Pets AND People
To those of us involved in animal rescue--individuals working single-handedly, those working together with other volunteers in small organizations or networks, and those working for large national organizations such as the SPCA and Humane Society--looked on aghast not only at the destruction wrought by Katrina, and the criminal and often fatal disorganization displayed day after day by state and federal officials, but also at the animals--most of them beloved family pets--people were forced to abandon in order to be rescued themselves or be allowed into organized shelters.
This is not the first major natural or man-made disaster in which this forced abandonment of animals has occurred. It is, however, probably the most televised one. Even before Katrina had blown through, animal rescue organizations from around the country were on the ground in nearby areas, ready to go in--on foot or by boat--to begin collecting the pets that survived.
Those of us doing rescue--and those who don't but have given a lot of thought to the situation--understand why all people shelters cannot add pets to the burden of rescued and rescuers.
But why aren't two types of shelters set up, one for humans only, and one for humans who refuse to abandon their pets. The former would shelter only people, the latter people and their animals.
The beneficial effects on stress reduction provided by pets, and by keeping humans and their pets together, is well documented. The same is true for animals kept by their humans, rather than left to fend for themselves, dying in the calamity, killed by other abandoned pets, or by nervous people with guns, or injuring or getting injured when animal rescuers are able to come into an area and try to collect the living and dying.
Yes, shelters housing humans and pets may face challenges that human-only shelters will avoid. But to pet owners who have made the commitment to keep their pets, they will deal with the situation, usually appropriately, especially when assisted with basics they were unable to bring with them (food, bowls, leads, lots of pooper scoopers or plastic baggies, litter and bins, enclosures and substrates for creatures great and small, etc.) as well as veterinary triage and care.
If you would like to see the current forced abandonment of pets policy changed in future emergencies, write a letter to your local chapter of the Red Cross; you will find the contact information for your local chapter at www.redcross.org/where/chapts.asp
Not sure how to say what you want to say about shelters for pets and their humans? My friend Phyllis DeGioia wrote an article that includes a sample letter you can use: The Snowball Effect: Ask the Red Cross to Allow Pets in Some Shelters, over at VeterinaryPartner.com, the good folks who bring your vets continuing education and more at Veterinary Information Network (who also provide a home for my Anapsid.org website).
As pet owners, we need to share the burden with relief agencies when it comes to being prepared to evacuate our pets in case of emergency. But the best preparation in the world won't make a difference if we aren't allowed into a shelter or rescue vehicle with our pets.
Please, write. Now, before you forget, and before another disaster occurs.
If you'd like to skip Phyllis's article and go right to the Red Cross Chapters site, here's the link again: www.redcross.org/where/chapts.asp
More on the subject:
And your little dog, too
Shameful Policy Caused Many Pets' Death
Emergency Preparedness Links
This is not the first major natural or man-made disaster in which this forced abandonment of animals has occurred. It is, however, probably the most televised one. Even before Katrina had blown through, animal rescue organizations from around the country were on the ground in nearby areas, ready to go in--on foot or by boat--to begin collecting the pets that survived.
Those of us doing rescue--and those who don't but have given a lot of thought to the situation--understand why all people shelters cannot add pets to the burden of rescued and rescuers.
But why aren't two types of shelters set up, one for humans only, and one for humans who refuse to abandon their pets. The former would shelter only people, the latter people and their animals.
The beneficial effects on stress reduction provided by pets, and by keeping humans and their pets together, is well documented. The same is true for animals kept by their humans, rather than left to fend for themselves, dying in the calamity, killed by other abandoned pets, or by nervous people with guns, or injuring or getting injured when animal rescuers are able to come into an area and try to collect the living and dying.
Yes, shelters housing humans and pets may face challenges that human-only shelters will avoid. But to pet owners who have made the commitment to keep their pets, they will deal with the situation, usually appropriately, especially when assisted with basics they were unable to bring with them (food, bowls, leads, lots of pooper scoopers or plastic baggies, litter and bins, enclosures and substrates for creatures great and small, etc.) as well as veterinary triage and care.
If you would like to see the current forced abandonment of pets policy changed in future emergencies, write a letter to your local chapter of the Red Cross; you will find the contact information for your local chapter at www.redcross.org/where/chapts.asp
Not sure how to say what you want to say about shelters for pets and their humans? My friend Phyllis DeGioia wrote an article that includes a sample letter you can use: The Snowball Effect: Ask the Red Cross to Allow Pets in Some Shelters, over at VeterinaryPartner.com, the good folks who bring your vets continuing education and more at Veterinary Information Network (who also provide a home for my Anapsid.org website).
