Pet and home lost

Kathryn Ecdao knew what she was losing when her Anaheim Hills home went into foreclosure — the new sliding glass windows and backdoor, the freshly laid carpet, the upgraded shower doors, other permanent fixtures. And that’s not to mention her credit.

What really took her by surprise was a loss that hurt more than just giving up material possessions — she had to also give up her dogs, Roxy and Bear.

One of the unseen factors of the crashing housing market are those items that make a house a home — in the case of the Ecdao family, losing their home also meant having to give up their pet dogs who had been with the family since they purchased the home about four years ago.

“It is the most heartbreaking part of it,” Ecdao, 45, said. “I cried over my home, but the whole family is feeling the pain of losing the dogs.”

The Los Angeles Times reported housing foreclosures multiplied fivefold in the fourth quarter of 2007, pushing the number of foreclosures in the year to more than double the previous record.

“We are a statistic,” Ecdao said. “We are one of those folks who got into a sub-prime loan without knowing what we got into.”

The Ecdao’s initial payments on the home were $3,000, then $4,700, and when it was going to jump another $1,000, that spelled the end.

Fortunately for Kathryn Ecdao and her husband, Cesar, they have stable jobs and were able to find a home to rent. The downside of the home was that dogs weren’t allowed. It was nearly a deal breaker for the family, who valiantly tried to find housing that allowed their pets, but attempts were unsuccessful.

They couldn’t find family or friends to take Roxy, a 90-pound German Shepherd Lab mix, and Bear, Roxy’s brother weighing in at 120 pounds, and opted out of turning them over to a shelter. A friend told them about the Community Animal Network — a rescue center in the Newport-Mesa area.

DiAnna Pfaff-Martin, founder of the organization, has pet adoptions in front of Russo’s Pet Experience every weekend at Fashion Island and has done so for eight years. While she hadn’t seen this situation before, last week she faced a wave of animals needing new homes because their owners had lost their houses to foreclosure.

“I hadn’t made the connection personally until this week,” Pfaff-Martin said. “It would have been logical to assume that [animals would be made homeless].”

Pfaff-Martin, including the Ecdao’s dogs, saw five animals come through their pet adoption program a week ago due to foreclosure. Two of the five were dogs found at a home that had been foreclosed, but the animals were left behind. A neighbor found them and called the network. Pfaff-Martin thinks the number of animals is high, especially since they hadn’t seen any before. The amount may reflect the rapidly growing number of foreclosures statewide.

According to the Los Angeles Times, two of the five ZIP codes with the sharpest rise in foreclosures were Costa Mesa and Anaheim. If trends continue, more animals could be left without homes. For residents in that situation, Pfaff-Martin wants them to know they have options.

“Call our organization before the last minute, and list the animals for adoption and participate,” Pfaff-Martin said.

Despite the Ecdao’s misfortune, they never intended to abandon their dogs. Once they found the Community Animal Network, the family worked closely with the organization.

“My greatest concern is finding them a place where they will be welcome,” Ecdao said.

For more information on the Community Animal Network go to www.animalnetwork.org or call (949) 533-0411.

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at daniel.tedford@latimes.com.