NOW. Society & Community. Katrina: The Response. No Dogs Allowed

9.23.05

Katrina: The Response

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No Dogs Allowed: Pets in Crisis Areas

The images have become part of a heartrending montage — victims of the Katrina disaster either being separated from their beloved pets or putting their lives in danger to stay with their animals. Animal rights advocates have criticized some disaster-relief officials for policies which required people to leave their animals behind during evacuations. Public health officials have in turn pointed out that many shelters couldn't handle the additional health concerns that come with pets.

In the midst of the crisis individuals and volunteer agencies have stepped in to do what they can. One such volunteer is Andrew Goldberg, a Manhattan-based documentary filmmaker whose own production company is named Two Cats Productions. NOW features some of the film shot by Goldberg of animal rescues by two Louisiana-based animal rights organizations in the week after the hurricane. The footage will be part of public service announcements on television drawing attention to the problems of animals in crisis situations.

One NOW viewer articulated one perspective on this emerging policy debate:

There has been little or no government planning for animals in disaster relief. The focus seems to be only on humans. The animals we live with are part of our families and we treat them as such.

Even Congress has entered the debate. Rep. Tom Lantos stated "I cannot help but wonder how many more people could have been saved had they been able to take their pets." Lantos made his comments during a discussion on whether federal disaster grants should be conditioned on how state and local governments account for pets in their evacuation plans. What's your opinion? Tell us on the message boards. Find out more about those aiding displaced animals below.



			American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Humane Society of the United States and the ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) are each donating an initial $2.5 million, for a total of $5 million, which will be used to reconstruct animal shelters that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and to restore the capacity of animal protection work in the region. The ASPCA Web site has ways to donate, resources for evacuees, a list of temporary shelters for pets from the disaster area and an ongoing rescue diary. The Humane Society of the United States The Humane Society is performing rescue missions in the Katrina disaster area. The Web site offers ways to donate, dispatches from the rescue frontlines, pictures, videos. The groups advocacy efforts include online petitions for federal and local officials to make provisions for animals and for pet owners in the path of Hurricane Rita to take their pets with them. Atlanta Pet Rescue Atlanta Pet Rescue is actively involved in helping those pets with no hope of finding their owners and placing them into new homes. The group is taking animals from local shelters so that they can make room for these pets, and making trips to New Orleans and surrounding areas to transport pets from their makeshift shelters to the Atlanta facilities. In Defense of Animals IDA is undertaking rescue efforts on behalf of the animal victims of Hurricane Katrina in rural Mississippi. IDA's Project Hope sanctuary sits in the northern half of the state about midway between the Capital, Jackson, and Memphis, Tennessee. The North Shore Animal League As Hurricane Rita threatens the Gulf Coast, North Shore Animal League America and DAD’s Pet Care have joined forces to airlift 100 animals rescued from shelters wrecked in Hurricane Katrina. The cats and dogs, which have been held in temporary staging areas throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, will be airlifted into Teterboro Airport, N.J. and then transferred to North Shore Animal League America’s headquarters in Port Washington, New York where they will be cared for in a safe environment. Petfinder.com: Animal Emergency Response Network Petfinder.com has unveiled a comprehensive Animal Emergency Response Network helping companion animal victims and their caretakers during disasters. This is a collaborative database linking information from the public and emergency response organizations and making it available to rescuers, victims, and volunteers. The database allows displaced hurricane victims to post the locations of their pets and rescuers post the descriptions and photos of pets they have found. Volunteers can also post offers of foster care which displaced hurricane victims can search to find temporary care for their pets.