How Do You Leave Them Behind

[Golden Rules]

I would refuse to leave without my pets.

Thankfully, I am not in an area where flood nor fire are a possibility.

[Bjelkier]

Over my dead body would I leave the animals behind.

We would get out early.

Seeing as we live in a very fire prone area we have summer emergancy plans all ready to go.

[m-j]

Evacuation plans are good and a must but you may not always be able to execute them.

I was put in this situation last year, long story short the fire was moving very fast (The fire started 13 kms away and in around 15 mins it had reached us) I wasn't home when it started so had to travel home, I managed to get one dog in the car before the police advised me to go leave the dogs as the fire was just a km away. If I hadn't of had my son with me I would have put the rest (6 dogs) in the car, I had to make that decision then and there, which was the hardest I've ever had to make.

Prior to that experience I would have said I wouldn't leave them and if my son wasn't there I don't think I would have, but as two houses (only one up from us)were well and truely alight about 5 mins later ( I found out later)I may not have got out. I was lucky in that we have 3/4 of acre which was all dirt, I'm guessing that along with the fireys saved them.

We got our phone warnings about 3 hrs later.

[Edenishy]

I could not imagine leaving my pets during an evacuation.

I would either be getting out early if there was a serious risk of an emergency (like flooding) or would be one of those that wouldnt leave unless the pets could come.

If the house was on fire, I could even see myself risking my own life to ensure my babies lives were safe.

Of course this is easy enough said...I have never found myself in any evacuation situation (and would hope I never would ) but I would like to think that the above would still happen under such a stressful situation.

Edited December 29, 2010 by Ishy

[Kaz]

F***k that.

No way I would be leaving until my dogs were out.

[Tim'sMum]

I wouldn't be leaving my dogs...no way. Either OH or I would be staying with them if there was no way to get them out.

[Steve]

This is why we set up Pacers and took it to a chartered clubs situation.We tried the buddy system but realised it needed more than that because its so difficult for us to try to help adequately when we dont know the local areas and the resources etc and nothing specific has been put in place for each area.

Part of the requirements for each Pacers club is to have local risk analysis and plans and things sorted to ensure people have some quick help to get their animals to safety in case of a natural disaster. If we can get to a point where we have a Pacers in reach of all towns then no matter what there is much more hope of getting the animals to safety than what there is now. Fundraising can remain within the community its raised in and resources can be in place to help until other Pacers people can help as well. It can cater for people in natural disasters as well as when they hit unexpected hard times.

Problem is until it happens people dont think its going to happen to them or they think they can control it themselves via a disaster kit and plans etc but sometimes it needs a back up and its better to have the back up ready with resources specifically geared for animals. Boats , trucks, portable dog pens, portable horse yards,stock piles of crates and places already to place them should be close to everyone no matter where they live. Procedures for ensuring they arent lost Fire, floods, wind, earth quakes, chemical spills, accidents , ill health, and a million other things make us all vulnerable.

Start a Local Pacers Club

[Crisovar]

I wouldn't be leaving my dogs...no way. Either OH or I would be staying with them if there was no way to get them out.

Sitting on the TV Antenna with the dogs wouldn't be cozy.

[Sandra777]

I would flatly refuse to leave without my dogs. Several people did this a few months ago during the floods in Vic. It does serve as a warning though to evacuate early and on your terms if you have pets in a natural disaster area. Don't wait to be forced out because the authorities don't care if your pets die or not.

I agree that if you want to take your pets you need to make your own plans and carry them out EARLY - but I think it's a bit harsh to say the authorities don't care, I can understand that if faced with the choice of taking the 87 year old grandmother of 12 and someone's pet the authorities really only have one choice.

But why are there no official plans in place for pets? In NZ the civil defence (SES) had evacuation plans which included housing pets - when we had kennels we were on the list of places they could leave dogs/cats/small pets and they had a record of how many of each we were prepared to house.

Some would no doubt think it's excessive, but past experience must have shown by now that some will refuse to leave without their pets and perhaps it's time to consider this.

They do air drops of food for farm animals afterall!

[Sandra777]

Gremlins!

Edited December 29, 2010 by Sandra777

[newfsie]

When I was a lot younger we went through Cyclone Tracey.............The Police came around about three days later to shoot dogs/cats (never sure whether it was a official ruling) My father stood his ground and completely refused and we kept our dogs out of sight (3x GSD's) and he said "over my dead body". My parents also did not evacuate, because the dogs were not allowed to come. They just sent us with friends. There is no way i would go with out my dogs, we have an emergency plan......Our horses would be more difficult, but if we had early warning, we would move them. Which we have in the past for possible fire threat. Call me neurotic, but better safe than sorry

i think it is to awful to even contemplate leaving your animals

That said I also agree that some people have had plenty of warning in some areas to leave earlier and didn't, but there might be reasons for that

[Kaz]

Newfsie, your Dad is is a hero

I can understand some people particularly with families, will have higher priorities than their pets. It's a personal decision.

