I have been in real estate for over 20 years and virtually all of that time I have specialized in REO, foreclosures and distressed sales for banks and individuals. I have been in untold THOUSANDS of properties ranging from the most modest of mobile homes to the most lavish multi-million dollar mansions, and they all share several common denominators. One is that you NEVER KNOW what you are going to come upon when you walk on that property and you ESPECIALLY never know what you will find when you walk INTO that property. Those of us who have done REOs for a while could write a book on the things we have seen!
Some surprising things you might find in these properties are:
* personal/family portraits and photographs/photo albums
* expensive clothing in perfect condition, hanging in closets or folded in drawers
* personal letters/diaries/journals/keepsakes
* money (rare coins, etc..)>>If you find this, don't keep it. As sure as you do, someone will sue for it.
* children's toys/crayons/unused coloring books/school text books/school pictures/report cards
So why do people leave things like this behind? (And believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg...I will speak to the issue of "what" and "why" in a later article) Well, the answer is complicated and multi-layered, but one 'quick' answer is this...folks who are losing their home are typically in a state of chaos in their life. Often their marriage is struggling (or failing or failed), they have kids and careers to juggle, and on top of all that life is relentlessly throwing at them, they are losing their home. It is tough. Very tough. So, sometimes what you see in that home is a fairly accurate representation of the state of their lives. Chaotic. Scattered. Desperate. That's the short answer.
Now, that said...on to my topic. I just described the mentality of the "Jones'" who tragically lost their home to foreclosure (or for WHATEVER reason--loss is loss). I get it. I do. There IS NO "BUT" HERE...I REALLY DO GET IT. Here's what I DO NOT get...I DO NOT get:
1) how you managed to go off and leave your dog, the one who loves you and would die for you (the one your child is asking about)
2) how, IF you just forgot him, you didn't remember in a day or so, and GO BACK for him
3) how, IF you were not going to go back for him WHY you didn't GIVE him away, set him free or take him to a shelter
4) how, IF you never remembered him, or did, and did nothing, HOW THE HELL YOU LIVE WITH THAT!!!
Now...I get that things happen. Things which are out of folks' control. To which I reply: "You managed to get yourself and all your family members out of that house, didn't you? And when I came on scene a month later, I didn't find YOU laying dead on the bathroom floor, having died an agonizing death from dehydration, now did I?...trapped in a 24 x 60 metal box in the heat of summer...yeah, I bet that was quite an experience. Or maybe this one...I didn't find YOU in the back yard chained to an anchor in the ground with your chain all wrapped around the anchor to the point that you couldn't reach your dog house nearby to get in the shade...remember? Yep, full sun--all day. It was mid-august, and you had no water for...??? 
You were laying down when I arrived and I thought you were dead, But wait...that wasn't YOU...I got lost in the fantasy there for a moment...because YOU...left...HIM. And I don't CARE why. There is NO EXCUSE. PERIOD. Don't tell me there isn't a way to get an animal to freedom, even if it's just setting him free to roam. If you don't want him anymore, fine. But your repulsive willingness to simply look the other way should NOT be an auto-matic death sentence for him. Grow some responsibility and open the door, unlatch the chain, do SOMETHING...don't just walk away...he's not a journal...or a pair of jeans...or even a rare set of valuable coins...he is something much more than that...he is a living, breathing, feeling animal who doesn't understand where you went, who watches the door with every sound, sure that you will be back at any moment. And he has the right to believe that. YOU ARE THE REASON HE BELIEVES THAT! And shame on you for letting him down."
People have choices. They have resources...EVEN IN THE TOUGHEST OF TIMES!!!
Animals do not have choices once they become domesticated (which they did not ask for, by the way). They rely on people to care for them. They trust people because they HAVE NO CHOICE. And it angers me to come upon animals who have been left behind to die, inside houses, trapped with no options. And it never gets easier...and...quite frankly, I hope it never does...because the day it becomes okay with me is the day I will have lost a sacred part of myself...a part I cannot really define...but a part I don't think I can afford to lose.
So yeah...no excuses.
(click on pics)
Sheila Newton, CDPE
Sheila Newton Team
RE/MAX Realty Professionals
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864-225-2424 (fax)
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Thank you for this wonderful post. Helps bring attention to a big problem. It is animal cruelty and I can think of no decent excuse. It looks like to me that anybody could call someone who would care and let them know that the animal is there. And to be left trapped is extremely cruel because if they could escape they would at least stand a chance.
