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What would you do with your dog(s) in an emergency2007-11-25 2:54:29

If you had to evacuate your home due to a natural disaster (hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake, etc), or a man-made disaster (chemical spill, fire, gas leak, terrorist attack, etc), what would you do with your pets? Most emergency shelters make NO provisions for pets! You can't bring a large dog, or multiple dogs just anywhere. You'd have to find another safe place for them. Many dogs were totally abandoned during Hurricane Katrina. Would your pets get abandoned if you was forced to evacuate your home?

Do you have a plan to evacuate your home, with your family and your dogs in an emergency? Do you know somebody (in another area) who could temporarily house your dogs during a disaster? Would you be willing to offer temporary housing to a friend's dogs, or a family member's dogs? What arrangements have you made? What would you do?

At the very least, I hope that a question like this would provoke some serious thought. Once distaster strikes, it's too late.

Answers:

We live in south Alabama and when Katrina came through we did have a plan and always have we live where water can flood us at any time but never have we seen waters like with Katrina. We have 10 dogs, 3 goats, 2 turtles, 1 cat and 2 birds, and a large horse trailer that we haul them all in when the hurricanes come. and if we can we will take some of the neighbors animals with us. however since Katrina many of the evacuation shelters here are making provisions for dogs, cats and other small animals. Another thing that you have to understand is that many of those people in Katrina did not want to abandon their animals and that is why some people stayed. When rescuers go in to get the people that is all they are allowed to get. I saw it with several of my neighbors. They stayed because they had no place to go with their animals or they believed it wasn't going to be as bad as what everyone thought on our end of the storm and when the floods came they and the animals where sitting on the roof but when the boats came to get the people they were told they couldn't take the animals and had no choice but to leave them behind. dang this one made me cry

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I have thought this a lot since Katrina. I have 3 dogs and 3 birds. No way in heck would I EVER leave them!! We live right on an earth quake fault with a dam that is ready to give. Im sure I will have to face this at some point. Im getting in the car and heading out of town the second I can. I would NEVER for ANY reason abandon my pets...they are after all my babies!! YOU?