Yes, I know that's true. It just seems this situation should never have gotten to this point.
People should be allowed to take their animals with them. Saves so much trouble later.
The ones left out there now after almost 2 weeks are in desparate condition. There aren't enough resources to nurse them all back to health.
Just nightmarish.
I agree with you. More people would evacuate to shelters BEFORE the storm if they are allowed to bring their pets.
I would have evacuated with my cat before the storm and gone to a relative's house, but if I had stayed behind, when rescuers came to get me I would have stuffed my cat in a backpack and smuggled her on the boat/helicopter. If someone noticed the loud yowling, I would have said it was just my stomach growling from being so hungry, and nothing would hit the spot so well as a can of tuna. :-)
But you're right, after a couple of weeks, these strays are going to be in some bad shape. And I would rather shoot a suffering dog or cat than watch it die of dehydration or poison from contaminated water when there aren't any vet facilities close by. But shooting them indiscriminately as a matter of course is a different matter altogether.
There are shelters in Florida that will accept pets. We have a whole chain of shelters here and there's no reason for people to stay home and die with their pets. I am perhaps more realistic about mine - animals usually survive better than people - but many people, especially the elderly, won't leave without their pets. That's not a problem we have here, because they can bring their pets with them.
I read that LA had a whole network of small shelters, btw, some of which probably accepted pets. Most of them were empty or underoccupied because the mayor and the governor couldn't figure out any way to get the PEOPLE, let alone pets, out of NO and disperse them to higher ground.
Here's a group that's looking for foster/adoptive homes:
http://www.projectstarfish.org/waystohelp.php#adopt