Cruelty to pets escalates as desperate homeowners lose their homes in the current sub prime mortgage crisis in the US.

In Stockton, California, a house was ravaged by people who lost their home to foreclosure. 

According to Evelyn Nieves of the Associated Press on kansascity.com,  the house's "floors had been ripped, walls busted and lights smashed by owners who trashed their home before a bank foreclosed on it.

"Hidden in the wreckage was an abandoned member of the family: a starving pit bull.

"The dog found by workers was too far gone to save — another example of how pets are becoming victims of the nation’s mortgage crisis.

Many homeowners who can’t make their mortgage payments are leaving animals behind when they ditch their residences.

Pets “are getting dumped all over,” said Traci Jennings, president of the Humane Society of Stanislaus County in northern California. “Farmers are finding dogs dumped on their grazing grounds, while house cats are showing up in wild cat colonies.”

"The first people to enter abandoned houses, such as property inspectors and real estate brokers, have discovered dogs tied to trees in back yards, cats in garages, and turtles, rabbits and lizards in children’s bedrooms.

"No one keeps track of the numbers of abandoned pets, but anecdotal evidence suggests that forsaken animals are becoming a problem wherever foreclosures are climbing.

"Bloggers are furious with the “foreclosure pet” phenomenon, especially after seeing photos of emaciated animals on the Internet. Some critics say the pet owners proved they are irresponsible by buying houses they could not afford or taking out mortgages they did not understand.

“They see a pet as property, no different than a worn sofa tossed into the alley when the springs pop,” says a posting about foreclosure pets on About.com.

“What we’ve always known is that when times are hard for people, they’re hard for their pets,” said Stephen Zawistowski, a vice president at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

These are desperate times for pets as the homeowners are staying to the last minute before the bank closes in.  The accommodation that the former homeowners are moving into is usually rental or shared with relatives.  Both these housing alternatives usually exclude pets.

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