Cats once abandoned, now being adopted

Ninety cats living in an abandoned Albany apartment have been rescued and are now up for adoption.

Read the story and see the video and pictures from WRGB TV Channel 6.

The effort started with a simple plea from Diane Metz of Albany: "Please help the Orange Street Cats." Lara DeLaMater was one of several dozen area residents who responded and learned that the long-abandoned apartment at 198 Orange Street was housing 90 severely neglected cats and two dogs.

The animal lovers entered the condemned apartment July 29 and took the animals.

In a previous email to CBS 6, DeLaMater said, "I personally walked through the house... there were cats in rafters trying to seek safety from the inches of feces on the floor. Thousands of flies swirled around and the stench was suffocating, even with a mask."

So far, without spaying or neutering, medical costs for each animal has been between $150 and $250, Metz said.

They have a Facebook page and a website if you'd like to help or donate. The group is looking for foster care providers.

Bad economy bad for pets

A stagnant economy is affecting pets, too.

It's not a new story. The economy falters, companies downsize. Employees lose their jobs, can't pay bills and are forced to move out of their homes.

That can be difficult enough. But for some victims of the economy who find themselves in tight financial situations, there's another difficult issue to tackle:

What do I do with my pet?

Read the entire article by Abbey Roy in the Newark (Ohio) Advocate.

Increasing cases of animal abandonment and shelter overcrowding indicate that pets aren't immune from the economy's toll on the nation. As pet owners continue to tighten their budgets to make ends meet, many are turning to shelters or abandoning their animals simply because they can't afford to keep them.

The Licking County Humane Society works with people who feel they have to give up their pets, asking if they are doing so because they can't afford to feed them.

If that is the case, there are places where food can be obtained such as a pet food pantry in Newark.

People are also cutting back on preventive care, such as heartworm prevention and fecal checks.

Sad to say, I am sure people are cutting back on their own care as well.

Oil spill and abandoned dogs

One hundred dogs from Louisiana are heading to a shelter in Madison, N.J.

The pets were left behind by owners affected by the massive Gulf oil spill.

Read the USA Today story here.

The Louisiana SPCA, the Humane Society of the United States and American Humane Association have teamed up for this big transport. The animals are from various shelters around the area including St. Bernard Parish and Plaquemines Animal Welfare Society.

Monday, Pamela Anderson tried to help out also. Anderson, the honorary chairman of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, was in New Orleans to help relocate about 50 dogs from Louisiana to Virginia.

"People can't afford to feed their families, so the family member that gets left behind and has to go is the pet," Anderson said. She ended up adopting two of the dogs.

Anderson was in New Orleans helping to relocate about 50 dogs to Virginia.

The pooches are expected to arrive in New Jersey Friday at noon.

Latest on Sally

I got an e-mail from Paula Clausi-Van Steenburgh, the Highland woman, who adopted little Sally.

You will recall that Sally was abandoned in a clothing donation bin in September. She was rescued by the Dutchess County SPCA, and Clausi-Van Steenburgh adopted her in November.

Here are the blog entries I've done on the pooch.

Clausi-Van Steenburgh writes:

As you know, the DCSPCA Petwalk is coming up on September 12th. I got a mail from (Executive Director) Joyce Garrity this past Friday saying she was thinking of us. People have been asking about Sally a lot lately, so I thought I would send an update in case any of your readers are interested.

In a nutshell, Sally continues to do well. Since my last e-mail in January, Sally and Monica have completed obedience and beginning agility classes. They have continued with second level agility, but have taken a break for the summer due to our vacation schedule. We have set up a small agility course in our back yard for practice when Sally and her brother Pluto are not in classes. Monica works with Sally on the course every day! I have attached a video taken with our cell phone of Sally and Monica running the course. The quality isn’t so great, but you will get the idea.



Oh yeah, if you post it for your readers, make a note that we moved the tunnel and forgot to replace the stakes to keep it from rolling. You can see after she goes through, the tunnel rolls and she turns and looks at it like “what was THAT all about?”

Aside from agility, Sally loves chasing her Frisbee and butterflies. She has also discovered the joy of rolling in poop, much to our dismay. The smellier the better. She and the garden hose have become close friends. LOVES the water, but soap she despises. I can always tell when Monica has had to give Sally a bath when I am at work. When I come home, Pluto has tried to make himself small in an even smaller spot. He hates clean even more than Sally, but at least he doesn’t share her passion for odious piles of slime.

We have also found out that Sally hates thunderstorms. She is better than any weather forecaster around. She will plaster herself to our sides before the first rumble and will stick like glue until the storm passes.

