Once again, animal rescuers are the heroes in the face of a hurricane. This time it was Hurricane Ida - a category 4 storm. And once Ida made landfall in Louisiana, she continued to move, causing serious problems as far north as New Jersey and New York.
As Ida threatened, lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were remembered. As animal shelters in other parts of the country (like Texas, Ohio, California and Washington DC) opened their doors to accept thousands of pets from Louisiana shelters ahead of the storm. Those rescue efforts by car, truck - even airplane - saved additional pets by making room in the Louisiana shelters for animals that were injured or separated from their humans during the hurricane.
Rescue efforts are currently underway in the area. For example, American Humane’s Rescue team with its 50-foot rescue truck was deployed to help animals in Louisiana.
Not everyone can work at the scene to help rescue animals stranded by the storm. But there are things you can do to be a hero. One is to support one or more of those organizations that are on the front lines, rescuing and caring for the animals.
I just finished a series of commentaries highlighting the seven finalists for this year’s Hero Dog Awards. Those canine heroes up for the title represent some of the best that our four-footed friends have to offer us. Visit the website at HeroDogAwards.org each day and click to “vote” for one any of the finalists. But hurry, because voting ends Tuesday, September 7th!
And if your own pet is safe and sound, count yourself fortunate. But remember, the most critical thing you can do for your furry buddy is to make right choices when faced with the possibility of a disaster. Your best friend is counting on you to be the hero by making timely decisions that will keep both of you safe and protected, when you’re speaking of pets.
