A woman stands in the entrance of the Lawrence Humane Society sobbing. She's not upset about her empty pockets. Her tears aren't because of the fact that she lost her home to foreclosure. She's in shambles because she's losing her best friend.
"I don't want to give up my dog but I have no options," she says amid sobs.
In the economy's current free-fall, pet owners across the country are feeling the same pain.
And for Lawrence's only shelter, the spike in pet abortions couldn't come at a worse time.
The facility, which is in serious need of funding and becoming increasingly crowded, saw a 19 percent increase in owner drop-offs last month when compared to 2007. Pair that with an annual influx of around 150 student pet abortions every December and it makes for an extremely cold and crammed winter.
"It's like a double hit," said Lawrence Humane Society executive director Midge Grinstead.
Grinstead can understand the increase in economy-related drop-offs, but she can't understand the chronic neglect of KU students year after year.
Not only are students dumping their animals at the shelter, but also on the streets.
"They throw them in dumpsters. They kick them out the door and leave them on their own," said Grinstead.
As a result the shelter has seen some grotesque animal rights offenses, especially in the winter months.
Frostbite is more prevalent than anything else. It's not uncommon for animals to arrive at the shelter missing the pads of their feet, their noses, or their ears.
One memory of a dog frozen to the sidewalk after an ice storm still resonates with Grinstead and her staff.
"When he got up, part of him didn't. It was traumatic to even be there to help the animal," she said.
With finals rapidly approaching, the humane society doesn't see any signs of the trend reversing itself this winter break.
And with pet owners everywhere lining up to say goodbye to their four-legged-friends, things are looking increasingly grim.
After the cost of medications, veterinary visits, and increasingly expensive food, Grinstead estimates that the yearly cost of owning a dog is now somewhere between $900-1000 a year. And that's assuming that the animal doesn't run into any major health problems resulting in additional expenses.
Because of stricter admission procedures, Wayside Waifs in Kansas City doesn't have the same problems as Lawrence concerning space, but they've noticed a lot more traffic in and out of their doors amid the economic turmoil.
"We definitely have had more phone calls about people wanting to surrender their pets for what we believe to be financial and economic issues," said Jenny Brown, communications manager at Kansas City's largest shelter.
Even though space hasn't proved to be a problem, Wayside Waifs is experiencing financial issues of their own during a time when a spike in shelter demand has resulted in a need for more resources.
According to Brown, donations have dropped 40 percent and food prices have jumped 40 percent. Even the petroleum-based surgical gloves the shelter employees use have seen a 26 percent price increase.
"As donations stop coming in, animals keep coming in, and we have to live with our services," said Brown
Tom Godsey, Kansas City senior, just got a puppy at a time when it seems like everyone is doing the opposite.
Godsey got the Golden-Retriever from his aunt, who didn't feel she needed the additional financial burden.
Learning to cope with the responsibility of the five-month-old dog named Lexi has resulted in some difficult moments. But Godsey tries his best to be a responsible pet owner.
"She peed in my bed on Saturday, and she poops in the house still," said Godsey. "But I love her."
As for his peers who haven't been fulfilling their obligations as pet owners, "You need to make sure that you take on the responsibility well and don't give your dog up just because it's the end of the semester."
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