Sheila - I too do not know how people can do this. It's just absolutely despicable and inhumane. Thx for promoting these wonderful organizations and I will do the same by reblogging.
Definitely no excuses. In good times and bad times, your dog will stick with you. We should do the same for them.
Jane Pacheco
Hi Dana, Sheila, Jane...and thank you for your responses. (Thanks, Jane, for reblogging)...Sounds like we all agree. I hope more folks will find their way to this article...it brings to light an all too common occurance. My hunch is that many real estate agents are not aware that this even goes on (unless they are tenured REO agents perhaps). Anyone you might recommend this article to would be appreciated...thanks so much.
Thanks again for your feedback...have a safe and fun Holiday Weekend!!! : )
Sheila - I would love to reblog this but you would need to allow others to be able to reblog it. Are you open to that?
It breaks my heart too. And I feel as strongly about cats left to fend for themselves as well. Last year when doing a cash for keys I called the bank to see if I could refuse to give the check to the seller who was leaving a mama cat and 4 kittens. The asset manager said he really couldn't make the call to refuse on those grounds because it wasn't covered in the agreement. That particular asset manager worked his butt off over the next few months and got "pets" included in the agreement. Granted I don't always know what they do with those pets, but even taking them a shelter is better than leaving them alone.
By the way... all 5 of my fur babies were rescues.
And I'm not sure why you made this a members only post. I truly feel this post should be public. EVERYONE needs to read it.
Sheila, Just bizarre behavior. With so many rescue societies out there, options exist. It may be chaotic, but call someone!
Thanks to Donne, I am going to reblog this. I have seen much of what you have mentioned, but no pets other than a couple of frozen goldfish.
People must have hearts of stone sometimes.
Dogs are people too!!!! They are smart, loyal and want to be with the pack. It is amazing the lessons people need to learn about gratitude for such a beautiful animal and returning the love the animal gives to them.
Sheila, you are so right! I have found so many strange "left-behinds," including pets. One particularly memorable pet was a bulldog. I returned to the property every two days for over two weeks to feed and water the friendly guy I nicknamed Chaffee, after the town. I even fended off a call from an angry neighbor who asked what I was going to do about the dog. Of course, the neighbor found my contact info on the REO posting I had left on the door. I finally located a rescue group for bulldogs, and they went to pick up Chaffee, only to find him missing. His food and water were still there, so I do not believe he abandoned the place he had so diligently been staying with. I believe the neighbor is responsible for Chaffee's disappearance. Shame on the people Chaffee loved!
Shelia.. I came across this post of yours from Don Sabinske, who reblogged this.
As far as leaving valuables and such... I don't get it, even though you get that part.... but I agree with you in regards to the fact, how can you leave a pet behind, such as a dog. That is just animal crulity... This is just very sad and tragic...
Sheila, I don't know how anyone could leave an animal behind. Your post tore at my heart and brought me to tears. It is unfathomable to me how any human being could do this, yet I know they do. I just don't get it and, like you, I hope I never do.
Thanks for the responses...hope everyone has had a nice weekend.
@ Donne >> So it appears I called you by MY name in an earlier post...Yep, it's true...I have officially lost it. HA Oh well...if you knew me, you would know that this was a foregone conclusion anyway, so... Anyway, I have the article set up where it can be re-blogged; have you tried and not been able to do it? Hmm...not signed in, maybe? Not sure what to say, but let me know if you are unable to re-blog it and I will contact Brad for advice. Everything appears normal on my end.
@ Tammy >> Cool asset manager! And good for you for making that happen! I have had a number of kitties over the years left behind, and only one have I found dead inside the house. The rest have been inside alive or outside still hanging around. It is heartbreaking to see the longing in their eyes--it is SO obvious that they had a family. Luckily, cats tend to be more resourceful than dogs and their mortality rate is subsequently much lower when left behind (assuming they are free). It's great to hear that you have rescue animals--my oldest daughter would be so proud! : ) And I have taken your advice and made this article public--thanks for the suggestion.
@ Liz/Bill >> (I'm guessing Bill...am I right?) You are so right! Bizzare! And it IS a chaotic time--perhaps the most chaotic of their life...
