Intro
A dog chomps down its dinner with its metal bowl clanging against the floor. The dog then plays with the children in its family, fetching its favorite ball and moving it back and forth across the room. The ball is worn out from years of biting. After some time, the dog begins to feel tired, with its ears drooping downward and movements slowing. It finds its warm bed, lying down and letting out a deep yawn, feeling full and happy for having such a loving family.
Later that night, the dog is woken up by its owner and led to a car, where it is driven to its favorite park in town. The dog is then let out of the car and sees its owner throw its ball—the dog charges after the ball, but before it reaches the ball, the car speeds off. The dog attempts to chase after the car but is forced to give up. It lays down on the cold ground, confused and scared in the unknown surroundings.
According to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), the number of animals taken in by shelters in the U.S. is around 6.3 million annually, including those that have been abandoned or lost. The ASPCA was founded in 1866 as North America’s first animal welfare organization, according to their website.
Animal rescues and shelters are on the front lines, doing what they can to resolve the issue of pet abandonment.
Second Chance Paws
A year after moving to Texas, Apalonia Cervantes founded Second Chance Paws, a pet rescue she runs through her home in Whitehouse.
Cervantes has always had a love for animals ever since she was a girl. Although she had always wanted to be a veterinarian, she had a change in her career plans after moving to Texas.
“I wanted to be rescuing animals because of how much animals get dumped here in Texas,” Cervantes said.
Cervantes’ journey with the rescue started with two dogs named Mama and Baby, who had been abandoned in Winona.
She had received a message in a cold and slightly snowy December about the two dogs who had been abandoned at a bank. She decided she would try to rescue the dogs, driving back and forth, slowly gaining the dogs’ trust throughout two and a half months.
By the end of rescuing Mama and Baby, Cervantes has become attached to the two dogs.
“I kind of like wanted to keep them as my own pet, but I don’t. They need to find their forever homes, unfortunately,” Cervantes said.
As of November 2024, about a year later, the rescue now takes care of 16 total animals, including Mama and Baby.
The rescue receives phone calls and emails daily asking if the rescue can take in a pet. The most recent she took in was a litter of five puppies that had been abandoned at a church in Tyler.
However, she is unable to take in every animal due to limited space. Her goal is to eventually be able to take in every animal.
“If I had a bigger area, I would love to help much more people, but unfortunately, I don’t have a big property, and I’m trying to help as much animals I can,” Cervantes said.
SPCA of East Texas
The SPCA of East Texas is a foster-based rescue organization in Tyler. The rescue takes care of many cats and dogs.
With now 10 years of experience working at nonprofits, Emily Heglund has been the executive director at the SPCA of East Texas since July 2024.
Even though she has not worked at the shelter for long, she said she has had many great memories so far.
One memory of hers is how every month, a team at the SPCA of East Texas will decide on a day to load up many animals and drive up north to their rescue partners. They leave in the dark at 10 p.m., driving throughout the night.
“Watching them get ready for that and stay up late, and, you know, prepare to go up north and get animals adopted up there is really incredible,” Heglund said.
Heglund also said people abandon pets at the rescue every once in a while, with one instance being two stray tabby kittens.
Some of the animal care staff at the rescue had found the two kittens left in a cat trap right outside the door to the rescue. They were confused and scared, having been left alone in an unfamiliar place. According to the ASPCA, 3.2 million cats are taken in by animal shelters in the U.S. each year.
“Every time you see an animal that has been abandoned or is unwanted, it really breaks your heart because these are such, in most cases, you know, amazing, caring, loving animals. So, we want to see all of them have a great home,” Heglund said.
Reasons People Abandon Pets
Cervantes said people may abandon their pets for many reasons. One of the animals at her rescue had been abandoned by its owner so they could escape an abusive relationship.
Heglund said a tough economy can make people feel they must choose to abandon their pets. This is due to the difficulty of providing for the needs of their pets, such as food and vet costs. According to The Zebra, the average yearly cost of caring for cats is around $634, and for dogs, the cost ranges from about $737 to $1,040, depending on the size of the dog. The Zebra is a website that compares insurance providers, including pet insurance.
“When the economy gets tough, and inflation goes up, you start to see people who sometimes resort to desperate measures when it comes to finding a new home for their pet. If they can’t find someone to take it, a lot of times, they may feel like they have no other choice,” Heglund said.
Heglund also attributed peoples’ lack of spaying and neutering their pets to contributing to the pet abandonment issue due to many litters being unwanted. According to The Zebra, only 10% of dogs will find a permanent home after birth.
The SPCA of East Texas offers spaying and neutering at its Snippet Clinic, which is next door to the rescue.
“We always encourage people to spay and neuter because as soon as, you know, a dog or a cat has babies, there’s got to be something done with them. And unfortunately, a lot of times that ends up, you know, that those animals are dumped,” Heglund said.
Dangers that Abandoned Pets Experience
On a practical level, abandoned and stray pets are more exposed to diseases, according to Heglund. She also said they are at a greater risk of being injured and becoming a traffic hazard for drivers on the road.
On the other hand, it may also be psychologically damaging to pets who have been abandoned due to not knowing how to get food and not being with people.
Heglund said most strays that enter their rescue program are very scared, uncertain, and lack stability.
“Of course, they’re a domesticated animal, so their instinct is to be with people. And when you don’t have a home, that’s a very terrifying place to be,” Heglund said.
How to Help Resolve the Issue
Cervantes and Heglund said people should get their animals fixed, meaning spayed and neutered, to help resolve the pet abandonment issue.
“I mean, if you have a pet and that animal is not altered, and you don’t want to have puppies or kittens, you really need to get that animal fixed. It’s very important because even though you may not intend to breed your animal, occasionally animals do escape, you know, from your home or from your yard, and can often come back and then, you know, surprise, there’s a litter on your doorstep,” Heglund said.
Heglund also said keeping pets in good health can help resolve the issue. However, she does understand how hard it can be to take care of an animal.
“If they’re having a hard time providing for their animal, definitely call and reach out to as many resources as you can because it takes the entire community to try to help resolve these issues,” Heglund said.
The SPCA of East Texas provides resources in a community food pantry for pet owners who need help affording the costs of taking care of their pets. The pantry contains resources such as pet food and cat litter that had been donated to the shelter.
To support Second Chance Paws, visit their website (https://losttolovedrescue.com/) and the SPCA of East Texas on their website (https://spcaeasttx.com/). See pet adoption statistics from The Zebra here (https://www.thezebra.com/resources/research/pet-adoption-statistics/). Also, see ASPCA’s pet statistics here (https://www.aspca.org/helping-people-pets/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics).
Cervantes wishes that people would stop abandoning their pets, stating that they do not deserve it.
“Animals are just like humans; they have feelings, they bleed, they cry in a certain way of crying. We may not be able to see it, but they still cry,” Cervantes said.
