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Hurricane Katrina and companion animals
DawnWatch: Hurricane Katrina and companion animals -- 9/1/05
Much of our attention this week is turned to Hurricane Katrina. The suffering there is compounded by society's refusal to acknowledge the bond many of us have with our companions of other species. We read of people who could not evacuate because the shelters would not take animals.
On the front page of the Tuesday, August 31 Los Angeles Times we read about Billy:
"Patricia Penny had begged her son, Billy, 34, to leave. But he was afraid to abandon his five cats and the dog he was watching for friends, so he and his girlfriend stayed at their home on the east side of New Orleans. Penny last heard his voice in an 8 a.m. phone call. He was blunt: 'It's bad.' An enormous magnolia tree had fallen over in the front yard, and the storm had ripped a deck off the house. The water was rising and it was too late to leave."
There is a current Associated Press article, which appears in the Friday, September 2, International Herald Tribune and will probably be in many other Friday papers. It includes the following heart-wrenching story:
"The Superdome, where some 25,000 people were being evacuated by bus to the Houston Astrodome, descended into chaos as well.
...Many people had dogs and they cannot take them on the bus. A police officer took one from a little boy, who cried until he vomited. 'Snowball, snowball,' he cried. The policeman told a reporter he didn't know what would happen to the dog."
The full article is on the Guardian website at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-5249122,00.html
Many animal groups have relief efforts. Best Friends, the wonderful no kill sanctuary in Utah is among them, and has a comprehensive website providing regular news updates not just on its own work but also on that of other groups. It is set up as a clearinghouse of animal-related hurricane news and information for the media. You may wish to encourage your local media to visit it.
The site has chat areas and areas that provide information on ways people can help, not just with monetary donations (though they are needed and accepted!) but also with animal fostering. For example you can add yourself to a list of places able to foster horses.
Specific offers to help can be emailed to hrf [at] bestfriends.org
And the Best Friends website includes a "Good News Journal" where you can read good news, such as that about hotels relaxing their pet policies, and also includes an audio interview with their representative in the area. Check out http://www.BestFriends.org
(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. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)
On the front page of the Tuesday, August 31 Los Angeles Times we read about Billy:
"Patricia Penny had begged her son, Billy, 34, to leave. But he was afraid to abandon his five cats and the dog he was watching for friends, so he and his girlfriend stayed at their home on the east side of New Orleans. Penny last heard his voice in an 8 a.m. phone call. He was blunt: 'It's bad.' An enormous magnolia tree had fallen over in the front yard, and the storm had ripped a deck off the house. The water was rising and it was too late to leave."
There is a current Associated Press article, which appears in the Friday, September 2, International Herald Tribune and will probably be in many other Friday papers. It includes the following heart-wrenching story:
"The Superdome, where some 25,000 people were being evacuated by bus to the Houston Astrodome, descended into chaos as well.
...Many people had dogs and they cannot take them on the bus. A police officer took one from a little boy, who cried until he vomited. 'Snowball, snowball,' he cried. The policeman told a reporter he didn't know what would happen to the dog."
The full article is on the Guardian website at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-5249122,00.html
Many animal groups have relief efforts. Best Friends, the wonderful no kill sanctuary in Utah is among them, and has a comprehensive website providing regular news updates not just on its own work but also on that of other groups. It is set up as a clearinghouse of animal-related hurricane news and information for the media. You may wish to encourage your local media to visit it.
The site has chat areas and areas that provide information on ways people can help, not just with monetary donations (though they are needed and accepted!) but also with animal fostering. For example you can add yourself to a list of places able to foster horses.
Specific offers to help can be emailed to hrf [at] bestfriends.org
And the Best Friends website includes a "Good News Journal" where you can read good news, such as that about hotels relaxing their pet policies, and also includes an audio interview with their representative in the area. Check out http://www.BestFriends.org
(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. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)
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Has Snowball been found?
Dog taken from sobbing boy at Superdome located, newspaper reports
Updated: 3:07 p.m. ET Sept. 8, 2005
Amid the heart-wrenching moments of devastation from deadly hurricane Katrina, there is at least one bright spot. Snowball, a small white dog taken by police from a sobbing little boy as he and his family were boarding a bus at the Superdome, has been located, USA Today reported Thursday.
Snowball is now at the Louisiana SPCA in Gonzalez, La., and will be reunited with his owner, U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian Terry Conger told the newspaper. The Humane Society of the United States and the Louisiana SPCA rescued 43 dogs and 16 cats from the Superdome and delivered them to a temporary shelter at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center.
The dog is reported to be among an estimated 3,000 animals brought into the Louisiana shelter system.
When the police took the dog during the Superdome evacuation, the boy cried "Snowball! Snowball!" until he vomited. At the time authorities said they didn't know where the boy or his dog ended up.
The sad story of Snowball prompted an outpouring of emotion from pet lovers around the country who went on the hunt for the boy and his dog. One woman set up a reward offer to encourage the search for Snowball.
The story was first reported by The Associated Press.
Late Monday, there was a ray of hope when the United Animal Nations said Snowball was safe, citing news from the state veterinarian’s office. However, the information could not be verified because there was some confusion over whether Snowball was a terrier mix, a poodle or a bichon frise.
On Thursday, the president of the Humane Society of Southeast Texas in Beaumont blasted officials for not doing enough to take care of the pets of hurricane victims.
The organization is offering to temporarily take care of the pets while the evacuees find a new home, said Cindy Meyers, board president of the group.
It’s important that animals are taken care of in evacuations, Meyers said, adding that it’s “inexcusable” that pets are being separated from their owners.
"Pets are family members and they need to be cared for just as the people do," she said.
Dog taken from sobbing boy at Superdome located, newspaper reports
Updated: 3:07 p.m. ET Sept. 8, 2005
Amid the heart-wrenching moments of devastation from deadly hurricane Katrina, there is at least one bright spot. Snowball, a small white dog taken by police from a sobbing little boy as he and his family were boarding a bus at the Superdome, has been located, USA Today reported Thursday.
Snowball is now at the Louisiana SPCA in Gonzalez, La., and will be reunited with his owner, U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian Terry Conger told the newspaper. The Humane Society of the United States and the Louisiana SPCA rescued 43 dogs and 16 cats from the Superdome and delivered them to a temporary shelter at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center.
The dog is reported to be among an estimated 3,000 animals brought into the Louisiana shelter system.
When the police took the dog during the Superdome evacuation, the boy cried "Snowball! Snowball!" until he vomited. At the time authorities said they didn't know where the boy or his dog ended up.
The sad story of Snowball prompted an outpouring of emotion from pet lovers around the country who went on the hunt for the boy and his dog. One woman set up a reward offer to encourage the search for Snowball.
The story was first reported by The Associated Press.
Late Monday, there was a ray of hope when the United Animal Nations said Snowball was safe, citing news from the state veterinarian’s office. However, the information could not be verified because there was some confusion over whether Snowball was a terrier mix, a poodle or a bichon frise.
On Thursday, the president of the Humane Society of Southeast Texas in Beaumont blasted officials for not doing enough to take care of the pets of hurricane victims.
The organization is offering to temporarily take care of the pets while the evacuees find a new home, said Cindy Meyers, board president of the group.
It’s important that animals are taken care of in evacuations, Meyers said, adding that it’s “inexcusable” that pets are being separated from their owners.
"Pets are family members and they need to be cared for just as the people do," she said.
For more information:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9255741/
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