Hello from Connecticut and yes I am off today 🙂
I have been watching the rescues of people and the animals on Discovery channel Animal Planet and also the weather channel was showing the animal rescues from the hurricane Ivan. <http://animal.discovery.com/features/katrina/katrina.html>
I can't believe the amount of effort being made to try to save as many animals alive. The tireless rescue workers who work 20 hrs a day to try to save what they can knowing that time is of the essence now.
I understand why people leave their pets behind however, I do know how they do it.. The show was showing little tiny breeds left behind in houses, one was floating in a swimming pool God knows for how long.
These are dogs small enough to be taken with them and even stuffed into small bags as I have seen one man wading thru the high waters carrying his tiny dog and stated he would never leave behind.
I do know the horrors of storms not flooding mind you however, I couldn't and wouldn't leave them behind.
One rescue worker stated the red tape of shipping the rescued pets to another state had caused alot of time wasted in going back out to get more and to move the ones they had to make room for the new ones found. More Government blunders.
The Texas ASPCA in Housten as usual did and is doing an outstanding job, this organization is so dedicated to animals and also the owners as well.. Please take the time to view them on the above page
I know it's easy for me to state this than do it however, would you leave your children to save yourself?
Love,
Eve
Eve, your remarks are apposite and I understand your feelings. On the face of things it is not easy to understand why anyone would leave their pets -who, one assumes were also companions who relied upon their owners for life itself. And yet…. so much horror, so much panic, so much fear must have manifested itself during the worst moments of that terrifying disaster -as can be imagined by all of us just by looking at the many human bodies floating in the waters there. In such times I can believe ‘rational behaviour’ is often submerged in the instinct to ‘save one’s self’. You and others, like you, would also save their pets too. But we are a diverse humanity and some would, instinctively, try to save their own lives -more so, in the rushing horror and madness of a terrifying storm surge, don’t you think?.Best wishes, dearest friend, Eve.lokutus
Hi EveIn the event of ANY disaster I would save my dog and nothing else and I truly mean that. It is so good to know that folks over there are also thinking of the little ones that cannot speak or necessarily save themselves. I was saddened to hear about the second hurricane on the news. This seems terribly unjust really, and so shocking. Sometimes it seems that things are dreadfully unbalanced in the world.
HI Lokutus and Capegirl,I do understand the rushing out issue however, they had warnings so far in advance and like themselves they didn’t take heed.I can also understand the large dogs but I am talking about tiny dogs, I couldn’t believe the small one I saw infact, it looked like a mouse.. When I was married to my X husband we had a basement in the house and there was a tornado heading for our area, I took my pets .. dogs and cats and birds down the basement with all my children and the cordless phone.. The radio was telling where it was and I heard the sound it wasn’t to far from my house. I could have driven to another area and left my house and pets but I chose to sit out in the basement I too know this is much differnt than flooding, I am only saying why didn’t they take the tiny dog?This one man took his small dog and all this toys and food and took NOTHING For hisself… God Bless this man.LoveEve
Hello Eve!I spent the day catching up on all the blogs that I haven’t commented on in a while. I feel terrible that I have been so remiss.As for your post, many people left animals behind because shelters wouldn’t take them. Unfortunately, some people don’t take care of their animals properly– letting them pee and poop all over the shelter–and so shelters had to draw the line for human health and safety. People could have gotten into a car with their animals and driven to another state, out of harms way. I think many were taken by surprise by the storm’s ferocity.Hope everything is good with you!K4
HI K4,Yes I do understand this part and I also understand when you have children or pets it’s a responsiblity that goes without saying.A living being is a LIFE, if people can’t or won’t accept the responsiblity for either then they shouldn’t have them.I know Katrina was the largest storm so far however, there was a lot of warnings to all the people in those areas.I feel personally that like most Americans it’s a throw away society and this even goes for their loving pets.I saw on Fox news report that a dog was chained to the porch and when one rescue person cut it free,, the dog started to swim away and then rethought it’s decission and swam back to the porch in hopes the master would come home.. Dedication is one sided in that relationship.I am not saying all cases are the same I am only saying, make provissions or decissions of the WHAT IFs.Eve
Hello Eve,Interestingly, some of the rescued animals are being sent up here to Canada to be adopted. A bunch of cats came to Vancouver this past week. Not sure why they have to be sent to another country but there you have it.I don’t have any pets myself (allergies) so I can’t comment on the emotional aspects of wanting to save them, but I think K4 is correct in that people were forced to leave their pets behind for reasons I would have to say are not unreasonable (ie safety in the shelters). I would imagine animals are rather resourceful and probably have better survival instincts when left alone than humans!lenora
HI again,Yes, animals do have a better survival instint however, I am really speaking of the tiny dogs, the ones you can place in any bag, I saw these dogs on the news, so tiny they fit in the palm of your hand.Lessons to be learned by all I feel,Eve