The Snowball effect

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the impact this disaster had on separating pets from their people, my friend Phyllis DeGioia has begun a grassroots effort to change the procedures at American Red Cross shelters so that pets can be accepted. She calls this The Snowball Effect, after the widely publicized case of the little boy and his dog who were forcibly separated during the New Orleans evacuation (and were later reunited).

I think this dialogue is critical to have. I see issues of feasibility, safety, liability and expertise that make me think having the same shelters accepting both people and pets is not the answer. I don't see one reason why evacuation should not include plans for both. Whether they are housed in the very same space to me is less important than to have them co-located in proximity, and more critically, to have a coordinated evacuation and intake plan. Animal welfare organizations tell people not to leave their pets behind. Human welfare organizations tell people they can't bring them. Meanwhile, there are people who risked their lives rather than abandon their animal companions, and for those who were left behind, there are other people out there risking their lives now. We have to talk.