Home pets are victims in the foreclosure crisis, as owners abandon them, leaving them in the backyard or locked in a closet. Laws have made it complicated for humane organizations to rescue these animals, but one Phoenix-area mortgage broker, Jodi Polanski, along with real estate agents and organizations, has established the Lost Our Home Pet Foundation to help.

Phoenix is among one of the hardest-hit areas in the foreclosure crisis. Polanski started the Lost Our Home Pet Foundation in 2008, and in 2009, they rescued 400 animals. This year, the pace has picked up, averaging 40 rescues a month.

"Maricopa County Animal Control (in Phoenix) has reported that 5,000 pets were abandoned after foreclosure last year. The shelters are so overcrowded," Polanski said.

Because of the great demand, Lost Our Home Pet Foundation has been developing foster care programs that take owners' pets in as they look for a permanent home for themselves that will accept their pets. The Foundation is also teaming up with the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) to develop a search function for the Foundation's Web site at LostOurHome.org that will allow the public to search its database of pet-friendly rental apartments. ARMLS is also donating booth space at an upcoming event to help spread the word about the organization and its efforts.

The group has grown to include myriad volunteers, of which real estate agents are a core part.

Read more at Inman News.

Posted in Giving Back

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