Video: Pets in peril

People aren't the only ones feeling the effects of the economic downturn.

When money is tight one of the first things sacrificed is often the family pet.

That has many humane societies and shelters over capacity and being forced to euthanize thousands of beloved dogs and cats.

According to the ASPCA, about 60 percent of all American households have at least one pet.

And caring for them isn't cheap -- it can run up to $1,000 per year.

Because of that, at least one local animal shelter reports getting 10,000 animals surrendered by their owners last year.

From big to small...from dogs and cats to rabbits and guinea pigs...you can find it all at the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. And these days they're seeing more and more of these cute cuddly faces being surrendered by their owners.

Christy Moore, volunteer coordinator for the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, said, “We took over 10,000 animals in last year and our resources are limited and we have to do what we can for the ones we think we can successfully adopt out.”

Moore said that sadly, the number of incoming pets is hitting record highs and much of that is blamed on the economy.

“We've had people come in who've lost everything and they literally have their car and their kids and these animals were precious to them,” Moore said.

At the Animal Shelter of Pell City, the story is much the same.

“They really do love their pets and this is a really hard decision for them,” said Melissa Wilson, Animal Shelter of Pell City board member. “A lot of the people do cry when they leave here and we feel bad because there's not more that we can do.”

Sassy is a good example of what many animal shelters in the area are seeing right now. She's about 10 years old and she does have some medical conditions, her owners love her very much and were very sad they had to bring her in but they said they just couldn't afford her anymore.

Fact: the cost of basic food, medical care and supplies for a dog or cat can run up to $1,000 per year. An extra large Great Dane named Charley was given up by owners who lost their home and had to move into an apartment that didn't allow pets. And according to local shelters, many pet owners who try to hang on to their animals for as long as possible.

Many haven't been able to afford to have their pets spayed or neutered, and that's resulted in hundreds of puppies and kittens showing up at shelters.

“It doesn't seem like you're taking in that many when only four or five people come in,” Wilson said, “But when they all have two mother cats and each mother has 5 or 6 kittens the numbers can add up pretty quick.”

All this combined with the fact that the weak economy is shrinking the pool of potential adopters and drying up charitable donations has created a "perfect storm" for humane societies and shelters.

Both Wilson and Moore agree the best thing anyone can do to help solve this problem is have their pet spayed or neutered.

Fact: it's cheaper to spay or neuter a pet than to raise its puppies or kittens for just one year. In Birmingham, just last month the Humane Society saw more than 250 animals dropped off at their shelter.

“And on a really good week we can adopt out about 80 to 90,” Moore said.

Sadly the rest usually end up being put down.

Fact: Local shelters report that anywhere from 70 percent to 90 percent of surrendered pets are euthanized.

“Everything that comes through our doors we have to take and if we don't have space for it, we have to make space whether it be adopting an animal, sending an animal to rescue or unfortunately euthanizing the animal,” Wilson said.

Most Alabama counties offer discount spay and neuter services that can bring the price down to as low as $25. To find out more about what's offered where you live, contact your local animal shelter or go to spayalabama.org.