What happens to abandoned pets when their owner’s home has been foreclosed?

Normally, we don’t go to real estate experts with pet questions.  But Cheri Stanley of Frank Howard Allen Realtors, the Wine Country Group, specializes in what is known as distressed sales, meaning homes that have been foreclosed upon or are at risk of foreclosure.

Stanley has seen homes where tenants ripped out copper pipes or let homes go to seed as the financing unraveled.

But when it comes to abandoned pets, she said, “Knock on wood, I haven’t had too much trouble with this kind of situation.”

However, she did recall a situation in which two guinea pigs were left behind in their cage in a home. “Both the sheriff and I were horrified,” she said.

When a home is foreclosed, the animals within it become the bank’s “private property.” Almost immediately after foreclosure (in a day or so, said Stanley), the banks appear at the site.

This is good news for pets, as they are not left to fend for themselves for very long.

If pets are found within the home, either the animal shelter or animal services is contacted to do what is appropriate for the animal.

Sadly, in some cases, said Stanley, pets are left behind intentionally.

Once a pet is found, the owners will be contacted to see if they would like to have their pet returned to them.

But, said Napa County Sheriff’s Capt. Jean Donaldson, “If we are satisfied that the animal has been abandoned, we take them to the animal shelter.” There, Donaldson said, staff performs behavior assessment and suitability tests for the pet’s potential adoption.

What about those guinea pigs? They were put up for adoption.

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