World | Posted on Nov 24, 2008 at 11:53am IST

Credit crunch; pet owners disown their dogs

Nashville In the midst of thee bad economic times, more and more people are giving up their homes, and even leaving behind their furry friends. Metro animal control officer Billy Biggs stays busy capturing stray dogs.

As the economy worsens, Biggs says he's recently seen an increase in the number of dogs being dropped off at the pound.

“These were turned in because the owner could not afford to keep them, could not afford to care for them,” says Billy Biggs.

When times get tough often pets are the ones who suffer the consequences. “I know one that I went on personally. The guy got foreclosed on and he left all five of his animals there and one had 11 puppies,” adds Billy Biggs.

In the adoption area of metro animal control there are multiple dogs which were turned in by owners who could no longer afford to keep them. “These were turned in because the owner is moving into an apartment were there are no pets allowed," adds Billy Biggs.

And when the kennels are full it means bad news for the animals. “It means more euthanasia. We have to make room for the other ones that come in,” states Billy Biggs

The good news, according to Billy Biggs, is that people are still coming in and adopting animals. “Our adoption rates have been pretty steady but still there are not enough homes for all of them," Billy Biggs

There are plenty of animals just waiting for new homes this holiday season.

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