When last week?s torrential rain forced thousands of Marylanders to flee their homes, many were left with a critical question: What to do with the dog?
To encourage people to seek safety, Anne Arundel and Montgomery opened some of their shelters to animals. Other emergency agencies in Harford, Dorchester, and Caroline counties said they plan to make similar arrangements in the future.
After Hurricane Katrina, emergency management agencies realized how many people risked their own safety rather than abandon animal companions, and how heart broken survivors were to be separated from pets left behind.
“I think knowing how important people?s pets are, and seeing what happened to a lot of pets and their pet owners down in New Orleans was a lesson for everybody,” said Sue Tucker, a Montgomery County spokeswoman.
In Anne Arundel?s shelter in Maryland City, county animal control set up shop in an adjacent building where the trucks are stored ? providing crates, food, water and staff. The shelter housed about four dogs and two cats, said Rhonda Wardlaw, a county spokeswoman.
But counties that use Red Cross-managed shelters have their hands-tied because Red Cross emergency shelters have a policy that bans pets.
Linnea Anderson, spokeswoman for Central Maryland Red Cross, said the policy is in place for people?s safety. Many are allergic to pets, and some pets can become aggressive, she said.
Aileen Gabbey, executive director of the Maryland SPCA, said the best thing pet owners can do is plan ahead.
It could be a necessary measure this summer, since the National Weather Service has predicted at least 17 named storms in the region this hurricane season.
Gabbey said pet owners who evacuate should bring a couple of days worth of food and water with their animals, in addition to photographs of the animals in case they get separated.
“Leaving them behind isn?t always the best thing to do,” she said.
