Homeless Pets Crowd Shelters as Families Hit Hard Times.

''Desperate Pets!'' read the headline of an online classified ad posted from Lee County, Fla., which is ranked first in the nation in home foreclosures. ''Please Help!'' begged a post from a pet owner in Carroll County, Ga., who said she had two dogs that would be homeless when her mother's home was foreclosed on in a few weeks. ''Our shelter has something like an 80 percent kill rate,'' the post said. ''I have exhausted every effort I know to find them a good home. No one wants a pregnant dog.'' [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]