As foreclosure and unemployment numbers remain high, animal shelters are feeling an uptick of their own.

In the first year of the recession, the number of animals in Chicago Animal Shelter Alliance member shelters grew by 9 percent, according to statistics from Maddie’s Fund. That’s an increase of roughly 3,300 animals.

Anti-Cruelty Society President Dr.Robyn Barbiers:

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PAWS Chicago’s food bank has distributed 30,000 pounds of food since October 2008. Executive Director Rochelle Michalek estimates 125-140 pets have been placed in their short-term shelter program since March of that year.

But there’s something else going on in the animal world for which I just cannot find a statistic. The word in the real estate community is tenants are leaving pets behind foreclosed properties.

Realtor Suzy Thomas:

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Thomas is the founder of Realtors to the Rescue. Working with the Anti-Cruelty Society, Realtors to the Rescue put together an animal resource sheet listing options like short -term animal shelters and pet food banks.

Robyn Barbiers explains a couple of those programs:

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Kate Pieri, the social worker for the evictions unit of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, says the resource sheet is now included with every eviction notice mailed. Thomas says the Sheriff’s Office has asked Realtors to the Rescue to expand the list to include more of suburban Cook County.

I hope the prevention efforts work because when I visited Chicago Animal Care and Control, l heard something else that troubles me.

CACC Operations Manager Mark Rosenthal:

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