Katrina Disaster update RE companion animals

From DAWNWATCH:

The Katrina animal disaster is also much in the news today, Monday, November 14. The New York Times has a large story on the wealth of donations to animal groups. The Chicago Tribune, almost sadly ironical, has a story telling us that Jane Garrison is still desperate for volunteers. Friday's (Nov 11) Houston Chronicle had a front page story also on the Katrina animal donations. And a recent story on the MSNBC website pointed to the continuing trauma caused by FEMA's no-pet policies, for example no-pet polices in the mobile homes FEMA has provided for those that the hurricanes have left homeless.
This alert also notes specials coming up on Animal Planet and PBS.

The New York Times story is headed, "An Outpouring for Other Victims, the Four-Legged Kind." (Pg F.24)

It opens:
"While the outpouring of donations for the human victims of Hurricane Katrina was overwhelming, even more remarkable were the tens of millions raised to help their pets.

"The Humane Society of the United States received the largest amount, more than $20 million, said Wayne Pacelle, the society's president and chief executive. 'It was off the charts,' he said.

"Other animal welfare groups also generated large sums. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took in $13 million, and the American Humane Association received $1.6 million, although neither group's main mission is disaster response. Another group, Noah's Wish, which was founded three years ago to serve that purpose, raised $5 million.

"Terri Crisp, the founder and director of Noah's Wish, said that the news media's intense focus on animals for the six-week-long duration of the rescue effort was critical in galvanizing sympathetic donors. Typically, she said, animals are stranded for just a few days, far less time to win public attention.

'''Anytime they would see a dog on a roof, people's hearts went out, and they just wanted to make sure they got help,' Ms. Crisp said."

On that note, I send a whole-hearted thank you to anybody who sent a note to the media asking for coverage of the animal issue, or in appreciation when they saw animal coverage. You made a difference.

The article discusses the "range of purposes" on which HSUS used the money. You can read the whole article on line at: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/14/giving/14animal.html

The Houston Chronicle's Friday, November 11 story on the same topic, headed, "Faces of Fido, Fluffy stirred folks to give" can be found on line at http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory...atrina/3453906
The paper takes letters at [email protected] and has a fun and informative page about its letters policy at: http://webadv.chron.com/ads/ads_i/in...ur_letter.html

The Monday November 14 Chicago Tribune piece, by Maureen Ryan, headed, "More dog days in New Orleans" plugs an Animal Planet special that will air on November 26 and also advertises the continuing need for volunteers in New Orleans. It is brief, so I will paste it here:

"On 'Animal Planet Heroes: Hurricane Reunions,' a big, burly resident of New Orleans recounts how he had to leave his dog behind when he escaped the flooded city. In the middle of his story, he stops. Tears come; the memory is too painful.

"There's a happy ending to this tale; he was reunited with his beloved dog on the special, which airs Nov. 26.

"Readers may be amazed to learn animals are still being rescued in New Orleans, where thousands were made homeless by the storm.

"'Just last week, we rescued a cat named Tigger,' says one of the special's stars, Jane Garrison, an animal rescuer who has been in the city for two months. 'The cat was between the floorboards and the insulation. These animals have such an incredible will to live.'

"Though 9,000 animals have been rescued in New Orleans, the task of rescuing and feeding the thousands of animals that are still homeless is 'daunting,' Garrison says.

"'These animals can't even find a drop of rain to quench their thirst. We have to do food drops to keep them alive, but the volunteer base has dropped drastically,' Garrison says. She refers anyone who wants to help to www.animalrescueneworleans.com.
(END OF TRIBUNE PIECE)

The situation in New Orleans changes frequently, with recent reports suggesting that the state is blocking animal rescuers. However Jane's site gives contact information for volunteer coordinators who will be abreast of the situation and can tell you how you can shore up that drastically dropping volunteer base.

A piece on the MSNBC.com website, headed, "Shaggy survivors hanging on after Katrina -- Rescuers are still finding pets — starving but alive — in New Orleans" describes the desperate state of the animals still alive in New Orleans. In describing the plight of a Vietnam veteran who hopes to be reunited with his dogs who were rescued by 'Best Friends,' (www.BestFriends.org) the article gives us important information about FEMA policy, as related by Michael Mountain, president of Best Friends:
"Gary is going to be getting or may already have a mobile home from FEMA, but they have one of those no-pets rules, so he can’t take the dogs back at this point. We'll be hanging onto his dogs until he can get out of the trailer and make other arrangements."

A bill in the legislature, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, or PETS Act, would mandate states and municipalities to provide evacuation plans for pets and service animals in order to qualify for FEMA funding. You can find out more about that bill, and even send a letter to your representatives in support of it, at the HSUS website at https://community.hsus.org/campaign/...se/explanation and sign a petition in support of it at http://go.care2.com/e/gfO/bR/oco4
The MSNBC article suggests, however, that it is not only states' policies, but FEMA policies, that must change.

You can read the full MSNBC article on line at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9900273/
At the bottom of the page is a place where you can "rate this article." High ratings from many readers will encourage more animal friendly coverage. Please take a moment to rate the story.

Finally, PBS will air a special on Sunday, November 20, 8pm ET (check local listings) on Katrina Animal Rescue. You'll find the press release at: http://www.thirteen.org/pressroom/release.php?get=1778

If you enjoy the show, please make sure to thank PBS. The station takes comments at:
http://www.thirteen.org/homepage/contact.html

The stories cited above present opportunities for letters to the editor on various companion animal issues. You may wish to write in support of the PETS Act, or against FEMA and Red Cross "no pet" policies. Or, if reading about the attention paid to the animals affected by Katrina makes you feel for the millions of other animals who will be killed in the US this year for lack of homes, you can use these stories as jump-off points for letters to the editor on the joys of adoption and the importance of spay-neuter legislation.

The New York Times takes letters at [email protected]
The Houston Chronicle takes letters at [email protected] and advises, "Letters, 250 words or less to be considered for publication, must include the name, full home address and daytime and evening telephone numbers for verification purposes only."
The Chicago Tribune takes letters at
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/o...tor.customform OR http://tinyurl.com/4lsug

I send another big thank you to all who have volunteered, and all who have done something to encourage media attention on the animals and the families that are devastated by their loss, and to those who write letters on behalf of the companion animals currently awaiting death in shelters.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com.

My brother and his wife that live on the west bank of New Orleans told me this story they experienced personally. Their neighbor had 3 cats and had to leave them behind. They left them plenty of food. My brother, being a police officer, had to stay and he went and checked on the cats daily for the people. One day, he discovered looters had broken in and ramsacked the house and left the door open when they left.... the cats got out.

He shut the door and went on about his business. Many weeks later, he was checking on the house as usual and noticed the kitchen cabinets opened and stuff out on the floor torn open. He did a search of the house and found ONE of the cats still there. It had survived for WEEKS eating whatevery it could find that he could rip into in the kitchen. Potato chips, instant potatoes and stuff. I asked how the cat got water and he said they had a leaky faucet and the water had never been turned off so the cat had plenty of fresh water. He grabbed the cat and took it to his house until the owner came home. They never found the other ones. :( They NEVER should have had to leave their kitties behind!

Money TALKS. Maybe the amount of money collected for the animals will wake up the law makers and show them, PEOPLE CARE!