LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV) - The federal government shutdown could cause a trickle down effect of pet surrenders, according to an official at Longview PAWS.

A lapse in funding for programs like SNAP may cause families to lose access to food assistance, which would force them to surrender their pets to save on bills, Longview PAWS Executive Director Jackie Reynolds said.

“It’s one of those situations where people, if they’re struggling to feed, you know, to put food on the table and pay their electric bill, dog and cat food just kind of falls down the list of priorities,” Reynolds said. “And that’s a sad situation for a lot of people right now. So it’s absolutely affecting pet owners. And we’re trying to come together, come up with some some solutions so we can provide resources for those.”

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