I am in the middle of writing a brief article for our local newspaper about pampered pets--the high end pet industry seems to be fairly recession proof--and I can't help but contrast it with the reports still coming out of Galveston, Texas about pets left behind when their owners fled Hurricane Ike. Reports of nearly 100 dogs and cats per day being turned into local SPCA's are fairly widespread even after federal legislation made it possible to take your pets with you on that last bus out of town.
Lest we forget, pets were left behind during evacuations from Katrina because the government said they had to stay. Pets were left behind during evacuations from Ike because their owners left them there.
Pretty grim, especially when you contrast it with the services like massage, "pawdicures" and indoor swimming appointments that pets in my neck of the woods seem to be "treated" to on a fairly regular basis. Forget designer duds and birthday parties--these are pets for whose owners "doggie day care" is an essential line item on their family budgets. They would rather skimp on themselves than on their pets.
For all the talk about pets as members of the family, what does it say about those who leave their family members behind to deal with a hurricane? That they probably should never have had pets to begin with and that if these pets are found, they should NOT be returned to their owners without finding out why they left them in the first place.
Say what you want about pampered pooches, but I don't think they would have been left behind.
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I would really like to know more about the pet evacuation from Galveston. I corresponded with a woman who said 911 told her that she could not take her dog. She was on the Bolivar Peninsula.
I read one place that busses could take animals and I have read about two pets that went on busses.
How many pets went by bus? How was it publicized and where are the stories?
I worked on the recent pet evacuation mandated by Louisiana STATE law and facilitated by the state.
Google the Google news for "Louisian pet evacuation." There are thousands of stories, starting with this one: "The Louisiana SPCA was overseeing a tightly organized pet evacuation, loading crated animals onto refrigerated semis to be taken to Shreveport, La."
The media was not really in the way, but there were three of four camera crews and a dozen reporter. The coverage was huge.
Now Google the news for "Texas pet evacuation." It is all stories about after the storm or reminders to take your pet with you - directed at those leaving in their own cars.
I am looking for the facts on the evacuation. There is a huge difference between Louisiana with 2500 animals taken out and what I suspect is Texas, a few bus drivers let animals pass.
It is my belief the effect of the federal bill is more shelters at the destination for evacuated pets -- not transportation. If they did not crate animals and take them out on refrigerator trucks, then they did not evacuate pets. It is not possible to put big dogs on a bus in the aisle with cats and small dogs on laps.
Anyone who can help with this, please contact me stealthvolunteers at yahoo dot com I am trying to get a picture of what happened. Also note the rescued animals were adopted out ten days later . . .
Thanks for your thoughtful comments--you are obviously much more up to date on the information than I am--although the HSUS web site continues to reports rescue operations in Texas.
Hopefully someone can bring us both up to date....
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