UPDATED Sunday, November 16, 2008 --- 4:55 p.m.

The economic slowdown is taking a toll on people's wallets. But leaving business brisk for animal rescues.

Right now people are looking for ways to cut costs and save cash. Sometimes their pets are the ones that end up suffering.

Recently someone in Rock County surrendered about 90 animals to the Humane Society.

"We've taken in quite a few of either rescue Llamas or Llamas that people don't have room for anymore."

Jenny LaFoe owns Old Stage Alpacas in Edgerton.

She recently took in about 20 surrendered Llamas.

"It hasn't been too bad we've placed three of them already into good homes and then I have a waiting list of others."

LaFoe says she's seeing more and more people give up their pets because of the slumping economy.

"I mean if people have a choice sometimes the Lamas and the farm animals do get a little neglected."

But LaFoe doesn't think it's intentional.

She thinks it's just a product of the times.

" They might be breeding them and not selling the babies or they might be taking in more animals than they really can take care of."

LaFoe says it's not just the larger farm animals like Llamas that are looking for care as a result of the slowdown.

" It's happening with pretty much all animals. I think it's happening with the dogs and the cats also."

LaFoe says she doesn't have any room for them but she worries about what may happen if the economy's downward spiral continues.

LaFoe says she plans on finding new homes for all but three of the surrendered animals.

She hopes to have that done before Christmas.

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Monday, September 30, 2008 --- 10 p.m.

The Rock County Humane Society calls it the biggest surrender of farm animals in recent history. The shelter's trying to find rescue organizations to take roughly 90 animals from a property.

When it comes to animals, DeeDee Golberg cannot help herself. "I cannot turn my back on animals."

As a founder of Spirit Horse and Equine Rescue, she has seen a lot.
"There was no way we could walk away from this situation," she says.

What she found on this rural Rock County property surprised her.
"It was very much like a horse herd in the wild." These stallions were competing for basic necessities. "This was stuff from National Geographic," she says, "It was business, true business and life and death."

The Rock County Humane Society contacted Golberg after the property owner agreed to release his animals. "It just got too much for him to handle," Jim Hurley with RCHS says.

About 90 animals in all - some llamas, more than 30 goats, and nearly 30 horses. "It's a house payment just for hay," Hurley says. Golberg already has taken 10 horses, including Sheik -- an older, miniature stallion.

"He's obviously very underweight and has a lot of scars on his body from other stallions beating up on him." Another horse is missing part of an ear. But a friend of the man says he was doing what he could.

"He was working so he could feed the animals. I know he cared for them. In his mind, doing the right thing," the friend says.

This is where it all began. You can see the sign reads Camelot acres -- a stretch of nearly 50 acres, which rescuers say, kept revealing more animals. "We walk around the property and look what's out in these woods is the question," Hurley says.

Jim Hurley says the ordeal began with a complaint about two loose llamas. Now, Hurley needs to find a place for more than two dozen.

"The llamas are gonna be my slow boat." Meanwhile, Golberg's trying to harness some help. "As the dominant creatures on the planet, it's our responsibility to make sure these animals are cared for. It breaks my heart when they're not - somebody's gotta step up and do it," Golberg says.

Golberg says the rescue needs round panels to separate the horses.
If you'd like to help, head to:
Rock County Humane Society

Spirit Horse Equine Rescue

Meanwhile, staff at the Rock County Humane Society say it has been a tough year for the shelter.

It's literally overflowing with cats -- about 200 at the shelter with another 70 in foster care. The operations supervisor says the shelter has had more than 350 animals in foster care this year, compared to about 130 last year.

He says the shelter relies on donations, which are down. The Humane Society receives no public funds. The society is holding its annual fundraising walk -- cause for the paws -- on Sunday, October 5th.