CentralTexas
Member
Looks like they will need to take this in consideration in the future for evac ops.
CT
Best Friends Need Shelter, Too
By Karen Dawn
Saturday, September 10, 2005; Page A23
The week after Hurricane Katrina hit, the media covered the thousands of
low-income people trapped for lack of means to get out. Almost two weeks
later, thousands still hadn't left, in many cases because official
policy would not accept the bond between people and their nonhuman
family members. Members of a frustrated rescue team simplified it for a
"Dateline" news crew: They said people were refusing to be evacuated
simply because "they won't leave their pets."
There is a class issue involved here. While Marriott hotels welcomed the
pets of Katrina evacuees as "part of the family," people who had to rely
on the Red Cross for shelter were forced to abandon that part of the
family or attempt to ride out the storm. It cannot be denied that many
poor people are dead as a result of "no pets" policies.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Patricia Penny, who wondered whether
her son Billy had survived. She had begged him to leave, but he was
afraid to abandon his animals. CNN showed the rescue of a family,
including a dog, sitting on a rooftop as a boat pulled up. The boat left
without the dog. Staying with a dog and risking their own lives is not
an option for people who have children to provide for. The parents were
given no choice but to abandon the dog, and to break their children's
hearts. As they pulled away they all watched their trusting, confused
and terrified canine family member alone on the roof.
At Red Cross shelters there are families that have lost their homes and
all of their possessions but are thanking God that they are all safe.
Others are frantic, unable to think of anything besides the slow deaths
of beloved companion animals they were forced to leave on rooftops or at
bus boarding points. One woman, with no other possessions left, offered
her rescuer the wedding ring off her finger to save her dog, to no
avail.
A young boy carried a dog in his arms as he tried to board a bus to the
Houston Astrodome. Dogs were not allowed. The Associated Press story
reported that "a police officer took one from a little boy, who cried
until he vomited. 'Snowball, Snowball,' " he cried." In a similar story,
an old woman, traveling alone except for the poodle in her arms, was
forced to leave him behind to wander the streets. We have read other
stories of elderly people forced to choose between their lifesaving
medications or their life-affirming pets. CNN's Anderson Cooper even
reported on a woman, legally blind, who for 10 days had been told that
she could not take her service dog with her if she was evacuated. She
had stayed put until the CNN cameras arrived and the police relented.
Many large hotel chains, aware of the human-animal bond, now allow
guests of varied species. Sadly, those organizations on which we rely,
not when on vacation but in life-or-death circumstances, are not up with
the times.
The pets pulled from people's arms would not have taken seats meant for
humans. There is no reasonable explanation for abandoning them. They
were the last vestiges of sweetness, in some cases the only living
family, of those who had nothing left. But the police officers were just
following orders -- orders that reflect an official policy inconsistent
with how people feel about their animals.
Red Cross shelters that do not have animal-friendly areas, or do not
coordinate with humane groups to make sure that there are animal
shelters nearby, are out of touch with the needs of a society in which
60 percent of families have pets and many view them as intrinsic members
of the family.
Karen Dawn runs the animal advocacy Web site DawnWatch.com and is a
contributor to "In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave," edited by Peter
Singer.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/09/AR2005090901824.html
--
CT
Best Friends Need Shelter, Too
By Karen Dawn
Saturday, September 10, 2005; Page A23
The week after Hurricane Katrina hit, the media covered the thousands of
low-income people trapped for lack of means to get out. Almost two weeks
later, thousands still hadn't left, in many cases because official
policy would not accept the bond between people and their nonhuman
family members. Members of a frustrated rescue team simplified it for a
"Dateline" news crew: They said people were refusing to be evacuated
simply because "they won't leave their pets."
There is a class issue involved here. While Marriott hotels welcomed the
pets of Katrina evacuees as "part of the family," people who had to rely
on the Red Cross for shelter were forced to abandon that part of the
family or attempt to ride out the storm. It cannot be denied that many
poor people are dead as a result of "no pets" policies.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Patricia Penny, who wondered whether
her son Billy had survived. She had begged him to leave, but he was
afraid to abandon his animals. CNN showed the rescue of a family,
including a dog, sitting on a rooftop as a boat pulled up. The boat left
without the dog. Staying with a dog and risking their own lives is not
an option for people who have children to provide for. The parents were
given no choice but to abandon the dog, and to break their children's
hearts. As they pulled away they all watched their trusting, confused
and terrified canine family member alone on the roof.
At Red Cross shelters there are families that have lost their homes and
all of their possessions but are thanking God that they are all safe.
Others are frantic, unable to think of anything besides the slow deaths
of beloved companion animals they were forced to leave on rooftops or at
bus boarding points. One woman, with no other possessions left, offered
her rescuer the wedding ring off her finger to save her dog, to no
avail.
A young boy carried a dog in his arms as he tried to board a bus to the
Houston Astrodome. Dogs were not allowed. The Associated Press story
reported that "a police officer took one from a little boy, who cried
until he vomited. 'Snowball, Snowball,' " he cried." In a similar story,
an old woman, traveling alone except for the poodle in her arms, was
forced to leave him behind to wander the streets. We have read other
stories of elderly people forced to choose between their lifesaving
medications or their life-affirming pets. CNN's Anderson Cooper even
reported on a woman, legally blind, who for 10 days had been told that
she could not take her service dog with her if she was evacuated. She
had stayed put until the CNN cameras arrived and the police relented.
Many large hotel chains, aware of the human-animal bond, now allow
guests of varied species. Sadly, those organizations on which we rely,
not when on vacation but in life-or-death circumstances, are not up with
the times.
The pets pulled from people's arms would not have taken seats meant for
humans. There is no reasonable explanation for abandoning them. They
were the last vestiges of sweetness, in some cases the only living
family, of those who had nothing left. But the police officers were just
following orders -- orders that reflect an official policy inconsistent
with how people feel about their animals.
Red Cross shelters that do not have animal-friendly areas, or do not
coordinate with humane groups to make sure that there are animal
shelters nearby, are out of touch with the needs of a society in which
60 percent of families have pets and many view them as intrinsic members
of the family.
Karen Dawn runs the animal advocacy Web site DawnWatch.com and is a
contributor to "In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave," edited by Peter
Singer.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/09/AR2005090901824.html
--
