When hard times fall, whose dog is it?

March 2, 2:37 AM
by Teri Webster, Pet Examiner

People falling on hard times may be hit with more hardship if they don't follow proper protocols in caring for their pets or surrendering them to shelters.

They may also have their pets taken away if their circumstances prevent them from properly taking care of them.

In many states, leaving pets abandoned in apartments or homes is illegal and can lead to hefty fines.

In Pennsylvania, for example, abandoning a pet carries fines ranging from $300 to $1,000.

It is also considered abandonment to leave a pet on the doorstep of an animal shelter.

But abandoning a pet is not the only way to get hit with a fine.

At least two people evicted from their homes were fined after their pets were taken away.

A Las Vegas woman was fined $20,000 after the Lied Animal Shelter housed dozens of animals confiscated from her home after she was evicted due to a foreclosure in October.

Dogs, cats, turtles and exotic cockroaches were kept in tight quarters at the shelter and some died during their months-long stay, according to KTNV Channel 13.

The shelter couldn't fully treat or adopt the animals due to an ongoing struggle with the former owner, Stacey Williams.

The city send Williams a letter that said it first proposed that she immediately release the animals to Lied Animal Shelter for placement in suitable homes.

But she refused to let the animals go.

Williams was accused of keeping more than 30 animals in a filthy home. She also was charged with two misdemeanors for lacking a proper license.

In Texas, a woman found living in her car with 22 dogs in Pottsboro, was recently fined $3,520 after the SPCA took in the animals.

Officials seized the dogs from the woman, who was homeless, after she failed to prove she could properly care for them.

Adult protective services was called in to assist her.

A California woman lost her dog after she was unable to pay a fee to get him back when an animal shelter took him in.

In El Cajon, Calif., a woman whose Yorkshire terrier got loose was thrilled when she found him at the shelter.

While attempting to pick up her dog, Sandra Lopez, 51, was told it would cost $138 to retrieve him.

And she couldn't afford the fee.

Then she was told her dog, named Sampson, also needed several thousand dollars in veterinary care.

The dog was not licensed, neutered or up to date on his shots. He also didn't have a microchip that would have identified his owner. Additionally, Sampson suffered from dental and skin problems, Bryan Zmijewski, an El Cajon police sergeant who serves as animal control manager, told the San Diego Union Tribune.

County shelters usually charge $100 to $120 to retrieve a stray, unneutered dog, the newspaper reported.

Sampson was turned over to a rescue group after Lopez surrendered him to the shelter.

Some rescue groups say they are in no position to financially help the owners get their pets back.

“We are all in a situation where there isn't a lot of money to be spread out,” Darlene White, executive director of the San Diego Animal Support Foundation, told the Union Tribune. “We have to be extremely picky in our decisions as to who we can and can't help.”

A volunteer is caring for Sampson until he's adopted.

She said it's in the dog's best interest until he finds a "forever home."