It can be almost surreal...but it is NOT surreal, it is REAL. And even when the walls are falling down around you, you have to do ONE THING if you do nothing else: you have to get ALL LIVING THINGS OUT OF THE HOUSE! That's what you do in a fire, that's what you do in a hurricane (hopefully) and that's what you do when you leave your house for the last time, KNOWING you're never coming back. Anything less, and you have killed a living, breathing creature, just the same as if you had put a pistol to his head and pulled the trigger. And all I can say to that is...I am not the one to judge you because I have way too many shortcomings to be telling folks how screwed up what they are doing is...but this is my wish for you if you do such a thing...you who walked away and let your friend die alone...i hope than when you die...that if you believe in Heaven...that you find yourself next in line to see God...and you round the corner to find that God is a shelter dog--scruffy and lean--and that as you draw nearer, your mouth hanging open, that you see at God's right hand...your old friend--the pup that you left to die all alone in a hot, dry house...and as your eyes bulge in disbelief and the very spirit within you begins to panic, I hope you notice the look of contentment washing over his body...And when God looks over at your "old friend" and asks, "Which way shall we send him?", I hope the flashes of a thousand photographers capture your reaction the second you realize who holds the key to eternity for you with a simple wave of his paw...and I hope that a thousand books are written of the irony seen in all of Heaven that day as your old friend tells God, "Let him pass, Father...for I remember he fed me when I was hungry...and I remember he gave me water when I was thirsty...and I remember he played with me when I was young...and I remember he...he..." "What, my son?," God will say. "...he loved me." Then God will say, "But isn't this the one who left you? The one who left you to die alone?" And his words will run through you like the purest cocaine--first you will believe the lie you tell yourself, then the suffocating truth will come crashing down into you..."It's okay Father...He would have come if he could...And I died knowing he loved me...Please, let him pass..." And then you will buckle to your knees, a forgiven man, invited into Heaven, but relegated to a Hell of your own making...that is my wish for you. But I'm not bitter or anything...And hey...who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and God won't be a dog, and your "old friend" won't be up there at all...maybe it will be the "real" God and you'll just get sent straight to Hell to begin with. Good luck!
Well this is a day for me to get angry. Something I read earlier got me terribly upset and this even more so. I came upon Elyse's reblog first and headed over here. I cried when I read the post. People who leave animals in this unconscionable condition have no soul. I'm a pacifist at heart but these people have me calling for "an eye for an eye."
Sheila, thanks to Geri's Re-blog I am here. Sadly I have written about this plight last year. It is still timely. People ........
I am very angry after reading your blog with its pictures. I've heard and read about the problem in the past but after loosing my dog this week this has me very upset. I just wonder why people treat their pets and abuse them for whatever reason. They have no conscious, no scruples, no morals.
As the tears are rolilng down my face, I'm trying to respond to this without sounding like a raving lunatic.
I know times are tough, I know that people are losing houses and families are fractured from the stress, but to commit a loved member of the home to a cruel, inhumane death is beyond me.
Yes Chaotic. Scattered and Desperate that does not mean that you leave your animals.
I highly suggest your post to be featured. I hope the law comes down on them harshly and makes an example out of them.
Looks like we had a little overlap there while I was on my soapbox..haha
@ Don S. >> Thanks for re-blogging...the more exposure the better on a subject such as this. (Poor goldfish)
@ Ted J. >> I agree...and the fact that they ask for so little in return is perhaps the most powerful lesson for me...Oh, to be that kind of friend...
@ Liz L. >> I have had the very same experience you described, Liz. The last one was with a little stumpy, short legged mutt whom I watered and fed daily for about a week before one of our aents offered to adopt. They named him 'Mojo.' I hope that even if you are right about the neighbor being responsible for Chaffee's disappearance, he ended up in a home somehow and was taken care of again. Never know...he may have gotten an upgrade!
@ Jeff B. >> Yeah, the valuables are hard to get your mind around--just doesn't make good sense. But not only is the abandonment of an animal cruel, it is illegal, and in most states it is a felony. Thanks for dropping in, Jeff!
