Goldfish living on the streets. Turtles evicted from their own shells. Lax oversight of animal home loans finally comes home to roost
(roost - get it? Our headline writers love corny puns and wordplay).
The pet real estate bubble has burst:
• In Laguna Beach, two goldfish were evicted from an aquarium castle last week after a bank foreclosed on the building.
• In Riverside County, a turtle who refinanced to add a second story to his shell is now homeless after falling behind on payments.
• Ant farm prices in L.A. County dipped to $62,000 last month, their lowest level since 1998.
As several congressmen called for a ban on adjustable-rate loans to animals, a spokesman for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) blamed the crisis on a spillover from the human mortgage meltdown.
However, economists say PETA itself is part of the problem.
"Their big push for cruelty-free product testing backfired," said Harvard economist Mark Karl. "Animals who once earned steady paychecks in corporate laboratories got laid off and now can't pay off their mortgages."
Paws-free pet phone law takes effect
CHP begins crackdown, but says dogs can still hang their heads out car windows.
Rally Monkey testifies before Congress
Angels mascot admits his hyperkinetic game antics were fueled by steroid injections.
Real Estate
