Media mewsings

Humane Mewsings gives CNN a major wag of the tail for writing a great story specifically about the animal rescue component of Hurricane Ike.

The article notes the sharp contrast of this storm to Hurricane Katrina, when residents weren't allowed to board rescue vehicles, boats, or buses with their pets. As a result, many refused to leave their pets behind and perished alongside them.

I mentioned before that I wrote my master's thesis about the animal rescue effort after Katrina from a communications perspective, and I described prevalent messages that the humane community used to highlight the importance of considering animals in disasters. The CNN story mentions one of these messages, which is that saving animals also saves human lives. This is so true, especially since people will risk their lives to not leave their beloved animals behind.

Here are some specifics of how things have improved since Katrina:

• In Austin, officials drop off pet supply kits -- including carrying crates and waste disposal bags -- before evacuees even arrive at the shelters.
• Fort Worth keeps evacuees' pets at the city animal shelter and provides free microchips for the animals to make sure they will be matched with their owners.
• Evacuees staying at the Dallas Convention Center can play and cuddle with their pets at another area of the complex just across the street.

"We get a lot of hugs from folks with tears in their eyes," said Kent Robertson, a division manager with Dallas animal services. "Their homes have been destroyed, and they don't know what they're going to do, but they have a place for their animals."

Beautiful.