@ Elyse B. >> Well, I know what you mean...it really does tear at your heart. I became emotional when writing the last response above...the fictional, "my wish for you" response where I have the person who abandoned his friend to die alone, meeting God...and deciding what that dog who had died and gone to be with his maker would say about his former "person..." and I thought and thought...and I realized, that unlike a human who might exact revenge, given that power, the dog doesn't even CONSIDER it...not for a second. And so he implores God to, "Please, let him pass." It's just a story, a product of my imagination, but I defy anyone to say that the dog would send him the other way.
@ Geri S. >> I feel ya sister! Sounds like my post was part 2 of a one-two punch! Has your day gotten any less emotional? Or are you going for the tri-fecta? And when it comes to animal cruelty, I find myself waxing a little primitive myself! Thanks for stopping in--hope you are smiling right this very moment! : )
@ Endre B. >> Unfortunately, I fear that your statement will forever be true--this (and your) article will always be timely. What an unfortunate truth, too. Thanks for saying hello, Endre! Have a great day!
@ Leolina B. >> I am so very sad to hear that you lost your friend this week, Leolinda. Can you say anything about that? Would it help? What was his/her name? How long had you been friends? What was his/her favorite thing? Your favorite memory? If you answer none of these, no problem...just know that your are being thought of by everyone who reads this who knows how it feels to lose a loved one...
@ Juli V. >> Well, you apparently are not alone in your emotional response (including me), so I hereby declare us all absolved of raving lunacy! Cruel, inhumane, beyond me...yep...that about sums it up.
@ Don S. >> Well, sir...I hope your sentiment is shared by others and ultimately comes to fruition--it would be my first! (Yay!) As for the law coming down on folks, we have tried on many occasions to enforce the law (and it IS a law--see below), only to find tat law enforcement is "unable" to do much because they cannot definitively pin down intent or any number of other reasons. It always feels to me like they simply don't want to get involved...like it isn't a REAL case.
********************************************************************************
Animal abandonment means leaving behind an animal alone or permitting the animal to be abandoned in circumstances which might cause harm to the animal. Owner of the animal is answerable for the suffering caused to the animal. This is a serious criminal offense in the U.S.
The following is an example of a state statute (Oregon) defining animal abandonment:
According to ORS § 167.340 a person commits the crime of animal abandonment if the person intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or with criminal negligence leaves a domestic animal or an equine at a location without providing minimum care.
It is no defense to the crime defined in this section that the defendant abandoned the animal at or near an animal shelter, veterinary clinic or other place of shelter if the defendant did not make reasonable arrangements for the care of the animal
That is terrible.
It brings to mind last year when I had a few rats in my attic. I thought I'd try one of those sticky traps where they get stuck in some goop. How I wish I had never done that. I went to the attic and found three little rats with their feet stuck to the goop. They were just huffing and puffing trying to get unstuck. I didn't know what to do with them. I put them in a garbage bag and threw them in the trash. I still have problems when I think about them slowly dying in a trash bag. They were rats but they were just trying to live their lives.
Not a pleasant post to read, heartbreaking actually. Don't the REO agents come in right away and have clean up crews through everything away.
I thought they did up here, I had on go from short sale to foreclosure to redemption period up and they were there that very next day.
This is absolutely heartbreaking! I don't even have words - just tears (and anger).
Some people shouldn't have pets, or houses, or reproduce.
Terrible , terrible, terrible -- it is happening all over and there are no excuses -- none at all --
Wow, this is not what I was expecting...this made me really damn sad!! I need to go google some pictures of dolphins playings with kittens or something.
It's good you're raising awareness, but I don't think too many AR readers have been abandoning their pets in 2010, do you? Maybe a good angle to explore would be a guide for Realtors on what to do when you find something like this?
Shelia - I've only seen this once and it broke my heart. I wanted to take the dog with me, but reported it instead. The last thing I needed was to be charged with stealing. There are definitely NO EXCUSES.
Very sad stuff but it had to be said.
I've come upon old pictures and we even found Grandma in an urn once, but leaving a live pet is the lowest of the low.
This just leaves me speechless
Sheila, a year or so ago, I showed a bank owned home that was never cleaned out. There was a ton of junk everywhere. Clothes, mail, toys, everything. Turns out, I knew one of the people who lived there. She overdoses in the house, and it looks like the dad just grabbed the kids and a few other things and off they went. I don't know the whole story, but I heard the whole situation was ugly. It was kind of surreal seeing her name on the mail, and seeing her old uniform in the main bedroom. Strange. So, I know what you mean by "you'll never know what you'll find" in bank owned homes.
