By Debbie Bulloch
All around, times have been tough.
People struggling in tough times to feed their family pets have been lining up each week outside the Ventura County animal shelter in Camarillo to collect free dog and cat food.
“I just lost my job. I lost my home. So this is really beneficial, because I can’t find work and I have to find something to help feed the dog,” said Kristina Selberg, 33, who is living in her car with her 3-year-old German shepherd-wolf mix called Caine.
Selberg’s situation is one that is facing more and more pet owners. To help them, the Ventura County animal shelter announced in October that it was starting a free giveaway of dog and cat food every Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon, or until the food runs out.
Jolene Hoffman, director of the Humane Society of Ventura County, which runs a shelter and adoption center in Ojai, said more and more pet owners are becoming desperate.
“This is the worst I’ve seen it in a very long time,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking.”
Many people, Hoffman said, are being forced to give up their pets because of a lost job or home or poor health. “Just about every day we get someone, sometimes several people, come in and ask for help,” Hoffman said this week. “Today, I had a guy who has three dogs and two cats and we gave him some of our food.”
The Humane Society accepts donations of pet food and passes it out to those who need it, Hoffman said. When they run out of donated food, they share the food they use for the shelter animals.
“We’re not going to let an animal go without food,” she said.
The Pet Pantry at the county shelter at 600 Aviation Drive, near the Camarillo Airport, is offered each Sunday morning near the horse corrals. Last Sunday, 14 people were in line when the Pet Pantry opened, and more people kept coming as the morning went on. Each one was given enough dried and canned food for their cat or dog to last a week.
John Gutierrez came with his 5-year-old Boxer, Dizzy.
“With the economy, work is slow and it’s really hard, and I guess I could use a little help,” Gutierrez said. “I think this is a great opportunity for those who need a bit of a helping hand. You can’t neglect your dog.”
These are tough economic times for everyone – family with children and pets are in a particularly vulnerable position. But while families with children receive assistance from the local, State and Federal governments, families with pets to feed do not receive similar assistance from the government. Families with pets, however, must rely upon the generosity of strangers, who are more fortunate, to get them through the hard times.
This Saturday, I plan to load the station wagon with pet food to deliver it to the local pet shelter. I will donate the food on behalf of my family and on behalf of Between Homes. If your community has an assistance program, I strongly encourage you to donate to it. A hungry furry will thank you.
What a better way to give thanks for your own blessings!
