Posted on 09/03/2005 9:56:20 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
Ping!
Why? Because people are sad? Look, their entire LIVES got turned upside down. Of course they're sad. But it doesn't change the fact that these shelters are designed for people, and the limited resources they have to sustain themselves need to be devoted to them and them alone.
but only people who got there by unofficial means got to take their pets.
Translate: only people who paid attention to the evacuation warnings got to take their pets.
It must have been doubly heart-breaking for those who were forced to leave pets behind, to arrive in Houston and discover that they would have been welcome there.
I'm sure it would be. Category 4/5 hurricanes are a real pain in the butt, aren't they?
Bush Lied, Fluffy Died?
Seriously, I've rounded up the pets before I've bailed in twister warnings. The dogs and my 19lb cat go with me. The Calico will make up her own mind whether she wants to deal with humans at that particular point in time.
This blows big time. These people have lost everything, and now their pets as well. :-(
Often a pet is regarded as a member of the family.
I love my dogs....alot! In a case where there is advance notice of an impending disaster, I pack them in the car with the rest of the family and we drive. We don't stay home and we don't abandon them.
In a case where there is no notice, difficult decisions must be made and sadly, many dogs and cats could probably survive longer than some of us humans in these conditions!
It would also help if, in circumstances such as these, hotels would temporarily suspend their "no pets" policies. The thousands of abandoned pets in NOLA and other areas only add to the problems emergency personnel have to deal with. With shelters it would be trickier. Looking at the Astrodome, I just don't see how it could accommodate pet owners.
One thing this disaster has done for me and my family is make us think more seriously than ever about our own preparedness, and that includes what we would do with our five Basenjis.
I agree many of those pets will be a better provider to society than some of the people they are saving.
Bush Lied, Fluffy Died?
LOL!
If they offered me a seat in a rescue boat but condemned my dogs to stay and die, I'd stay with my dogs and a 12-gauge. No thanks.
That one is haunting me too. It was totally unnecessary and the little boy is obviously way too young to philosophize about the relative value of humans and pets. He's human and he matters! Dealing with this little boy in the Astrodome would have been a whole lot easier for everybody if he could have taken his dog on the bus, and been assured at the other end that his dog was safe in a nearby shelter and that he could visit the dog. As it is, he's surely difficult and disruptive.
Love your post too. You couldn't be more right...
I think most people who had cars did that. But lots of people don't.
Just shows PETA's true colors. They do NOT care about animals they just use the issue for politics. This is sad because if they were not out there we would have a real and legit organisation who would really be on the side of animals when the animals really are in need of help.
I suppose this is one of added benefits of evacuating early, you have time to gather the pets and take them with you.
See my post 14 for more info..
A lot of hotels and motels HAVE waived their no pets policies. And while the Astrodome obviously can't house pets, Texas animal rescue workers were on hand to take in and shelter the pets of arriving people. Most will be close enough that their owners can visit them. All that was needed was to let the pets on the 4 hour bus ride. Certainly the gang-bangers' pit bulls and other large aggressive dogs shouldn't have been allowed on the buses, but small dogs, cats, birds, etc. just wouldn't have been a problem.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.