Ike Leaves Orphans
Hurricane Ike has left more than just physical devastation in its wake.
There are 120 dogs who were abandoned being transported to Minnesota to be put up for adoption.
The process starts this morning, when a team from the Animal Humane Society (AHS) of Golden Valley, with the help of Northwest Airlines, brings back 59 dogs from Texas that were lost, abandoned or surrendered after the hurricane.
I just can’t understand how anyone could take shelter and leave their dog behind. I realize that some of the dogs probably got lost in all the confusion, but I would go to the ends of the earth to get my dogs back.
Once in Minnesota, the dogs “will rest and recover at AHS’ five facilities,” the society said in a statement Tuesday. “Some may require additional medical treatments and be in AHS’ care because of the extraordinary circumstances they have been through.”
I hope that these dogs will all be adopted into wonderful new forever homes. They have not released adoption information yet, but anyone residing in the vicinity and looking to adopt should keep checking for updates. Remember…it’s Adopt-A-Dog Month, here’s your chance.
Unfortunately the AHS in Minnesota is a high kill shelter which killed over 14,000 dogs and cats in 2007, one half of the animals taken in, they say for behavior and health issues. While this seems like a happy ending, I am very worried that most of these traumatized dogs and cats will never make it to the adoption floor at AHS. In my opinion, these animals would be better off with a resuce group, not the Animal Humane Society. It doesn’t make much sense to transport dogs all the way to Minnesota only to kill them. I hope I’m wrong.
I’m with you, I cannot understand how pet parents can just leave or abandon their pets, mine would be in the car before me if I knew there was danger. As long my pets have a good shelter, food, water and love until I can get them back with me, I can get by anyway I need, but my pets have to be cared for. I was homeless for over 2 years, and I had people tell me, give them up you always get other dogs. But they, my pets trusted me not to bandon them. They look to me for their care and safety. Though I lost my 2 realy old dogs during that time, one died and one I put to sleep, but the vet first gave her a shot to go to sleep as I held her and loved her, once she was a sleep, then he gave her one to stop her heart. But thse dogs were 12 and a half years old and just 2 months shy of 14 years old. They were both large dogs and I had given them a good life and loved and care for them. I was with them both as they took their last breath. I did let my late father’s cat be adopted into a really good home and Ihad wonderful people who stpped up and fostered the 3 dogs I still have. They are my family and what I get up for each day. We were back in our own place 2 months Sept 26. And where they all stayed even my old dogs before their deaths, they were loved and cared for by fosters, but when it came time for them to go into Doggie Heaven and jion my parents and other dogs of mine from the past, I was there with them. They were not with the fosters, strangers or vets, they were with me and I hled both of them and loved on them and said Good-bye as only I could. That is the difference between being a pet parent and a pet owner. That is the difference between them being dogs and my babies, part of my family. And I made sure I saw them as much as I could. Even it took a whole day to go see them and spend time with them, I did it. I was their parent though I could not have them with me at the time. Giving up my dogs would be like a parent giving up their child. Or leaving my dogs behind would be like a parent leaving their child behind. These precious animals has feelings too, they get frightened, hurt, don’t understand when their master leaves them, they just wait for them to return. They would never leave us for shelter or to escape harm, but people leave them everyday. I think it is the cruelest thing a human can do to a pet or any animal to leave it alone to make it on it’s own. They love us no matter what and will give up their life for us if they had too. Why can’t we do the same for them.
I have lived in the Florida Keys on a boat for ten years,two years in St.Pertersburg,Florida and now on the coast just north of Corpus Christi.I would never leave my pet anymore then I would leave a child.People who abandon their pets should be prosecuted like we prosecute people who abandon their children.Their pets are as dependent on them as a child.I must say since Hurricane Katrina most shelters accept pets with proper vaccinations and in carriers.
Off subject, but people make me SICK!!! I read and saw this HORRIBLE story and pics on a blog involving these immature college kids terrifying their poor chihuahua by forcing him down a slide and into a lake. They know he hates water, and they even acknowledge this on their blog!!! Read the first couple of sentences! They find the terrifying expression on his face hilarious, and post pictures of his face close up. SICK. You can see the whites of this dog’s eyes, he is so terrified. I couldn’t sleep last night after seeing this. They posted this for the amusement effect, but I am NOT amused. I am appalled. This idiots don’t deserve to be dog owners, and they justified themselves by saying he was wearing a life vest and water doesn’t hurt puppies. Here is the link: http://wanderful.us/?p=332#more-332
For me… leaving my dogs behind is like leaving a family member behind. It will be said day when the “karma train” roll in.