Ki and Kyota came to the Skagit Humane Society in the usual ways.
Ki’s owners moved to Hawaii and couldn’t take him. Kyota was found abandoned and brought into the shelter by an animal control officer.
“They each have their own little story,” said Sandie Jenkins, a staff member at the Humane Society said of the two dogs.
But many of the endless stream of incoming cats and dogs at the shelter have a few common threads.
Jenkins and other staff members saw many more animals come into the shelter in November. Most were abandoned somewhere or brought in by owners who couldn’t care for them any longer.
“Normally this time of year we start slowing down, but there is no slow-down this year,” Jenkins said.
Many pet owners who come in balk at the $65 surrender fee, and a few have even asked for it to be waived. Some people may qualify, according to staff.
As families struggle to put food on their tables, shelters and animal control officers in Skagit County have found pets losing out on minimum nutritional and health care.
Sandy Nelson, director of the Skagit Humane Society, said few of the pet owners coming through her door want to lose their pet. Many of the owners are already dealing with lost jobs and homes.
“It can be the saddest thing in the world for most people to go through all that in their life and on top of that get rid of their pet too,” Nelson said.
Emily Diaz, animal control officer for the Skagit County Sheriff’s Department, said November seemed to be a tough month for pets.
From Nov. 1 to 25, Diaz handled 20 animal neglect cases. During the same time period in 2007 she handled eight.
She said the cases are mostly horses that are not being fed enough and domestic animals needing medical attention.
One difference Diaz noticed this year is that most of the calls she received revealed actual problems and violations.
“There’s a lot of calls I get about animal neglect, I go out there and things are OK,” Diaz said. “These ones have been justified.”
Diaz said it usually ends up being about money. Some of the pets she saw needed medical care that their owners couldn’t afford.
“It boils down to funding, especially with medical attention,” Diaz said. “Getting medical care isn’t cheap, but it is necessary.”
Diaz said it is especially important to care for larger animals and make sure they are fed because few places can foster large animals like horses. Before working as an animal control officer, Diaz said she was against euthanizing animals. After all the suffering she’s witnessed at her job, she thinks differently.
“If people cannot afford medical attention for their animals — I hate saying this — but euthanasia is a lot more humane answer than letting them sit there and suffer,” Diaz said.
Dr. Larry Campbell of Sedro-Woolley Veterinary Care said the most important thing owners can do is spay and neuter their pets. Food banks often supply pet food, and some programs will help with inexpensive medical care. But many more domestic pets will remain homeless unless the population is managed.
Campbell said pet owners need to “buck up” and get their pet spayed or neutered, especially during tough economic times.
Jenkins said that despite the constant influx of new pets, the Humane Society continues to find homes for animals. She attributes that to a worsening economy, as well.
“We’ve got good people coming in, good homes taking these animals, loving these animals,” Jenkins said. “I think it’s going from families with a commercial side, which is all about seeing what they can buy new and where they can go and what they can do to being more family oriented.”
• Aaron Burkhalter can be reached at 360-416-2141 or .
