While there is no question that people affected by the nation’s economic recession command the public’s attention and action, there exists a population of animals — house pets, mostly — that warrants compassion as well. Shelters across the nation have been overwhelmed by abandonment as dogs and cats once thought part of a family are now considered an extravagance.

In Pitt County, there are several organizations working to address these voiceless victims of recession, using grant funding and other means to help struggling families and abandoned pets. They need whatever assistance this community can muster as they work to keep pace with the problem for as long as the region’s economic issues persist.

It would be incorrect to claim that suitable attention has been paid to those who have lost jobs and homes in the nation’s recession. Their plight may be readily apparent amid the sluggish recovery, but the public cannot lose sight of the need to help those marginalized in this economic turmoil.

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