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Dog Rescue Groups Handle More Animals, Cite Economy

Tribune photo by SCOTT ISKOWITZ

Andrea Davis plays with Parker, a border collie, on Tuesday. Davis is foster mom to the dog until a permanent home can be found.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 5, 2008

TAMPA - Dog rescue groups across the Bay area are seeing a glut of dogs being dumped.

From ever-popular golden retrievers to rambunctious border collies, more and more dogs are in need of foster care.

Some of the reasons are timeless: An active-breed dog is adopted by people without a clue as to how to properly care for it or someone has to move and can't take the pup along.

People with the rescue groups are blaming something else: the economy. People can't afford to care for their pets.

Whatever the reason, dogs are piling up, particularly some of the popular breeds.

Diane Conroy, who has run Border Collie Rescue of Tampa Bay for the past 17 years, said that not only are people giving up their purebred dogs, but also nobody is adopting them.

She has seven dogs placed in seven foster homes. Two of the fostered dogs are enrolled in obedience class paid for by Conroy herself to make them more adoptable, she said.

There is just no room for any more border collies, she said.

"The last few months are the worst it's ever been," she said. "The only thing I can think of is that a lot of people have lost jobs and their homes. We are turning dogs away. Three this week; more than that last week. We just don't have room or the financial wherewithal."

The rescue group operates solely on donations and volunteers, she said. A recent fundraiser netted $600, but it was gone immediately because two of the collies needed heartworm treatment.

"That money was spent before it got here," she said.

"Border collies are very different," said Andrea Davis, a Tampa police spokeswoman who is foster mother to a 1-year-old border collie named Parker. "People think it's a great idea to have a border collie, but a border collie can drive you crazy."

The same can be said of retrievers, she said.

"The golden retriever rescue is busting at the seams," Davis said. "They just took in 20 dogs from a puppy mill."

Bert Haker, with Golden Retriever Rescue of Mid-Florida, said the economy definitely is to blame for the glut in goldens in her group's care.

"We're taking in more dogs this time of year than is normal," she said. "A year ago we took in 225 dogs all year long, and already this year we have 150. We're on pace to have a record year."

This is not a record the group is seeking, she said. The glut means healthy dogs are ending up on a waiting list or heading to the county shelter.

"It's a challenge," she said, "for sure."

"Most of these people are not bad people," she said. "Most are just in tough situations. … People can't afford vet care any more or they have multiple pets and have to get rid of one. Some are going through foreclosure and have to move.

"We started to see signs of this awhile ago, maybe eight, nine, 10 months ago," she said.

Her rescuers usually are caring for about 30 golden retrievers, she said. They now are dealing with 40.

"Some folks," Haker said, "are stepping up big time for us."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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