Why anmimals left behind in Katrina?

[Scooby4]

I've noticed ALOT of posters here upset about why the people left their animals behind after evacuating. I was upset by it too.
However, the one main reason why some animals got left behind is that emergency shelter do NOT take animals!!! The shelters can NOT support animals. There typically isn't an emergency supply of dog food shipped or maintained in emergency shelters. The people currently are only receiving MRE's as is. There is no way for a poor person who barely found their way to a shelter to bring a pet with them. Their only choice was to tie up the animal or secure as safe as possible and leave. They'd risk getting turned away at the door for bringing pets.
The people who did evacuate on their own power, that is a different story to me. A person was interviewed here on the news told how they left 6 animals on the second floor of their home!!! The water had gotten to their attic most likely. They then were going to call a pet rescue authority to go get their pets for them. How selfish is that?! Leave your pets and then ask someone to risk their life to rescue them?
There is also another angle on the rescue that many people miss. The rescue workers are NOT trained in rescuing animals!!! They are ONLY trained in Human rescues. So when you see on the news a dog on the porch or roof being "missed" for a rescue... It is because it is too unsafe for the untrained person to do. The rescue workers are told to call and report the location of the animal instead. The animal rescue teams then come in. Because "Fluffy" isn't soo sweet when scared, alone, possibly injured, and getting into their terriotory!
I can't be too upset with ALL the people who did leave their pets behind. I have to understand it was an extremely tough decision and they didn't know what the end result was going to be. No one knew the aftermath conditions to prepare properly. Heck, even the government had issues with that! I am just glad there are animal rescuers out there!!!

[sammy101]

I'm glad too that there are rescuers out there,i would go out myself,but i cant get there! The houston SPCA got over 700 animals,including dog,cats,iguanas,pigs,and even chickens!

[moosmom]

There's a post somewhere around here where Purina and a couple of other animal food companies donated thousands of pounds of food, plus supplies.

Also, the ASPCA from NYC, the Michigan Humane Society and a whole bunch of other animal rescue organizations are now pulling animals and taking them back to their places for medical treatment and to find them new homes.

I do think they need to change the policies about not allowing pets in shelters. I'd take a bullet before I'd leave my kits behind.

[senorita02]

I am with you moosmom.

[Laura's Babies]

Since I am right in that area, just outside of Baton Rouge, I have given this a LOT of thought. I would NEVER leave my babies, even if it meant staying to die with them. I could not live with myself if I left them to die or suffer anyway so I may as well die with them.

Not everyone likes animals and I know there are those that are allergic to them but there is no reason why they can not have shelters set aside for people WITH pets. Years ago, my Mama had to go to a shelter for a hurricane and leave her pet at home, during the heart of the storm, she left WALKING and went home to be with her pet. She said she could not stand the thought of it being home alone, scared to death. I am exactly like her.

I do have a car and can drive so I would be packing us up in the car and heading north, even if I had to sleep with them in the car where ever we went. My sister took hers, 2 cats, and a dog with them when they fled the Florida panhandle for Ivan. These pets are part of peoples families. The comfort and companionship they bring is priceless and NEEDED!

[PJ's Mom]

I have a friend in the military who was working at Reunion Arena in Dallas while they were taking in the refugees. (I hate that word)

Anyway, this is what he had to say about pets in the Dallas shelters:

As for FEMA.... they have much the same problem that the Red Cross has... STRICT adherance to regulations. In the Military we adhere to regulations right up to the point where they interfere with succesfull completion of mission. in fact we beleive regulations are for the GUIDANCE of the commander, however FEMA/RC beleive that the regs are more important than the mission (people); this attitude I witnessed time and time again over the 2 weeks I was deployed.

One example is their policy on pets, one man came in dirty, tired with no shoes and he had a very small (2 lb) puppy with him... Let me tell you how vicious a 2lb dog is ... anyway all he wanted was to grab a shower a meal and a single set of clothes and he said he'd leave the shelter. The RC shelter manager refused him that unless he put the dog in a kennel that wouldn't release the dog for 72 hours after they got him... this pup was literally all the man had. I got pissed, ordered one of my Privates to secure the "horrible vicious and obviously rabid CUJO impersonating dog" (personal note I don't think that statement earned me brownie points with the RC Shelter manager [RCSM]) and we watched the pup for about an hour, while the man took care of his business and got cleaned up some, then he left the shelter to parts unknown with his dog...