Monica is Clausi-Van Steenburgh's daughter. They are planning on attending the Petwalk Sept. 12 at Bowdoin Park in the Town of Poughkeepsie. I'll have more on the Petwalk soon.

It's certainly good news that Sally has found a terrific home and a loving, supportive environment.

You go, girl! And leave those butterflies alone.

Update on Sally's alleged abuser

The City of Poughkeepsie man who allegedly starved then tossed the dog now known as Sally into a clothing donation bin pleaded not guilty today in the City of Poughkeepsie court to one count of misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Through his attorney, Garry Lee Rhodes, 28, entered a not guilty plea for failure to provide proper sustenance and medical care to the dog.

Rhodes remains on electronic monitoring, and could be subject to a $10,000 fine if he violates house arrest.

For more on the story, click here.

Sally's alleged abuser released on own recognizance

HYDE PARK — According to reporter Christine Pizzuti, a City of Poughkeepsie man accused of leaving his dog for dead in a clothing donation bin last month was released on his own recognizance after he pleaded not guilty on all charges at his arraignment in Hyde Park court tonight.

Gary Lee Rhodes, 28, was charged with one count each of torturing/not feeding an animal, abandonment of a disabled animal and neglect of an impounded animal, misdemeanors in violation of state Agriculture and Markets Law.

Assistant District Attorney Heather Ryan said Rhodes had been convicted of two DWIs — one in 2003, the other in 2005.

She said Rhodes had two prior failures to appear in court, and there were bench warrants issued both times.

Public defender Thomas Angell said said Rhodes will have to find new defense, since someone in his office has opted to adopt the dog, posing a conflict of interest.

Ryan asked for bail at $1,000, but the judge let Rhodes go on his own recognizance, to reappear Oct. 28 at 9:30 a.m.

Housing crisis continues to affect pets

There continue to be stories about how the housing market is affecting pets.

Homeowners who lose their houses through foreclosures are abandoning their animals — either taking them to a shelter or, sadly, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Here's an article in the Mercury News about how things are in San Jose, Calif. There's been a 12 percent jump in the number of stray dogs admitted to the San Jose Animal Care Center over the last six months, officials said.

And there are more investigations into animals left in vacant homes.

Here are some blog entries I've done in the past about the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

Because of the shaky housing market, the Petco Foundation is starting a new fund to provide short-term funding for animal welfare groups to assist pet owners who have lost their homes or are experiencing temporary financial hurdles.

Called "We Are Family, Too," it funds pet food banks, product donations, referral lists of pet-friendly housing, short-term foster pet care, spay and neuter services and veterinary services.

"Through this fund we are giving voice to the thousands of pets that have lost their families – abandoned or surrendered because their owners lost their home or could no longer afford to feed and take care of them," said Paul Jolly, Petco Foundation vice president and executive director. "Animal welfare groups across the country are working to alleviate this growing crisis, and the Petco Foundation is proud to support their efforts to keep families and pets together."

Worsening times affects pets, too

It seems the economy is continuing to take its toll on Americans. The price of gas at the station near me is at $4.06 a gallon.

The housing foreclosure crisis, which we've talked about before (here and here), is still affecting people who cannot find housing that accommodates their companion animals or, simply, cannot afford to take care of them.

The American Humane Association has some tips for homeowners, mortgage lenders and shelters that may be impacted by the crisis.

They are even offering grants to shelters and animal welfare organizations so the agencies can help care for the animals who are collateral damage in these hard times.

Some of the tips for homeowners include asking family, friends and co-workers to care for your pets while you relocate and surrendering your pets to your local animal shelter.

The association urges people not to just abandon pets or set them free. State criminal animal-cruelty laws may apply, if even you think you've left enough food and water for your pets.

Mortage crisis still affecting pets

Back in January, I blogged about an article telling how animals are being given to shelters or abandoned when their owners lose their homes.

It seems like every day I see a couple more articles on the subject.

Here's one from the Greenwich (Conn.) Time.

Pet abandonments are part of a growing trend in California, Ohio and other states hit hard by the subprime mortgage crisis, said Nancy Peterson, an issues specialist for the Humane Society of the United States. The non-profit organization has established a Foreclosure Pets Grant Fund to collect donations and subsidize shelters taking in pets that have been surrendered or abandoned by those losing homes.

"It's a problem I've seen in Boston, Denver, Colorado, Sacramento and other cities," Peterson said.

A Google search for "housing crisis pets" came back with about 276,000 articles.

And it is from the subprime mortgage debacle and fewer rental properties allowing pets.

This is sad on so many levels.