Friday, September 23, 2005 | By: Unknown

Pets and hurricanes..

I am a lover of all animals as anyone that comes here knows..i post my pets pictures all the time, they are my children. Some folks might think this frivolous and lame..to each his own..but I have cried over horror stories of pets left behind simply because there was no thought about them from the rescuer's standpoint..

To tell someone that they must leave behind a cherished animal is cruel and heartless in my mind. These folks possibly lost everything they owned even human loved ones..and then to say NO, you can not bring your cat or dog with you...this is horrible..sometimes the only thing that can provide me comfort when I have emotional or physical pain is the purr of a kitten or the kiss from a dog when I hurt or am sad..I am quite sure these pets provided the same comfort to victims of Katrina.

The National Geographic website has a nice article on pets during natural disasters and what the various government entities have "hopefully" learned about dealing with them during disasters..if you would like to peruse it, the link is here.

5 people gave us their .02 cents:

The Zombieslayer said...

Dusty - When the zombie plague comes, your pets will be welcome in my compound when you bring them. You don't have to worry about that.

Martin said...

I just wonder about all the weird little details like the pit bull joining 2 children, an elderly lady and 3 cats in a helicopter or other evacuation vehicle. Scary. I'd like to be in on the lawsuit for my dead cat in those jaws (sorry, reliving a bad experience as a child.) Sure, I'd like to just say "why didn't you leave?" but I also know that everyone has learned a lot from the biggest disaster the U.S. has ever experienced (and is still experiencing.)

Unknown said...

80's...the article states very clearly that various animal groups attempted to accompany the rescuers and were told no at the beginning..they had a plan in place, which actually worked when they were finally allowed to institute it. They would take cages of various sizes and take the animals to a shelter out of the affected area. The owners then knew their pets were safe and they were then willing to leave their swamped homes. I for one, would not have to be told twice to leave in such circumstances. I have many pets and would be able to provide shelter for them via the many cages I own. I am sure that this has been a learning experience if only to show that people will not abandon pets just to save themselves in many cases.Some people will surely say they are stupid...i say they are people that love their animals more than life itself.

Unknown said...

also..there are groups that specialize in rescuing animals during disasters..UAN, the United Animal Network is one such organization. They have been doing it for years and know how to tackle this kind of overwhelming problem in a time when everything is overwhelming..

Linda Jones Malonson said...

You are so right .. did you see that little boy refusing to leave Lake Charles because he couldn't take his dog .. It was so very painful to watch. I haven't had a pet in a long time. When my children moved out they took the dogs and the cats. I was left with gold fishes but couldn't take them dying on me all the time.

I still have visitor's right .. but my grandchilren are so selfish with thier pets. This time I got a chance to babysit a beautiful black and white mutt named Sid ... (don't ask me where they got that name from) when my daughter fled Rita. She called me today, saying she will be back on Sunday ... I am going to miss it. Pets give you that unconditional love ... that so many of us crave for.