美国国家公共电台 NPR--Pets are being given up by people who can't afford to keep them

Pets are being given up by people who can't afford to keep them

Transcript¹

Early in the pandemic, people were rushing to adopt pets. But high prices because of inflation are causing some pet owners to surrender or abandon their pets.

ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:

Remember how everyone seemed to be getting pets earlier in the pandemic? Well, now some people are having to give theirs up because they can't afford to keep them. NPR's Carmen Molina Acosta has this report.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOGS BARKING)

CARMEN MOLINA ACOSTA, BYLINE²: Sarah Barnett runs an animal shelter in Philadelphia. Recently, she's seen hard economic times put pet owners in a tough spot.

SARAH BARNETT: Right now, when people are losing their jobs and having to pick between putting food on the table or feeding their family and their pet, they're having to make a very difficult decision and really being left with very few options.

MOLINA ACOSTA: They're not all impulse pandemic puppies either.

BARNETT: We're seeing a lot of people in Philadelphia coming to us who do love their pet, they wish they could keep them, but they can't because they're moving in with their family members 'cause they can't find another place to live, you know, or their family members' allergic³ who they moved in with - things like that.

MOLINA ACOSTA: About 1 in 5 households nationwide took in a pet during the first 14 months of the pandemic, according to a survey by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Since then, the cost of pet food, vet⁴ visits and just about everything else has gone up. Barnett's shelter picks up strays, and lately, more than half of them come from Philadelphia's lowest-income neighborhoods.

BARNETT: It's really heartbreaking because it's easy to want to judge everybody who surrenders an animal, and everyone always says, you know, they would never surrender an animal, but these people are reaching their breaking point. You know, they're trying everything they can. And a lot of people are giving them up because they literally⁵ are living out of their car, and they want a better life for the dog.

MOLINA ACOSTA: Animal shelters around the country are overflowing⁶, and there's a price to that overcrowding.

BARNETT: We've euthanized dogs who are healthy and adoptable and treatable for space.

MOLINA ACOSTA: But Barnett says there are pet pantries and other resources out there to help keep owners and pets together. And hopefully more animals can be saved.

BARNETT: You know, every number is a wet nose and a wagging tail, so to speak. But most of the animals are leaving our shelter and going back to their owners or going to rescue organizations or finding homes directly through us.

MOLINA ACOSTA: Carmen Molina Acosta, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

4 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

5 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

6 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。