Melisinde said:
Everyone can call bs on me and maybe I'm just screwed up from life experiences but I can tell you one thing. I would not have left my animals no matter what. Even without having been in that situation personally, I can tell you without a doubt I would not have left my animals behind. (I'm not condemning anyone's decision; I'm just telling my thoughts.) My animals have never done a wrong thing to me ever and that's more than I can say for 100% of the human race I've come into contact with.
Maybe the judge should tell them that they will cut the dog in half and give each family half? *thinking of the biblical story* Find out who truly wants the dog that way... it worked in the Bible.
Maybe even just let the families have a showdown and see what owner the dog goes to, honestly.
First off many did not evacuate because of Katrina, they evacuated (or fled) when the levies broke.
many of them did not even have time to take food or provisions.
Have you ever had to evacuate? THe priority MUST be Human life.
That is the type of decisions you have to make and usually very quickly.
Hotels may very well take pets but I can tell you shelters do not.
Not everyone has the space to pack their families and the provisions needed and their pets.
And not everyone can forgo the provisions and just buy them later.
the majority live hand to mouth paycheck to paycheck.
That all being said your pets are lucky that you don't have to make those decisions.
The National weather service sends out a book every year.
It does make consideration for pets that must be left behind and even makes suggestions on the safest way to do that.
When I evacuate I take 4 kids 2 100+ lb dogs, a ferret, a guinea pig, a bearded dragon and a cat.
It is not easy since usually there is a great chance that where I evacuate to may also be hit. Living in Florida more often then not half the state is under a warning so sometimes its hard to gage how far we have to go and how long we will be away.
I have in the past actually evacuated to a place that was hit much harder then my house was.
With all the pets with me.
I just think its very hard to judge other people in an emergency situation.
I am 100% positive it broke those peoples hearts to leave their pets behind.
I am just as positive that as nice as it was for the new family to give the dog a home it is disgusting to deny the real owners.
These are people who lost everything. It should be good enough for the new family to know they helped and took care of the dog.
They should be ashamed of themselves and the Judge should not have to think twice about it.