Ruby, a 7-year-old corgi mix, is still looking for a home, but many other dogs and cats from the Operation Kindness animal shelter found new owners this weekend.

Ruby and many other pets are part of a growing number of animals surrendered or abandoned because of foreclosures and other financial problems in North Texas and across the nation.

After being featured in Saturday’s The Dallas Morning News, several people called about the sleek brown dog, including one woman from far west Fort Worth, but no one took her home, said Sherwin Daryani, executive director of Operation Kindness.

Still, 26 other animals, including a 3-year-old pit bull mix named Baby Girl who had been in the shelter for six months, found new homes, and many more visitors than usual visited the other animals, Mr. Daryani said.  The shelter usually adopts out an average of 18 animals each weekend.

“We had a good weekend,” Mr. Daryani said.  “We were very excited.”

At Operation Kindness, a no-kill shelter in Carrollton, about a quarter of animals are surrendered because of financial troubles, including many foreclosures and evictions.

Officials at shelters across North Texas say it’s hard to know exactly how many animals are given up for financial reasons, but they’ve spotted a noticeable increase in recent months.

LARA SOLT/DMN

Ruby, a corgi mix, waits for adoption at Operation Kindness.

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At Dallas Animal Services, the city's public shelter, one or two owners a day give up their pets because of foreclosures or financial strain, said Tyrone McGill, a manager.

And pets that don't end up in shelters are often left to fend for themselves at foreclosed homes, parks or street corners after their owners move away.

To make matters worse, some shelters have reported a decrease in adoptions in recent months. Shelter officials say they can't be sure whether the slumping economy is to blame.

Regardless, if both trends continue, shelters - especially public shelters - could become overcrowded, stressing their staffs and volunteer foster families. And city shelters may have to reduce animal numbers through euthanasia, officials said.