Low-income families aren't the only victims of the mortgage crisis: there's also a surge in homeless pets. Animal shelters are flooding with the furry friends of people who can no longer afford their property—or their pets. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Sacramento, Calif., for instance, accepted 178 dogs and cats in December, a jump of almost 80 percent over the previous year. Less-fortunate Fidos are dumped on the streets or released into nature. Traci Jennings, founder of a Humane Society branch in Modesto, Calif., has found dogs tied to porches and, in one case, abandoned in a yard. "Someone called me when they heard the puppies crying," she says.

Last month the National Humane Society issued a list of tips for distressed owners. "If you are having a hard time, please look at our hints for keeping your family together," says spokesperson Nancy Peterson, who believes people are acting out of necessity, not malice. Some shelters have launched programs for animal victims of foreclosure, including one in Salem, N.H., which offers kennels and local vet care until pet owners can find new homes, and the Philadelphia SPCA, which will keep pets until they are adopted. If only mortgage help were so easy to find.