I am in tears right now and it just breaks my heart that anybody would willingly abandon a beloved family member, their pet, like that. To find someone trapped or starved and dehydrated because they were helpless is beyond my comprehension. I get what you mean about "life in chaos." But (and says it a huge BUT) this is not an excuse.
You wrote an excellent article that will help shed some light as I'm sure a lot of us will be re-blogging. It takes someone speaking up to bring change.
I learned some valuable advice a long time ago. It is not nice. It's short but makes a powerful, sad, and very true statement. Once you get over your anger at the statement, you'll realize it's true......
"The general public is basically stupid."
Terrible , terrible, terrible -- it is happening all over and there are no excuses -- none at all --
This plight makes me physically ill. OMG
I saw this re-blogged by Chrystina Tovani...and it's so sad what happens to these pets who are abandoned. You're absolutely right, there is NO EXCUSE for this despicable action. I'm off to re-blog this myself.
Leilani
This is a horrible horrible thing for anyone to have done to their pet... no excuse for such negligence... cant they be fined or prosecuted for this? Just no excuse for it...even if they are at their wits end they could call animal control and at least they would be humanly put down.. what is wrong with these people? Thanks for bringing it to our attention...
Sheila -- Reading this just broke my heart. I am sick to my stomach. I just cannot wrap my head around this type of behavior. This is going to be my first re-blog. This is disgusting and you're right -- there is NO EXCUSE. NONE. There has to be stiffer penalties to people who do this. I understand they have other problems. I get that. BUT this is inexcuseable.
Thanks everyone, for sharing your comments and stories, and for re-blogging to help give voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. This is a sensitive issue which moves us all...
@ Tim M. >> Reading your words, Tim, has caused me to rethink my "wish" for the person who does this to an animal. I would like to stick with what I said IF that person lives his life and never looks back, no regrets, no remorse. BUT, if that same person were to look up in the months that followed that most turmultuous time in their life (loss of home) and realize what they had done...and if the full magnitude of life and death rained down on them and they realized at their core that they had taken a life, that they had caused death in someone they loved...and they became burdoned with that reality, deep in their soul...then I would wish peace for them...because everybody screws up, and most of us have screwed up BAD at some point...and nobody who has touched that pain deep inside should have to carry it if they are truly sorry for having inflicted it. As for you, I sense your true remorse over the little rats...and you do not deserve to carry the guilt any longer. Thank you for sharing your story...I hope you can forgive Tim now.
@ Missy C. >> If only it were that simple. We do usually get in foreclosures fairly soon after the sale, and quite often immediately afterwards. But there are many times when it might be weeks or even months before we enter a property, for any number of reasons. We don't get the property until the bank gets the legal issues worked out, and we seem to have more than our share of those around here.
@ Mike O. >> I think that is an all too common story, Mike. In fact, we were hiking years back when we came upon this dog who was clearly malnourished. He was digging in the soil and pulling up roots and eating them. Well, that was all I needed to see. We brought him home and put him out to the side of our house. He barked at night. Constantly. Neighbors complained. No problem. Parents live out in the country--he can run FREE!!! YAY! They took him. Put him on chain at end of home--they couln't see him, he couldn't see them, ??? I asked, "Why don't you let him run free?? Nobody lives anywhere NEAR here!!" Dad said, "I don't want him to run off." (omg) So...he lived and died at the end of a chain. We visited him when we went there, but the poor guy...I have often wondered if we did the right thing or not. Anyway...thanks for the story. : )
@ Nancy C. >> I totally understand.
@ Mindy S. >> Well I hope you found your dolphins and kittens...haha. Unfortunately, I cannot advise REALTORS on how to handle situations involving animals left behind because that would be the same as giving legal advise, which of course, I cannot do. Why is that legal advise? Because animals are considered personal property, and I can no more tell you what to do with that cat over there than I can that 50 inch plasma television. That is why when we do a "lock out" or a personal property eviction, the sheriff's department will come and take possession of any animals that are found on the property and hold them for 48 hours--giving the owners the opportunity to come and claim them. Same as their other personal property--it gets put on the side of the road where it is left for 48 hours--giving the owners the opportunity to come and claim it (of course the stuff on the road gets stolen, the animals do not).
