Why don't they allow people to bring their pets?

Published

I have heard that they are trying to get people to leave New orleans but the people won't go because they don't want to abandon their pets. Why don't they let the people bring their pets with them? :crying2:

21 DOGS! Holy MAckrel!

If they were all truly her pets, she is what is known as a animal hoarder. And in most counties against the law.

Grannynurse :balloons:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
If they were all truly her pets, she is what is known as a animal hoarder. And in most counties against the law.

Grannynurse :balloons:

:o Yikes you're absolutely right! She probably is an animal hoarder and it is against the law. I am hoping that perhaps they weren't all of her own personal dogs but she told her neighbors when they evacuated that she would look after them? In any case, 21 dogs is sure a lot of dogs!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
:o Yikes you're absolutely right! She probably is an animal hoarder and it is against the law. I am hoping that perhaps they weren't all of her own personal dogs but she told her neighbors when they evacuated that she would look after them? In any case, 21 dogs is sure a lot of dogs!!!!

Perhaps you are correct. However, there are animal hoaders in many communities. And most of their neighbors don't report them, until the situation has gotten so bad, it affects the neighbors. It is a problem.

Grannynurse :balloons:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
There are many reasons.

- when one is doing search and rescue, human life is the priority.....pets are a distant second.

- Many of these rescued people will be going to a triage and to a shelter or to a private home offering a shelter, or possibly to the hospital. Where are you going to put the pet? The shelters are not equipped for them, the private home may not be able to take them, and they cannot go in the hospital.

- Animals are vectors of disease. A dog with a few fleas or ticks (endemic to the South in the summer) can spread alot of illness.

- Hygeine is already an acute problem. Add a few pets, many of which are stressed and may have serious breaks in bathroom training, and you add to the problem. If you are having trouble dealing with the hygeine/waste fro m the current human population, do you want to add pet problems to the mix.

- Pets are like children. You absolutely adore your own, think that they are the most wonderful ones on the face of the Earth, and they can do very little wrong in your eyes. Other people frequently think that they are noisy, poorly behaved heathens with no proper training.

- stressed out humans are difficult to evacuate, can become violent and can be irrational to no end. The same applies to animals. The inoculation histories are unknown. If a rescuer gets scratched/bitten, with the current contamination issues, it could seriously debilitate or kill them. And as I have had to have the rabies vaccine, I can tell you that it is no picnic.

- large numbers of people are allergic. How are you going to isolate the pet people from the rest, when you are already having diffculty getting shelters?

I love my cats dearly, but can fully understand why rescuers follow the rules that they do.

absolutley agree with this! There isn't enough room for all of the dogs and cats and etc... that people may have and want to bring. There wasn't enough food and water for the people in that area let alone pets. also it is unfair to others who are allergic to pet hair and are frightened of dogs. One thing i hate is an owner that says "don't worry she won't bite". (yeah right...) Also dogs don't always get along with other dogs and the same goes for cats. It would have caused far more problems in my opinion. I like animals but this was just not a situation where they should take precendence in my opinion.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Women's health & post-partum.
Yes and this would be a good time to remind everyone to get their pets microchipped for so many reasons

Can you give the registry an alternate contact when you sign the animal up (for occasions like the present where you're not at home?) I've heard of "chipped" dogs that couldn't be returned to their owners because the family had moved and hadn't notified the company of their new address.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Can you give the registry an alternate contact when you sign the animal up (for occasions like the present where you're not at home?) I've heard of "chipped" dogs that couldn't be returned to their owners because the family had moved and hadn't notified the company of their new address.

Yes, you can. I gave them my address along with my parents and my fiance's parents. Neither set of parents will be moving any time soon.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in MS Home Health.

I would not leave mine but I would have left with them before that massive monster hit the coast.

renerian

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I would not leave mine but I would have left with them before that massive monster hit the coast.

renerian

Me too. For his sake as much as mine.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes I would take my cats with me. I feel so sorry for the ones who didn't bring their pets and are now so frantic with worry trying to find them. :crying2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Same here. I would have packed husband, kids, cats and dog into the van and gone as far as possible. There are hotels that take pets.

Unfortunately, not everyone had the means to go to a place where they could take their pets. And the reasons stated above are valid ones for shelters not allowing them. Other reasons: (1) the lion does not always lie down with the lamb and it would be chaos if you have even one aggressive animal. (2) Not all pets are housebroken or litter box trained and think about the mess with all the accidents stressed pets are going to be leaving behind. There is no privacy in shelters.

HOWEVER, a coworker mentioned seeing something about FEMA and the Red Cross looking into providing separate shelters for families with their pets, and shelters without pets, in the future. How they'll do it, I don't know. I imagine all pets will have to be crated except for bathroom breaks.

Another alternative may be that humane societies can mobilize help before some disasters (I know not all disasters are predictable) and evacuees can send their pets to a known place ahead of time and leave their names and pertinent information for retrieval later.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.
I would not leave mine but I would have left with them before that massive monster hit the coast.

renerian

That is the best that can be done. I would have evacuated in a heartbeat, packed a few essentials along with my cat and poodle.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I would not go if they would not allow me to take my pets.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion