All lives matter

We’ve had the TV on listening to Sky News tracking what’s happening in Florida with the storm passing through it.

We’re worried about our friends there, and we pray they will be left unharmed as Hurricane Irma passes through. We were wondering about the pooches when we found this story in the news.

It was reported that 59 dogs and cats were surrendered to the animal shelter in the county by people fleeing the storm. Dianne Sauve, director of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control confirmed that they won’t be able to reclaim their pets when they return.

“We are pretty clear when you surrender your animal you give up your rights,” she said.

But then they started receiving calls about dogs being abandoned. Animal control officers combed the evacuated neighbourhoods and found pets tethered to poles, left in pens and fenced-in yards.

(Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

Altogether they found 49 of them in the western Palm Beach County cities of Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay.

Officers continued to canvass the county for abandoned animals until winds hit 35 mph. And after the winds subside, they will continue to look for lost stray pets. They’ve urged anyone who finds a lost pet to keep it safe until the storm is over.

Sauve said that anyone found to have left a dog tied up or left to fend for themselves outside during the hurricane will be charged with felony animal cruelty. Rightly so.

They are going to need help rehoming all these pets. They have already sent animals listed for adoption to shelters in other states to make way for a possible influx of animals who need assistance after the storm.

The Governor of Florida in his press conferences kept saying that lives are the most important thing. Yes, all lives matter.These were some of the strays found before Irma arrived.

May’s comment:  Storms like this can be confusing and difficult for pet owners. And it is very difficult for the pets.  The same thing happened in Texas. It was reported that journalists and rescuers found dogs chained to trees outside. But we also saw a lot of hoomans being rescued with their pets dogs escaping Hurricane Harvey.

There are limited shelters where animals are allowed and that could have been a reason they were abandoned. Red Cross does not allow pets in their shelters.

If they are abandoning them, why couldn’t they give the animals a chance to find shelter on their own? I suppose they assumed someone would come and get them. 🙁 Do their lives not matter?

We hope these animals find happy homes after all this is over.

But there’s another side to this story – the goodness of many others. At the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, about 900 dogs checked into the hotel. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/94567945-132.html

Disneyland also opened their hotels to pet owners and their pets.

And there were specific shelters for animals where shelters did not allow pets.Bless them! What an effort.