@ Michelle G. >> You DEFINATELY did the right thing! I NEVER, EVER, EVER TAKE ANYTHING FROM A PROPERTY!!! I don't care how "abandoned" it looks!
@ J. Philip F. >> Well said! I have nothing to add!
@ Debbie A. >> I understand, Debbie. Thanks for dropping in.
@ Eric M. >> Wow, Eric...I wonder, did she ever know that YOU knew? That would be very awkward for her. Thanks for the story...
@ Chrystina T. >> I understand the emotions...this is a real heart tugging topic. And thanks for re-blogging. : )
@ Michael M. >> THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS BASICALLY STUPID!!! How's that? And guess what? No anger to get over! (Preachin' to the choir, buddy...preachin' to the choir)
@ Jim/Linda A. >> I feel you...I really do. Thanks for dropping in. : )
@ Leilani >> Yes, so sad indeed...Thanks for re-blogging!
@ Debra L. >> There are laws in every state protecting animals (and abandonment is a felony in most) but that is not the problem--the problem is proving criminal intent. These cases rarely make it into our courts around here.
@ Barbara A. >> Hey! Congrats on your first re-blog! : ) But yes, it is sickening, I agree. But as I was telling Debra above you, there are laws and penalties in place...the challenge is in getting the offenders in front of a judge or jury.
I am so sorry to hear that the 2 cases that we were aware of were not the only ones. One involved Kittens, and they were in sad shape, but went to a good home and the other one was a horse, again we all (in the office) did a lot of emailing and searching and found a safe home for it too. I do not nor will I ever understand this, we have over the last few years taken in over 6 cats had them all fixed and cleaned up, kept the ones we could and found loving homes for the others (with the caveat that if they can not keep the cat that they will let us know first). There is no defense for doing this to an animal, period.
If you check the community > pets section of Craigslist, you are likely to find at least one post a week that is written by a neighbor of someone who left their property vacant (but their indoor/outdoor cat keeps coming back "home" waiting for them to feed them) and the neighbor has been trying their best to feed the cat and asking if anyone wants to adopt the cat. There are other similar stories and not just about cats. I will NEVER understand how anyone can leave their pet behind without at least trying to make some sort of arrangements for them.
I can't believe people will just leave their animals when all they have to do is take them to a shelter!! Disgraceful!
Sheila, Oh my gosh this is so sad! I'm not a listing agent so did not even think about this side of things. I am a huge animal lover and can't imagine leaving a pet behind. Oh my gosh what do you tell your children!! HOW VERY VERY SAD!!
Steve and Leanne...Thanks for your feedback. Everyone says the same thing..."I can't understand how people could leave a family member behind," and "There is no excuse for it. Period."
I find it almost more than I can bear to see a cat or dog (or any animal--a FISH, for crying out loud) hanging around, waiting on its "people..." fully believing that they are coming back for him...and he DRAWS HIS LAST BREATH BELIEVING THAT THEY ARE STILL COMING BACK FOR HIM!!! That's the thing about cats and dogs...they don't believe you are screwing them over. They have every faith that you will be back for them any time now...and they die believing it. It just rips me apart.
Hi Marchel...What do you tell your children indeed??? I treat animals like people (in that I respect them and love them deeply) and I take this sort of thing very seriously. It is very difficult to come upon...it feels like child abuse to me. Thanks for dropping in...
It's sad to see when people just up and leave the family pet behind. I just don't understand how the do it and as you already said.. there is not excuse.
Sheila - Your post was excellent and I'm glad to hear all of these enraged comments. We need more 'fire' underneath those of us who would stand up against the offenders.
I have to share that I ran into an abandonment case when I found a horse in the backcountry this summer. I found out she had run off from a hunting camp, been found last year and her owner hadn't gone back to get her. She miraculously survived a CO winter in the mountains and was very friendly to my horse when I found her. Her owner was again notified and given two months to get her out. Before I could go back with a bigger trailer to rescue her, she was gathered by another who returned her to her original owner. I am still haunted by the idea that this man, who left her to die in the mountains, now had her hand delivered in such a bad shape. It's hard to believe that she'll get the medical attention to come back to good health. I hope and pray that he proves me wrong.
It's one of those times when it's amazing that we have licensing to drive a car but anybody can have children or animals. I wish we had more legal clout to punish the people who do such harm.
Shiela, great post, sad photos of these dogs. Sad situations all around!