Pets Left Behind during Katrina
 

I am sure many of you are concerned about the welfare of pets left behind during the hurricane. If you know of someone who is worried about their pet, they can contact:
[email protected] or call 435.644.3965 ext.4455 and leave the following information:

Name and current contact information
Address where animal was left
Name of pet
Description of pet (species, breed, distinguishing characteristics)
Photo if available.

Best Friends will forward the information to folks who are going into the disaster area to help animals stranded and abandoned there.

There are many ways to help including donations to www.bestfriends.com a responsible charitable organization devoted to animal care and welfare.

Thanks cmcfong for a wonderful recommendation.

I'd like to add another :

www.noahswish.org

Noah's Wish has some very creative ways for us to contribute, aside from the much needed cash donations.

I just want to be "on record" to say that human needs are first and foremost...but for those who have the ability to donate to more than one organization, this is another option.

For those of us who are animal lovers, we can only begin to imagine what it must be like to be forced to leave them behind.

Marion

cmc, I just realized today that FEMA has a vetinary branch.

Did anyone else notice that many of the people who are being rescued have their animals with them?

I wonder how many of those thousands would have gone to shelters if they could have brought their pets with them?

I certainly would never be able to leave my cats and haven't during many evacuations.

Thanks for posting cmc.

GoTravel and Marion, thanks so much for the information.

I remember being evacuated from the Outer Banks where I was vacationing with my Kerry Blue Terrier. When we got to the shelter, they told me to turn the dog loose and come in or leave the dog in the car (98 degrees). That Kerry Blue and I spent the night together, a miserable and scary one...and we were together for fifteen and a half years after that.

I know how hard a choice it must have been for people to leave their pets, I remain grateful that I have not been challenged the way so many were.

This IS an important issue because so many people have only their pet in their life as if they are a family member. Getting their pet back can change everything for them.

Jorr,

Thanks for being so eloquent.

You said what I was trying to say. That if word can spread to the evacuees that organizations are trying to help the animals, that may bring them some peace.

Even if it's not "their" beloved pet, knowing that others may be rescued will be important.

Marion

Oh God, this just get sadder and sadder.
I did read that a lot of people refuse to go to shelters because they won't allow pets in them. That would be the Yankee and I, how could we leave Pup behind?
I know in Florida last year, there were sooo many pets lost and hopefully found, but the shelters were overloaded.
Let us keep this at the top, for the sweet little pets who make our days bright.

I know in my area that if we have to evacuate, several shelters are always designated that allow pets.

Pets must either be crated or on a leash at all times.

Right aftet the mandatory evacuation was announced, PETA issued a warning, I heard it on the TV news, that people who leave their pets behind will be legally responsible. They didn't say if there are any places, like shelters, accepting people with pets. DUH!

PETA does not reperesent the true animal lover.

They will always be promoting their *cause* even in times of a natural disaster.

Spare me from them...

Marion

The temporary Red Cross shelter in our neighborhood asked us if we could take in a pet if someone came in with one. For those of you all near shelters, you could do that--leave your name that you can take in a pet while the human family is displaced. Perhaps then word would get out that people could come with their animals.

Face facts: "true aninal lovers" don't LEAVE their pets behind (and they also don't try to ride out the storms, either).

I, too, can never figure out how people leave pets behind in these situations, but unfortunately it is the case.

We are Best Friends donaters, and my wife e-mailed me a couple of hours ago about Noah's Wish asking about information. I had not heard of them. Does someone have first hand knowledge of what they do? Thanks.
((H))

Intrepid: that's my knee-jerk response too. I know I would never leave my dog & cat to fend for themselves, if it meant I spent the night (and the next night, and the next....) in a park or under a bridge. BUT, I am not old or sick or poor nor do I have small humans to care for. I'd be afraid to get too adamant about what I would never do.

MarionCK - I am, however, willing to be completely adamant in agreeing with you about PETA. Here in my city, a PETA-affiliated organization is trying to extort $25,000 from the local animal shelter to have an "audit" by another extremist animal rights group (by making abuse allegations). That's right, take away $25,000 in hard won contributions that would otherwise go to feed and shelter homeless dogs and cats...and use that money for politcal gain. Special room in hell....

Noah's Wish and Best Friends are working together. For information on their current status see: www.bestfriends.com

Litespeed_Chick,

You've made some wonderful points about "leaving" pets. It is often the elderly who are most susceptible to the rules of an authority figure. That was the upbringing of their generation. And one never knows just how true fear will affect us.

I'd hate for this thread to deteriorate into another judgemental discussion, when the OP was offering hope to the victims and a way for us to help.

Until we walk in their shoes, or feel the pain of a final goodbye to a beloved animal companion, let's PLEASE try to be positive and contribute to the organizations that offer hope and help.

Marion

Thanks for sharing info about Noahswish; I had never heard of it. I have emailed the link to all of my friends and asked them to donate in whatever way they could. I also told my son about it and he is going to put together a drive at his high school to collect items from their list of needed donations to send.
:-) My husband says I treat our dog better than him. I would have to say the dog agrees with him. :-) Seriously - I love them both and would never leave either one behind!

I am so glad to see a post dealing with pets. As an owner of two cats (who I call my fur-children) I can sympathize with those who have lost pets in the wake of disasters like these. I would never, ever be able to leave my kitties alone and sometimes it disturbs me how little consideration is given by media, rescue authorities etc to animals. I understand that human life is extremely important, but as others have said on this thread, to many of us animals are family, so we don't make those kinds of distinctions.

MzPossum, your excellent idea bears repeating:

"For those of you all near shelters, you could do that--leave your name that you can take in a pet while the human family is displaced. Perhaps then word would get out that people could come with their animals."

Even for those of us hundreds of miles away from NOLA, most of us are aware of shelters in our metro area, be it for the homeless, battered women etc. It could only help everyone if more people knew their precious pets would be cared for during the duration of their stay in a shelter.

Excellent idea, thank you for the great suggestion.

Here's some more heartening news concerning pets: It was just announced on our local news that LSU will be setting up a pet shelter; I'm assuming that's for rescued pets as well as for folks coming in with their animals. The pet shelter will be located behind the agricultural building on the LSU campus.