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"More animals than ever were surrendered by their owners in June, and Animal Humane said it's a sign of the tough economic times.The Animal Humane New Mexico said it normally receives about 100 owner-surrendered animals a month, but it June, it received about 239.\"They either feel like they can't afford the pet or they are moving. Often, they are downsizing or leaving New Mexico to find better job opportunities,\" said Dawn Glass, from Animal Humane New Mexico.It may be hard on owners, but Animal Humane said it's hard on the pets, too.A majority of the cats surrendered were adult cats, so Animal Humane is having a Name Your Price adoption special for any adult cat.Along with encouraging residents to adopt adult cats, Animal Humane said it wants current pet owners to know it has support services if they are having a hard time affording their pets, like a pet food bank, low cost vet services, pet friendly apartment listing and even a pet behavioral hotline .\"We really want to remind the community before you surrender your pet to a shelter, try to exhaust every option because you are putting more stress on the shelters, and it's just really sad for the animal,\" Glass said.In the end, Animal Humane said the best thing is to find a way to stay together.\"The best thing really is to keep your pet with you help you get through that time. They'll provide you with emotional support. The last thing you want is to lose your pet when you are already having hard times,\" Glass said.For more information about support services for pet owners, please contact the Animal Humane New Mexico at 505-255-5523."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.koat.com/article/animal-humane-sees-more-owners-surrendering-pets/5041711>