ARMV in the Media

from the Boston Globe January 14, 2010
Hard times leaving animals homeless
Shelters overburdened by increase in surrenders, strays by Brian Benson

Orion never saw the dentist until last month. LeRoy didn’t receive adequate foot care, causing discomfort when he trots. Zoey’s stall wasn’t cleaned properly, leading to foot discoloring. All three horses were victims of the recession, having been surrendered to the MSPCA’s Nevins Farm in Methuen with more severe medical ailments than are usually observed during a robust economy, said Melissa Ghareeb, who manages Nevins’ equine and farm animal program.

“It’s a really tough decision to give up your’’ animal, Ghareeb said while walking through a barn filled with horses with similar tales. “Sometimes people are trying their hardest to keep them around but might be skimping in one or two areas.’’

A similar fate has fallen on dogs, cats, and other animals that have been brought to shelters or abandoned in the streets as their owners struggle to cover medical and food costs or downsize to an apartment that does not allow pets. This increases the burden on nonprofit animal shelters, many of which are at capacity, coping with stagnant adoption rates, and facing up to a 50 percent decrease in donations.

At Nevins Farm, which abuts Route 213 just south of the New Hampshire border, the number of private horse surrenders surged from 21 in 2007 to more than 70 in 2009, Ghareeb said. “The hay bills and vet bills are all astronomical this year because we’ve had such an increase in animals coming through,’’ she said, noting that costs to support horses have more than doubled.
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Abandoning cats creates a new set of problems for organizations such as Animal Rescue Merrimack Valley, whose volunteers feed feral cat populations and organize spay and neuter clinics in the greater Lawrence area.

The group relies on donation cans in local businesses that used to fill up every month, but now take several months to reach capacity. Meanwhile, the demand is not going away as cats are regularly abandoned on the street, said president Barbara Cusick.

“A lot of the money comes out of our own volunteers’ pockets but we do what we can do,’’ Cusick said. “I’ve been doing this for 15 years and this is the worst year I can remember.’’

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