Well because the mementoes don't run all over the place, require feeding and make messes. And as a practical matter I do not think you are allowed to take whatever you want with you if you are evacuated by the government or are given housing in a shelter.
I say all this as someone that has owned dogs my entire life. I know that if I were evacuating my family, we would take our dog with us and I suspect if we had to be evacuated, my family would go and I would be staying with her. But these evacuations only happen in crisis situations and to require, as a condition for federal funding, that all these local agencies care for pets in the midst of a crisis without regard to the realities of the situation strikes me as some ridiculous grandstanding.
But these evacuations only happen in crisis situations and to require, as a condition for federal funding, that all these local agencies care for pets in the midst of a crisis without regard to the realities of the situation strikes me as some ridiculous grandstanding.The problem, as I see it, came in the initial stages, when no one was allowed to take their animals because of the frenetic nature of the evacuations. Pets were ripped from the arms of children, and dogs which could have sat in a lap were left behind.
A few days later, animals were regularly taken out with evacuees.
I understand the exigencies of these situations, but pet owners were appalled at the arbitrariness of the evacuation decisions.
Obviously, this can be worked out, as we are witnessing in Texas and have witnessed in NO. Perhaps just the mere threat of such legislation will be enough to force local officials to form some kind of policy that will allow evacuees to at least take their small domestic pets.