Sharon, that is the ultimate nightmare.  Shelters are being inundated with those victims of foreclosure.  I wish there was some way to make sure the banks send animal control over to a house as soon as the foreclosure is completed to make sure there are no starving animals inside.  And I'm sure that people who are just walking away from their mortgages are leaving pets behind as well.  Its a sad sign of the times.  We as a people just don't care.

It is sad, but mainly because we can see the abuse/neglect of these animals.  How well do you think the abandoned animals were treated before they were left behind?  I can't imagine anyone treating a dog or cat humanely and then locking them in an empty house to die. 

I would like to see licensing of pet owners similar to licensing of drivers.  Require that the applicant demonstrate a certain level of competence.  Nobody should be allowed to have a cat or dog unless they know what is required to keep them healthy, and also what they can do to dispose of their responsibility legally.   It will probably never happen; we don't even require demonstration of competency to have custody of human kids, as long as they are our own breeding. 

Mike - very well said. You are right. How good and responsible were the owners in the first place? There should be some service or system that these homes are automatically checked for pets left behind.

Sharon, I haven't run into this yet myself, thankfully, but I have heard of people leaving pets chained up, etc. at vacant houses. There are options, like you said.

An agent in my office recently listed a foreclosure- They left behind all 4 dogs in the backyard (and they had access to the house through the doggy door).... Thankfully the neighbor noticed and let us know they were taking care of them.  I can't imagine leaving my two dachshunds behind.  They may as well leave their children behind too.

Katie, how sad! And now someone has to find a home for these 4 dogs. I wish I could save them all.