Our earlier post on The Foreclosure Dog has caught a bit of a trend. There is a Salem, New Hampshire shelter that is looking into providing a short term shelter for pets that have to be given up for adoption due to foreclosures. Instead of immediately trying to find new homes for the animals they are holding them to give the family a chance to get back on their feet.

Then the pets will be returned to their owners. I think this is a great idea. Obviously when a family is foreclosed upon their world is turned upside down. To lose a beloved pet in the process makes it even worse. The actions of the Salem shelter should be commended and copied to provide families that can get back on their feet a chance to come back together in their new home.

Hayes plans to ask the rescue league’s board of directors to consider expanding its Safe Place program, which has helped victims of domestic violence keep their pets by providing a place to leave animals temporarily when they enter a women’s shelter. Instead of giving up their pets forever, the women could reclaim the animals in a reasonable time frame.

Because it worked for the domestic violence victims, the staff wondered if something similar might help families in foreclosure. It’s also not the first time the shelters have stepped in to respond to a trend. For example, when Meals on Wheels volunteers noticed seniors sharing their dinners with their pets, Salem Animal Rescue League helped arrange to have pet food delivered with meals, she said. “Now, we are seeing this new trend with foreclosures, and we look at ways we can help,” Hayes said.

The program would work for people who are able to find a pet-friendly rental home quickly and get back on their feet, she said. If they’re going to a building that doesn’t allow animals or if they are chronically homeless, they wouldn’t qualify. via EagleTribune.com

Related posts:

1. South Carolina Blocks Foreclosures Until Housing Plan Enacted
2. Federal Reserve Initiates 9.9 Billion Dollar Loan Modification Plan
3. Housing Plan Stuck, National Recovery In Hands of Real Estate Market