As the economy worsens, animal shelters fill up.  Sheltersw across the country are seeing an increase in abandoned pets, largely due to people realizing that they can no longer afford to feed and care for them.

"We noticed probably, in the last six to eight months, adoptions were down and we are getting a lot more calls from residents for homeless pets," said Jim Johnson, founder of Happy Tails Animal Sanctuary.

Americans who are facing foreclosure are also abandoning their pets. While this may seem like a selfish act, these are people who are already in deep financial trouble who can no longer care for animals.

"I just rescued two beautiful puppies, no one knows how long they been out of the county. They were so covered with ticks, they were starving to death and they were in horrible shape," Johnson said.

Johnson said this overpopulation problem can be easily prevented.

"If you have a pet, do the responsible thing and least do something with it. Don't just dump them out, especially in this weather," Johnson said.

Despite the economic downturn, some residents are still looking to take animals into their homes. Mark Wilhite has kept pets his whole life. After he lost his dog six months ago, he thought he would never get a pet again, but he did. This time he got one from the animal shelter.

"I decided that I was going to give a dog a home who really needed a home," Wilhite said.

He says he cannot imagine his life without his pets.

"I can imagine it before I got them, but I can not imagine now. They are just like playful little kids all the time."

There are many ways to help the thousands of pets who used to be part of a families and are now sitting alone in shelters. Emergency animal shelters have begun to pop up as well, to provide temporary food, shelter and medical care to pets whose owners are suffering financially. Johnson gives reminders for those who are able to adopt a shelter pet and asks adoptive pet parents to be realistic.    

"Make sure you understand that your adopted pet is a living creature and their life is dependent on you," Johnson said. "It is important to be realistic about their expectation after bringing it home."

If you are interested in adopting an animal, click any of the links on the left side of this page.