Rescued!Rescued! Saving Animals From Disaster is a must read book if you love animals, have animals, care about animals at all. This book shares stories from the Katrina disaster that will break your heart and mend it both. But most importantly, this book holds information about making sure you own animals are safe in event of disaster, and helping out when there is a disaster. I remember some years ago when there was that big earthquake in California. Yes, there were many people affected, but one of my first thoughts were to worry about the animals there as well. I called a number of charities and disaster relief organizations, asking how I could help those homeless pets. Most of them were shocked that I could think of animals when people were in need. And then, it seems, they discovered that people who are seperated from their pets and worrying about them are still in need, even if they are themselves safe. They also discovered that having great numbers of stray, confused, often injured, always frightened animals turn to them for succor that they are not prepared to provide is not a happy thing. When Katrina happened, it was a mixed bag. Many volunteers, when volunteers were finally allowed to help, showed up to help animals as well as people. Many animals were saved and reunited with their people. But when humans were evacuated, they were told they had to leave their pets behind. Many were evacuated by force, and forced to leave their animals behind. Some people even refused to leave unless they were able to take their pets. I know I would have never considered leaving Pearl and Zoey to fend for themselves. Pearl (my deaf cat) could not possibly deal with such a situation alone and probably would have been doomed. This book, Rescued! Saving Animals From Disaster is one of the better things to come about because of Katrina. I hope that the publicity around the animal rescues, and the information about protecting your own animals, makes a difference. We can only hope that if and when disaster strikes again, there will be systems and people in place to rescue our furry (finny, feathered, scaled) family members along with our human family. I know that those of us who rescue greyhounds often have an even larger responsibility for many dogs. For us, there is an even more important reason we should have some sort of plan in place. Share this book around, if you and your rescue group are in a location that is at risk and ask that there be some sort of contingency plan for those dogs who may be kenneled or with foster families. Better to make plans you may never have to implement, than to be caught without one. Blessedbe Summer
|