I'm just back for a day before heading out again. Kind reader Monique sent me a link about the plight of many animals due to the recent hurricane in Florida. From the Scripps Howard News Service:
The thumb-sized baby squirrel could've been an angry cat for the screaming that came when vet tech Debi Tietboehl gently stuck a needle though its skin.The syringe delivered saline solution to re-hydrate the animal that someone had brought Sunday to the makeshift Humane Society compound in Punta Gorda.
A mobile veterinary clinic, RVs, trucks, tables and awnings cover the Carmalita Baseball Field. Animal workers and volunteers have come from all over Florida to offer aid, including Tietboehl, who works at the San Carlos Park Animal Hospital.
Around them for miles, the people of Punta Gorda and beyond continue to reassemble their lives, piling storm debris, gathering supplies, filing claims and catching a hot meal when they can.
In the bustle of recovery, many aren't thinking about pets. But in a baseball field here, people find relief from a host of problems they and their animals face in the wake of Hurricane Charley.
Few stores are open, and pet food is hard to find.
Two cats need a shelter while their owners find some for themselves. For the same reason, a Chihuahua is holed up in a cage behind a stuffed animal, shaking and waiting for an owner's return. A puppy has dysentery. Two blue merle shelties have rashes and need to see a vet.
Their houses are falling down around them, but care for their animals is paramount to these pet owners.
Though many think such devotion is over the top, the folks at the baseball field understand, says Diane Webber, regional director for the Humane Society of the United States.
"Animals are our comfort," she says.
Do what you can. Anyway, I'll be back on Tuesday for good and will then start blogging around here again. See you soon.
When I lived in LA the SPCA had a whole disaster unit so when those horrible fires hit last year they were ready for the recued animals and at least had a plan. We are developing one here in Hawaii as well for each island in case of disaster.
Animals are our comfort and a huge part of our lives. I couldnt imagine my life with out my kitties and know that loading their things up would be my first priority, just as if they were my children.
Posted by: DancingRainGirl at September 2, 2004 03:48 AM