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Rocky's owners lost their jobs and apartment in the same week. ©2009 The HSUS/Pets For Life NYC |
Rocky, an 11-year-old pit bull, suddenly found himself living alone inside a van in the dead of winter with his human mom and dad living in a homeless shelter nearby.
Rocky's owners lost their jobs and their apartment in the same week. They would visit Rocky every few hours to heat the van and console him, but the senior dog's future looked dim. Rocky was on his way to becoming yet another pet victim of the recession until Pets for Life NYC stepped in.
Surrender Prevention
Pets for Life NYC, a surrender prevention pet program based in New York, is dedicated to helping people resolve problems that could otherwise lead to surrender, abandonment, or neglect of their animals.
When Pets for Life NYC found out about Rocky's situation, they immediately stepped in and located a foster home that would care for him until his family got back on their feet. Eight months later, Rocky and his family were finally reunited. The family now fosters other dogs in need through the program.
| Who You Gonna Call? |
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If you know someone in the New York City area who needs assistance caring for their pets, call the Pets for Life NYC hotline at 917-468-2938, or visit their website. |
Pets In the City
The surrender prevention program, run by New York City Animal Care and Control, became a program of The Humane Society of the United States in November 2008.
Pets for Life NYC works with New York City area veterinarians, trainers, behaviorists and boarding facilities to offer low-cost or even free services to those in need.
"Lack of funds for vet care and the inability to find pet-friendly housing are common issues," said Jenny Olsen, a program co-coordinator. "People struggling to keep their pets due to financial, emergency or even behavioral reasons can get immediate help from us to solve their problems."
A Helping Hand
Pets for Life NYC provides a wide variety of services including referrals for low-cost vet care, free or low-cost spay/neuter services, temporary pet housing and free or low-cost behavior training for dogs and cats. Volunteers offer advice on how to resolve landlord-tenant problems and/or tips for finding new housing where pets are welcome. There is also a network of foster caregivers who provide temporary homes for pets whose owners face hospitalization or short-term housing problems.
The ultimate goal, says program co-coordinator Joyce Friedman, "is to have a surrender prevention program at every shelter in the country, to make them a community resource and change the idea that pets are disposable."
Last year, Pets for Life NYC served more than 2,000 clients and saved hundreds of pets' lives.
For more information, call the Pets for Life NYC hotline at 917-468-2938 or visit http://www.nycacc.org/safetynet.htm.
