Often the First Line of Defense
By Kim Letus
As process servers, we often encounter disturbing situations during the performance of our jobs. We have to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether or not the issue at hand warrants any action by us. This would, more often than not, be limited to alerting the appropriate authorities.
On the rise, partially due to the mounting number of foreclosures and evictions, is the problem of abandoned pets. I am an animal lover, but even for those who aren’t, most would find it difficult to fathom how anyone could lock an animal in a cage or inside an empty house with limited or no food and water, take one last look, and close the door behind them and walk away. The motivation behind the act is irrelevant. Whether it be out of sheer desperation, malice or simple lack of compassion, the animal does not stand a chance of surviving unless someone happens to find it fairly quickly.
Process Serving = Default Animal Rescuer
I have found myself thrust into the role of animal rescuer repeatedly over my 25+ years in this business. I will recount two of those occasions for you here.
I have three very fat spoiled cats living in my home right now that were rescued from abandonment situations encountered by my process servers. One cat, Murdock, a beautiful gray Maine Coon cat, then a tiny kitten, was left behind with his mother, his litter mates and four other adult cats, by a tenant who had gone off to rehab and vacated her rented home in a wooded area. They were lined up staring at our process server through the window when he went to serve papers on the tenant. Through contact with the landlord, my server, George, was allowed to retrieve the animals. The landlord had not yet gone into the unit and was not aware the animals had been left. It is anyone’s guess how long it would have taken for the animals to be found had George not been inclined to help them. The cats appeared to have been eating, or trying to eat, the only thing left in the apartment – a bag of wood chips. The local shelter had a waiting list, so the landlord was glad to allow us to remove the cats, all of whom found good homes with people in our office and their families.
Less uplifting was an incident that occurred several years ago near Napanoch, New York, here in Ulster County, at an address where my office had served foreclosure papers at a home. Months later, we attended the foreclosure sale to submit a bid for the lender. After the sale, on the same date, I received a telephone call from the person who had purchased the home at the sale. When the buyer went to look at the house, which, of course, he would not take possession of for approximately thirty days, the house had been vacated. However, the owner had left three dogs inside the house, and they were gathered inside the sliding glass door at the back of the house when the buyer went there. The buyer, a regular at Ulster County foreclosure sales and an acquaintance of mine, was very shaken. There was no visible food or water, and the dogs were emaciated and desperately scratching at the door to be let out. After notifying our client and the local SPCA and putting them in touch with one another, it took several days for the local SPCA to arrange access to retrieve the dogs. Sadly, by that time, one of the dogs had deteriorated to the point it had to be euthanized.
The Rising Problem of Pet Abandonment
Pet abandonment due to foreclosure is on the rise in this country. Realtors, property inspectors and cleaning crews regularly find abandoned animals locked or chained inside foreclosed homes. Some have already died of starvation because nobody knew they were there. A process server will often be at the home far in advance of any of these people, so it is important that the process server be observant and report any pet abandonment to the proper authorities, including local animal control, the police and the SPCA.
The growing incidence of pet abandonment has become so significant that it has actually resulted in the inception of new rescue organizations specifically tailored to address the issue of foreclosure and pets. No Paws Left Behind , Foreclosed Upon Pets, Inc. and Lost Our Home Pet Foundation are just a few of those which assist people who have lost their homes with placing their pets in new homes, or sometimes even in foster homes until the pet owner can reclaim the pet. There are also numerous local non-profits and local shelters that may be able to assist. Unfortunately, there are owners who are so overwhelmed by their own situations they are not inclined to put very much effort into finding a safe place to surrender their pet. Municipal shelters are overcrowded and there are often waiting lists, and the owners experience difficulty in making arrangements for their pets through conventional means.
What You Can Do in Cases of Pet Abandonment
I urge all of you to keep the number of the local SPCA in your cell phone and immediately file a report if an abandoned pet is observed inside of a house where you’re serving. Or, call your office and have them make the calls for you if you don’t have time to do it yourself. Find out about small local rescue organizations that may be more readily available and respond more quickly than larger shelters. Also check and find out if there are any rescue organizations in your area designed to deal with abandoned foreclosure pets. You may be the only chance this defenseless animal has to be rescued from an excruciating death from starvation and dehydration.
I shudder to think of what would have happened to my wonderful cat, Murdock, if my server had told himself those abandoned cats just weren’t his problem.