One of the good guys

10/17/2005 - Imagine How You Would Feel . . .
Posted From Animal Ark Shelter - Minnesota
Posted by Mike F

Imagine how you would feel if you had been evacuated from your home by force and you were not allowed to take your pets with you. Then, imagine that the people who came in to "save" your pets either "euthanized" them, or almost immediately adopted them to another family, without giving you a chance to find them.

That is exactly what some organizations are doing. I am frankly angry, dumbfounded and stunned at the willful disregard for the families of lost pets and for the animals who must certainly be missing their families.

Think about this: Animal Ark has already found the families of about 7% of the animals rescued from Katrina that we have taken in. And, we are getting more leads on other families all the time. The families we are dealing with have moved mountains to try to find their pets; so why would shelters adopt them without giving them a chance to be reunited with their families?

Concern that some shelters would try to capitalize on the headlines about recent disasters and try to move animals too quickly caused several national organizations to send out press releases asking shelters with animals rescued from Katrina to hold them for longer periods of time to give their families time to look for them.

So, why are our area's wealthiest shelters (i.e. those best prepared to house them longer) already adopting "Katrina Pets" into new homes? Your guess is as good as mine.

Today, I personally answered countless emails from shelters across the country that are outraged. Unfortunately, there is little I can do about it. If shelters do not want to follow nationally recognized standards or practices, there is no way to make them. Likewise, there is no way to make them report how many local animals they may have "euthanized" in order to take in and adopt out their "hurricanines".