| Sunday, July 30, 2006 |
Rescuers save dozens of pets trapped in flood Source: The Plain Dealer Animal rescue workers from four counties converged on Lake County to rescue more than 50 trapped pets Friday and Saturday.There has been some severe flooding in my home state of Ohio this past week, and people weren't the only victims of disasters, including floods and flash floods. Thank goodness there also are teams are busy rescuing family companion animals (a.k.a. "pets") in Lake County in northeast Ohio, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer.  As someone who loves animals AND works for a major non-profit with a mission for disaster preparedness and response, let me encourage EVERYONE to make a disaster and evacuation plan that INCLUDES your companion animals. NEVER leave your pet behind, even if you think you'll only be evacuated or gone temporarily (i.e. and/or plan to return for them as soon as you find a safe place to stay) because sometimes officials often won't let people back into their homes in situations such as this in the midst of disaster--you may not get a second chance. I hope to post more on this in the comes weeks in the Websources & Resources section, as my time allows, but in the meantime, visit ASPCA.org or HSUS.org for more info on preparing your pets for disaster. Unforutnately, even though kitty Gizmo (pictured) escaped the floods with his caregiver in his own carrier, he had to be given over to the Humane Society because his pet parent was left homeless by the severe flooding. On a sidenote, Gizmo's PD photographer, Brynne Shaw, was the lead singer in one of my husband's bands when we lived in Cleveland. |