If you believe the media about a million or so home owners are going to lose their homes this year due to the resetting of interest rate targets on their mortgages.  Wall Street, in case, you’ve missed it, is 100% responsible for this mess along with their mortgage industry cousins.

A by product of this mess is that as homeowners are forced to leave their homes they are often forced or choose to leave their pets behind.  This happens in some cases because they are just bad people.  In most cases it’s because their financial situation with foreclosure facing them is dire and it becomes an effort to provide food and shelter for themselves and their family much less their pet.  The result is that over the next year Animal Control in the cities and states facing these foreclosure issues are going to be overrun with abandoned animals.

Here’s what I think you can do:

1. Organize SAVE ONE groups in your town to check with those homeowners facing foreclosure to see if there is an animal they are going to have to abandon...for whatever reason.  Ask if you can foster it until a home can be found or it can be absorbed by the Humane Society or other rescue groups.
2. Work with Animal Control to let them know that you are available to foster deserving animals that otherwise may be put down.  Don’t let your house be overrun or go broke in the process…just SAVE ONE.
3. Talk with retailers like PetSmart and PetCo to see if they may be able to donate space and crates and food for a temporary solution to overcrowding.  Most of these retailers are in huge strip shopping centers with plenty of parking and space available for temporary shelters.  Both these companies have excellent reputations for adoptions and care in most cases.  Ask them to be your partner.
4. Work with local veterinarians to see if they would offer complimentary care for some of the animals if you adopt them.  Many of these animals may be malnourished or even sick depending on the length of time they’ve been alone.
5. Report to Animal Control the obvious instances where an animal has been abused by leaving it alone in the elements without food or water.  Animal abuse is a felony in most states and the abandonment of an animal because one loses their home is not sufficient defense to avoid a charge of abuse especially if no attempt was made by the owner to have it cared for.

Get involved here.  Work with Animal Control, the local Realtor community, contractors, The Humane Society and Neighborhood Watch organizations.