Fewer pets being abandoned as year ends

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As students scramble to tie up loose ends and prepare to go home for the summer, pets often get left behind.

Though the numbers are shrinking, Deb Dorn, Humane Animal Treatment Society president, said pet abandonment is still a problem.

“Most people think of pets as something cute and fun to keep them company, but students need to understand that adopting a pet is not unlike having a child,” Dorn said. “The animal that you adopt is dependent on you for the rest of its natural life, and people really shouldn’t get pets if, in their mind, it’s going to be a temporary thing.”

Dorn said pet abandonment peaks at the end of the school year and during kitten season, which is also in the spring.

“When cats start having kittens, abandonment really jumps,” she said.

Val McCullough, Isabella County Animal Control officer, said pet abandonment has been curbed with the help of various apartment complexes in Mount Pleasant.

“The apartments have really started cracking down, and most charge additional fees to let residents have pets,” she said. “We used to have a lot of pets abandoned, particularly at the end of the school year. Now, we only have about five pets per year that we find abandoned.”

A law passed in January 1998 also has made pet abandonment a less frequent occurrence, McCullough said.

“The law requires anyone who adopts pets to have them spayed or neutered to help control the pet population,” McCullough said.

The law has made people think more carefully before adopting pets, she said.

“The cost for adopting a pet went from $10 – and you could take your pet out of the door – to $80, some of which is refundable,” she said.

To get a refund, new pet owners are required to bring in a certificate from a veterinarian stating that the operation was performed. The purchase price, $60, then is refunded to the owner.

“It’s really important to spay or neuter your pets. That really helps, from the animal control standpoint,” she said.

McCullough said college students still are adopting pets pretty frequently and should license the pets they adopt.

“It’s very important to license your pets, so if they get lost we can return the pet to its owner,” she said.

Dorn said students should think about the impact a pet will have on their lives.

“Students have to be responsible about the decision to have a pet,” she said.

If a student is unable to care for a pet, Dorn said there are several options available which are better than abandonment.

“You can place an advertisement in the paper, or you can call HATS and we will help you find a home for your pet,” she said.

HATS can be reached at 775-0830

McCullough said students can bring pets to the Mount Pleasant Animal Shelter if they no longer can care for them.

“If you can’t keep a pet, at least bring it in here,” she said.