vista Animal Shelter receives an average of two to three calls a day from people needing to surrender their pets, said Donna Miles, the shelter’s manager.

Calls include those who say “I can’t keep my pet” to a couple getting a divorce who want to surrender the family pet, Miles said.

During the month of May, Benton County filings for foreclosure totaled 286, up 127 from the same month last year, according to  Realtytrac.com In the first five months of this year, foreclosures have more than doubled — 1,286 filings this year, compared with 540 in 2007.

Washington County’s foreclosure rate in May was up 78 percent — 186 filings compared with 104 a year ago. In the first five months of 2008, foreclosures also increased 78 percent — 769 filings compared with 432 filings in the same period in 2007.
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