Bandit is one lucky dog.
Last December, Brandon Township resident Cynthia Strehle received a phone call from a Flat Rock, Mich. woman regarding a 9-year-old Shiba Inu dog, that reportedly was left alone in an abandoned home.
‘The neighbor kids had been feeding the dog for several months,? said Strehle, who owns several of the Shiba breed.
‘She asked me if I took in rescues.?
The Flat Rock lady explained that her brother and his wife had gone through a divorce’with both moving out of their home where Bandit lived.
‘The couple split about three months ago,? said Strehle. ‘Since then, Bandit lived by himself in the house.?
Strehle said the lady showed up at her door a few days later with ‘Bandit? and a bag of dry dogfood.
‘The dog was just so grateful to be here,? she said. ‘He just won’t leave my side.?
Bandit is just one example of how family pets are just one of many victims of Michigan’s poor economy and foreclosure crisis, as homeowners leave animals behind when they can no longer afford their property or are leaving the area to find work.
‘Pets are getting left behind,? said Larry Obrecht, divison manager for the Oakland County Animal Shelter, 1700 Brown Road, Auburn Hills.
‘There are two different, yet common, situations when it comes to pets,? he said. ‘First, people come in and say they can’t afford to feed their animals. It comes down to feeding their family or the pet,? he said. ‘Pets are expensive and they have to make a choice. The second situation is when a pet owner comes in and says, ‘I lost my house or my job and must move in with relatives’they just can’t keep the family pet. Many times it’s older pets, too’it’s very emotional for some people to give them up.?
Obrecht also receives calls from landlords or repossession companies that report an empty house with an animal left behind, similar to Bandit.
‘Our thoughts and sympathies go out to these people,? said Obrecht. ‘But before they abandon their animals, get them down to the shelter or give us a call’we’ll come get it. People have time to react even when they know an eviction is coming, so they can take care. It happens all over the county.?
Details: The Oakland County Humane Society, (248) 391-4100.