Pets Being Abandoned As Budgets Tighten
26 Dogs Found In Four Weeks
POSTED: 7:34 pm EST January 3, 2009
UPDATED: 9:47 am EST January 4, 2009
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LAKEVILLE, Mass. -- Dog owners who can no longer afford to care for their pets may be abandoning them rather than paying shelters to take in the animals, according to one Massachusetts animal control officer.
WATCH: Pets Being Abandoned As Budgets TightenNewsCenter 5’s Todd Kazakiewich reported that David Frates, who works in Lakeville and the surrounding communities, discovered 26 dogs in the last four weeks that had been abandoned in the Fall River-Freetown State Forest. According to Frates, there were 37 animals abandoned in the area over the last year.Frates said that several dogs of the same breed have turned up in the forest, and he believes that breeders may be dumping the animals outside rather than paying to surrender them to a shelter.He is also concerned that people may be luring financially troubled owners to give up their pets by promising to find them new homes at discount prices.The Lakeville Animal Shelter, which takes in the rescued animals, normally charges owners $50 to surrender their pets.One local dog owner told Frates that she paid a man in a bar $25 to take her dog, but didn’t realize that it may have been abandoned in the woods rather than relocated.The problem has been ongoing for several years, Frates said, but he is worried about the dramatic increase in the number of animals turning up in recent weeks.
WATCH: Pets Being Abandoned As Budgets TightenNewsCenter 5’s Todd Kazakiewich reported that David Frates, who works in Lakeville and the surrounding communities, discovered 26 dogs in the last four weeks that had been abandoned in the Fall River-Freetown State Forest. According to Frates, there were 37 animals abandoned in the area over the last year.Frates said that several dogs of the same breed have turned up in the forest, and he believes that breeders may be dumping the animals outside rather than paying to surrender them to a shelter.He is also concerned that people may be luring financially troubled owners to give up their pets by promising to find them new homes at discount prices.The Lakeville Animal Shelter, which takes in the rescued animals, normally charges owners $50 to surrender their pets.One local dog owner told Frates that she paid a man in a bar $25 to take her dog, but didn’t realize that it may have been abandoned in the woods rather than relocated.The problem has been ongoing for several years, Frates said, but he is worried about the dramatic increase in the number of animals turning up in recent weeks. Copyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