As pet owners, we need to share the burden with relief agencies when it comes to being prepared to evacuate our pets in case of emergency. But the best preparation in the world won't make a difference if we aren't allowed into a shelter or rescue vehicle with our pets.
Please, write. Now, before you forget, and before another disaster occurs.
If you'd like to skip Phyllis's article and go right to the Red Cross Chapters site, here's the link again: www.redcross.org/where/chapts.asp
More on the subject:
And your little dog, too
Shameful Policy Caused Many Pets' Death
Emergency Preparedness Links
posted by Melissa at 3:22 PM
4 Comments:
Thank you!!!
In my old apartment (an old one where the fire department's recommendation was to get out as quickly as possible) I was always afraid of fire. My emergency plan after just a few days of getting Mikey (my ig who passed away two months ago) was to grab my trenchcoat which had a deep inner pocket, throw him in that pocket and go for the fire escape. I had (seemingly irrationale though not as much now) nightmares of them not letting me keep him in my coat as I was being saved.
I can't imagine people leaving their companion. If given the choice of abandoning my pet or being saved I'd stick it out. I view the responsibility of a pet owner as one who looks after their pet and that pet rewards their master with loyalty. To abandon them in the most crucial time of need is just horrible.
>>To abandon them in the most crucial time of need is just horrible.
I couldn't agree more.
I think pet people really need to plan ahead like people with young children: you can't wait until the last minute to get out of an emerging situation like fire or hurricaines, and you need to be prepared all the time.
Ditto when it comes to coping with earthquakes: while we don't get advanced warning as we do with many fires and hurricaines, we can make sure we have everything we need at hand, including carriers and whatever is needed to secure and transport our animals.
One of the summer's reality shows was about men whose wives were taken off to a week at a spa while the husbands were left to cope with family and home. In the one I watched, the households were subjected to middle-of-the-night fire drills, complete with the fire engines pulling up with lights and sirens and the captain banging on the door. This got the families really thinking about what if...and they started holding drills, installing ladders, planning escape routes, and timing themselves to see how long it took to vacate the house.
People with animals really need to do the same thing. While we all hope we never have to flee in the middle of the night with just our jammies and ig, the reality is that emergencies do happen, so we should plan for them. For me, this includes getting my critters used to being handled in the middle of the night. That way, they will be less likely to freak out if I have to bundle them into bags and carriers and get them out.
Anyway, if we don't learn from the lessons of Katrina and most likely Rita, which is heading for land as I write this, we really shouldn't have pets OR kids!
Even if shelters took in pets, they would limit them to warm-blooded pets. If we were forced to evacuate, we would pack the car up with the family, including our 5 year old iguana, Iggi, and a 400W DC-AC power adapter to run her 2 heating pads, and head West. We would attempt to stay in hotels. How many children? The clerk would ask. Two. My 16 year old son, and 5 year old daughter. We would never split up.
Ig_Daddy, your plan is great (other than the lying to the h/motel about having pets in your family group)...for those who have a car they can pack up, and for those who can afford to check into an h/motel for an indefinite period of time.
Chances are, shelters won't be too eager to take in reptiles and invertebrates, or tanks of fish. That's why it behooves owners of all animals to make sure they keep on hand carriers and equipment (or duffle bags to pack equipment into) as well as any food that can be stored at room temp and several gallons of water set aside for their pets (as well as additional gallons for each family member) and get ready to move themselves and animals out to a shelter if they don't have a car or credit card with a week or two worth of h/motel stay available on it.
I have to say, people with large hoof stock and farm animals tend to be much better prepared to move 'em on out, working together cooperatively with their neighbors, with people ready and willing to help them transport and house their animals for the duration.
A friend of mine in the San Diego area related the account, a couple of years ago, of how he got his own herd of alpaca, horses, sulcatas, dogs, dozens of small reptiles, and his neighbors horses and pets out of their neighborhood as the firestorm approached.
That was wonderful, and good. Unfortunately, a lot of people living on poverty's edge keep pets, as do disableds. They don't always have the luxury of maintaining a car that will travel long distances--assuming they can afford the gasoline and oil to travel those distances--or the strength to evacuate themselves and their pets to a distant point, nor the wherewithal to camp out in a motel indefinitely.
That's why we need shelters to take in people AND their pets. Not ranchfuls of livestock, but people's pets. And that's why pet owners need to be responsible pet owners, and make sure they can securely crate their pets up and get themselves, their family and secured pets to the pets-and-people shelters. It's a two way street: If we demand the creation of shelters to house people and their pets, the people have to ensure the safety of their own pets and everyone else's, as well as the humans, with whom they will be sharing very unprivate living space for days or weeks.
Post a Comment
<< Home