Another prominent example revolved around a service dog for the hearing impaired... the RCSM refused to beleive that there was such a thing as a service animal for the hearing impaired even after one of his own sign-translators told him there was, his response was "where's his appropriate harness?" (now keep in mind I'd been on post for 23 hours by this time and my normally cheery personality had degraded somewhat) I spoke to one of my troops in a somewhat loud voice "Well I tell you MY dogs ALWAYS keep their special harnesses with them when they go through a hurricane"... once again no brownie points with the RCSM, but I got the distinct impression most of the evacs around me like me...

At least someone is trying hard to let these people, some of whom have nothing else, keep their pets. Apparently the government has no desire to do the same.

[Lady's Human]

Pj's Mom,

Thank your friend at the shelter for me, I'm in the reserves, we have a FEMA mission and I feel his pain in dealing with people who think that the regs, not mission accomplishment, are what's important.

[elizabethann]

PJ's Mom, the things your friend wrote just make me mad and sad at the same time. Those poor people! Leave their pets alone for the love of God!!!!

You're friend is awesome! Thank him for me! I like a person who says what's on their mind!!!

[PJ's Mom]

Believe me, I thanked him. (I thanked him so much, he told me to shut up. )

[jackie]

I do think they need to change the policies about not allowing pets in shelters. I'd take a bullet before I'd leave my kits behind.

I am so sorry when I see all those poor animals left behind, but there was barely any room for human survivors, let alone pets. It was a very very sad situation, but under the circumstances, it was justifiable. I hope I never have to make that decision.

[Pit Chick]

Originally posted by jackie
I am so sorry when I see all those poor animals left behind, but there was barely any room for human survivors, let alone pets. It was a very very sad situation, but under the circumstances, it was justifiable. I hope I never have to make that decision.

How is it justifiable when now that the storm is over, people are out there risking their lives to save the pets when the pets could have been taken along? They now have to do double if not triple the work to save the animals left behind as well as the people. Doesn't make much sense to me.

I SO commend those that refused to be rescued without their pets and they prevailed because the rescuers didn't leave either behind.


BTW, Rita is supposed to be headed my way so y'all pray for us. Hopefully I'm far enough inland I won't have to evacuate, but if I do I'm loading up the critters in a moving truck and heading out.

[tikeyas_mom]

Personally, If a shelter told me that my pets wer'nt aloud. I would'nt wanna stay there my self. I would just sleep in my car .. I would rather have my pets safe by my side.. Rather then just leaving them to be lost and alone in a huge storm.. or worse dead!!!

[LaRana]

I love my cat. He's like my child. I would make the efforts to evacuate him with my husband and some of my irreplaceable belongings (photos, my wedding dress, heirlooms, etc).

However, if I had to choose between saving myself and my cat, I'm sorry but I'd have to choose to save myself. I'm not willing to die for my cat. I love him and make plenty of financial sacrifices for him as it is, but I cannot die for him. If I had to choose between holding on to a flotation device and holding onto my cat because of strong currents, I'd choose the flotation device and hope that my cat's survival instincts would kick in. Sure, it would be heart breaking. But for people to endanger their lives and to stay for their pets is not the wisest course. Besides, how can you take care of your pets if you perish in a collapsed or flooded home? Almost all of us have lost pets one way or another, and as tragic as it would be, it would be something that I know I would have to get over and be grateful that I still have my life. Sure the same animal can't be replaced in your heart, but you can get another animal to take up some more space in another part of your heart and you can cherish the memories you had with your previous pet.

People that were being interviewed that had decided to ride out hurricanes were saying things like "How do you walk away from your entire life that you've built here?" My answer is "One step at a time, and with your actual life, and not necessarily your belongings." People put too much focus on material things these days.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.