Compassionate Action

By Simon Davidson

This is an update of my previous post, Abandoning Your Dog.

I'm happy to see the compassionate and generous ways people are responding to these difficult economic times.

Compassionate action is being taken by the Wake County SPCA in North Carolina, with its response to a dramatic 30% increase in the number of cats and dogs left at their shelter.

Emotions can be high as pet owners reach the wrenching decision to leave their companion animals in the care of others. Many people tell the SPCA they have lost a job. Or they've lost their home, and are moving to an apartment that doesn't allow pets.

These distraught people offer their stories. They cannot afford the vet bills, or they cannot even afford to feed their beloved dog or cat. With the estimated annual cost of a pet approaching $1000, this is very understandable. Many of these people are living on extremely tight budgets.

In response, the Wake SPCA recently started a Pet Food Pantry, assisting people trying to keep their pets. The SPCA asked for donations of high quality pet food for the Pantry to distribute.

The SPCA Pet Food Pantry opened last Saturday and was a huge success. Hundreds of dogs and cats each received a month's supply of food.

Added to that good news, is that today the Wake SPCA has a notice on its website that they received so much donated food that their storage capacity has been reached--they cannot accept any more food donations (monetary donations are always appreciated.)

My heart is warmed by this active compassion and open generosity.

This is an update of my previous post, Abandoning Your Dog.

Comments

[Cousin Barbara]

Hi Cousin Kaye,

What a good idea.

In our area we had an animal shelter that was going to have to close, but someone stepped in and saved it. That's the kind of news I like to hear.