Pets and owners reuniting after Sandy
Ripped apart by Sandy, some New Yorkers and their pets have been lucky enough to reunite after the storm.
Here are photos of a few reunions, courtesy of PeoplePets.
Above is OTIS, a pit bull rescued by the Humane Society of the United States from a second floor apartment in Staten Island and reunited with his family at a local shelter.
PRECIOUS (above) and the three cats he lives with had to be left behind when LeeAnn Rivera and her seven children fled their Queens apartment. ASCPA responders rescued them from the completely flooded building and brought them to the Queens College evacuation shelter where the family is now living.
MAGGIE belongs to the Schramm family in Breezy Point, who lost everything in the storm — including her. The Finnish Spitz-shepherd mix was found wandering by photographer Ann Lewis, who took her in and created a Facebook page in an attempt to find her owners. It worked, and Maggie and family were reunited.
You can see more reunion photos at PeoplePets.
Posted by jwoestendiek November 8th, 2012 under Muttsblog.
Tags: animals, ann lewis, aspca, cats, dogs, found, humane society of the united states, hurricane. storm, lost, maggie, new york, otis, pets, photographer, photographs, precious, reunions, reunited, sandy
Comments
Comment from Anonymous
Time November 8, 2012 at 12:53 pm
I have never been through flooding or hurricanes but I will never understand how anyone could leave their dogs or cats behind. Would you leave a child? And after Katrina most relief and rescue groups chang
ed their policies on taking pets with the humans they were saving.
Comment from KateH
Time November 8, 2012 at 11:25 pm
No, almost no human shelters will let animals in, even now. The only change is that states are supposed to develop protocols for helping animals. Most states haven’t done so, because this needs to be a local efforts and local governments don’t have the money, staff, or places to set up shelters for animals. Some local animal shelters – the ones who are actually trying to help animals any other day of the year, do set up places where animals can be left before their people go to human shelters.
Comment from Eighteenpaws
Time November 11, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Late in responding but I just have to say that I agree with STM above. Who in the world who loves their pets just abandons them during crisis? I simply cannot imagine any circumstance that would cause me do so. This is always a really big deal with me. Great tales of reunions….but c’mon folks, you left your furry friends alone and frightened and at serious risk.
Comment from Mary
Time February 1, 2013 at 8:36 am
It is so easy to judge others, I do it too. But we don’t know what it was like. I’m so happy for the animals & humans that were reunited after such a horrible event.
Comment from smoketoomuch
Time November 8, 2012 at 11:29 am
OK, I hate to judge, especially since these folks look so happy to be reunited with their animals, but why would anyone who was evacuating their home due to a mega-storm like Sandy intentionally leave a pet (who by definition cannot fend for themselves) behind? If I’m leaving, so is the Haley-Bear, and I don’t care where we have to sleep!