November 19, 2009

Jobs: Still waiting for the recovery
Money trouble forces more families to give up their pets

By Kathy Ursprung
The Chronicle

     Hard economic times affect more than two-legged creatures; in the Columbia Gorge, the four-legged varieties are also feeling the strain.
     Home at Last Humane Society is experiencing an influx of pets being turned over by owners in financial turmoil.
     “We’ve been presented a lot lately with people in pretty desperate, tough situations,” said Liz Polehn, Home at Last operations manager. “They’re getting evicted or having to move immediately for a job and there’s nowhere else for their animal to go. We’re stepping up to the plate.”
     Janette Skarda at Adopt-a-Dog in Hood River, a program that runs out of the Hukari Animal Shelter, confirmed that drop-offs are on the rise in her area, too.
     “One dog, about a month ago, a beautiful shepherd, was found in the backwoods of Mosier by a hiker,” Skarda said. “It had tags on it so I called the owner. She said, ‘That dog’s still there? I dropped it off in the woods about a week ago.’ There’s definitely, definitely an increase, without a doubt.”
     Skarda said good, healthy dogs are being dropped off, some with excuses that prove later not to be true.
     “And we found a poodle not too long ago walking on the highway — what had been a pampered dog — and no one claimed it,” Skarda said.
     She added that talks with the Oregon Humane Society in Portland confirmed that the problem is happening statewide.”
     Polehn, at Home at Last, has also seen an increase in people seeking aid in the form of pet food.
     “Always, when we have spare food and someone comes in who is in a tough spot, we help them,” Polehn said. “That was an unusual request before, but now we get that multiple times a day. Maybe that’s just more awareness of our presence in the community — more people are aware we’re out here — but we’re just experiencing increased need overall in the community. I’m sure other nonprofits are also.”
     Even though donations are up 20 percent this year, Polehn said the increased demand is taxing their resources. Intakes are up 43 percent and adoptions 46 percent. This year, Home at Last has taken in just under 1,100 animals so far, compared to 766 last year at this time.
     “We’re getting them placed,” Polehn said, but as a result, veterinary costs have gone up 50 percent. “Spaying and neutering primarily. Every animal adopted out of here is spayed or neutered, has current shots appropriate for age and is microchipped — all the dogs are microchipped and the cats by request.”
     In most cases, the adoption fee doesn’t fully pay for those veterinary needs and donations make up the difference. Without those donations, the adoption cost can become prohibitive.
     “We do what we can to improve their health while they’re with us,” Polehn said. “Within reason.”
     Cash to support their operation is Home at Last’s biggest need at present.
     “We’ve used up our cushion,” Polehn said. “There’s always been and ebb and tide flow. We thought this would ease up, but it really hasn’t. If nothing else, it’s kind of gaining speed.”
     Christmastime is also a traditionally heavy puppy season, which will add to the organization’s challenges.
     “It becomes a challenge financially, because with a puppy you’re starting from ground zero. With older dogs, some are already spayed and neutered. Some of their needs are already taken care of.”
     Though cash is their biggest need, it isn’t their only need.
     “There are a lot of ways people can support us other than cash donations,” Polehn said.
     Home at Last also needs adoptive families, volunteers and supply donations.
     The organization is launching its Santa Paws giving trees soon in the community at the Feed Shack, Petco and Staples. The ones at the Feed Shack and Petco are primarily oriented toward feed and other items such as rawhide chew bones, while the Staples tree centers on office supplies for the organization.
     Community support for Home at Last has always been strong, Polehn said, but it’s needed now more than ever due to the increase in volume.
     “These animals didn’t ask to be homeless. They didn’t ask to be in this situation.”
     Polehn has great sympathy for people having to give up their pets. Some years ago, shortly after a neighbor’s dog got in trouble for killing and injuring several sheep, she had to do the same after her own two-year-old dog one day developed a fondness for chasing sheep.
     “We decided it was best for Ebony to rehome her,” Polehn said. “We brought her down here and cried for three days. She very quickly got adopted out to somebody who, at the time, was a basketball coach at Arlington. She had a very active lifestyle. It was a good matchup.
     “There’s no greater act of love sometimes than giving a pet up to a better situation for them. Sometimes you have to look at it from that perspective.”