Very well said, Christine.
 
There's another factor to consider, too.  That is, *if* someone who
suddenly couldn't afford their pets were to give them up because of it,
the emotional loss and grief is likely to soon manifest itself in the
form of physical infirmity.
 
When my ferrets were first given to me, I had money in the bank.  But,
that only lasted less than a year, then things started getting tight.
That's when I found that there are few decent jobs in this town, and
nothing technical like is my field of endeavor.
 
For people to simply advise that impoverished people give up their pets,
is to over-simplify things and is just plain cruel.  It's much easier
said than done (and I'm not just talking about physically).
 
Gary, Bart and Victoria
[Posted in FML issue 4299]