My dogs are more important to me than anyone, including myself. So the dogs absolutely come first no matter what the situation.

Off to check out the Pacers link - thanks Steve

[Adza]

Would never leave my pets to fend for themselves. I remember seeing the footage from hurricane katrina and that poor guy who didn't know if his dog was alive until rescues found him and they reunited days later, it was the most wonderful thing I have ever seen, but still very lucky. I couldn't take that chance.

It's like asking certain people to leave their kids behind IMO but thats why if there is a warning people should just move out and not risk anything, but then again don't know till you have been through it.

[Jed]

In some places (particularly some of the places recently flooded), there is nowhere to go by car - the roads are cut, there is little or no high ground that you can reach, so you can only sit where you are, hoping for the best, or climb onto the roof.

Evacuation plans wont work. Everyone is in the same boat (excuse the pun) with nowhere to go. So, that leaves SES, police, army etc and helicopters to airlift you out. You would have to leave well before a flood situation arose - and take a gamble that there would be flooding - and there may not be.

I wouldn't leave my dogs either.

Edited December 29, 2010 by Jed

[B-Q]

I wouldn't leave mine either.

We flooded in Katherine in 2006, it wasn't too drastic and we go to higher ground to stay with a friend (6 dogs, 1 cat, 1 bird, 2 rabbits and 6 people in a 2 bedroom house)

We knew a woman that got caught in the '98 floods, she got as many fo her horses off her property as she could, the rest went onto the upstiars floor of the house with her to wait it out. Another friend we knew spent 2 days on their roof with their family and their dog.

You do what you have to to keep your animals safe, noone else can tell me its more important to just get the people out.

[Malamum]

You would have to leave well before a flood situation arose - and take a gamble that there would be flooding - and there may not be.

Yeah but it's a win/win gamble isn't it - to get all the animals out early and not to have needed to.

I'd much rather do that than the alternative, especially if you had a large number of animals (which many people in semi-rural areas seem to have).

[quesada]

When water started rising in our yards during the heavy rains a few weeks ago, we had all our pets in cages/crates, just in case we needed to get out fast. There was no way I was going anywhere without them.

[di_dee1]

It does not flood where I am and fire risk is low due to the paddocks and fire breaks.

I have, however a pillow case to throw my 3 birds into should I have the time in event of a house fire.

I too would get out early..just in case if some situation occurred.

My son was due to fly out from an airport before Christmas 70kms away.

We kept an eye on the flood levels which could have cut his access.

When it looked like this could happen he packed dirty clothes etc quickly, drove his bird out here and stayed in town for the 3 nights till his plane left.

The road did not close but better to have done what he did just in case it was.

Nothing at all like having a flood or fire to deal with but if possible I feel the same principle can be applied..particularly with floods as there is lots of warning.

I know that where my son lived in Sydney a fire came up to the back fence where there was bushland. (this was before he moved in) He told me that should another start many kms away that he the kids and guinea pigs would be out of there too, just in case.

It would be so heartrending to have to leave beloved pets behind in a very fast happening emergency that can also, and does happen.

[Monah]

I'm pretty sure the evacuation orders were not negotiable. I think it's barbaric. I would not leave my animals. They are talking about no one being in the town for over a week, maybe several weeks. If they (govt) dont give a crap about people's pets, they should be thinking of the distresss and grief of the HUMANS who have been forced into this situation.

Rescue helicopters on a short flight cannot be compared to normal travel, I'm sure townsfolk would not mind, or at least there could be a process in place, cages, anything, to make sure that pets could go with owners. staying behind could mean death as the waters were going to rise even higher, also there would be no food or drinking water, or shelter...

What a decision to have to make, and no one should have to do that, The animals should have gone too, without any quuestion or hint of owners having to make a choice. :D

[Everythings Shiny]

Back in 07, most of our property was under water from the flooding. SES came to evacuate us, luckily they also helped evac the pets. They didn't want to grab my pet ducks however as 'they can swim' but I got severely hysterical and as I had a fractured arm, was in casts, bandages and slings, they relented very quickly, as I started scurrying around in their pen to get them out. Luckily our last bit of dry land never went under, and the water even started receeding, but the SES kept trying to move us. We moved our horses onto the float (that was a fight and a half with 2 half broken in babies and a show horse who decided that he wasn't going on for the first time ever!) and sent them up onto the corner near our house. Cows were tied up to trucks (no cattle trucks were available or able to get through) and all our prize breeding budgies were in cages on the neighbours tip truck. I'm glad I shouldn't have to go through that for a fair while (previous flood here was in 1955, so I should in theory have another 50 years lmao)