BY CONNIE CRONLEY
The first person I called from Urgent Care was Curtis, the dog runner.
That’s because I had broken my leg, and an ambulance was on the way to take me to the emergency room for surgery and a hospital stay. Curtis is the only one who knew how to wrangle my two dogs into short-term care.
Curtis knew how to call Nancy, who owns Pooches, a pet boarding facility. It was after hours, but he had her cell number. Nancy could call someone to open Pooches and receive the dogs at this unconventional time. And then I called Samantha because she knows how to medicate my 20-year-old cat Muriel since I wouldn’t be able to get her to her weekly veterinarian appointments. Together, Samantha and Curtis could care for Muriel and Isabelle, my other cat, until I was home.
It was a double emergency to me. One emergency was that EMSA was loading me into an ambulance; the other emergency was that my pets were home alone, and I didn’t know when I could get back to care for them.
Thank heavens and all the gods that be that I have friends who love dogs and cats. A chain of caring people swooped in to provide food, shelter and care for my pets.
I’m lucky, but I’ve heard horror stories of people who weren’t so lucky. I’ve heard of a woman who went into the hospital, and while she was there, her daughter had her cats euthanized. I’ve heard about a woman who died, and a relative turned her cats outside to fend for themselves. I’ve heard about a family that moved out of town and left their dog behind in the empty apartment.
Enough. We all know too many sad stories of pets without a backup community of care. While I was in the hospital, Lindsay, a friend who loves animals and is conscientious about the cost of boarding, started a GoFundMe account to help pay forthe dogs’ boarding. My sister was horrified. “People will think you’re eating cat food,” she said.
I considered this and asked myself, “What would Jay Cronley say?” This seemed appropriate for two reasons: one reason was that my dog Zeke was originally Jay’s dog, and the second reason is that Jay’s opinion was always a good bellwether for me. In a flash, I knew that he would laugh and say,“Heck, yes, start a GoFundMe. And tell them to send a ham, too.”
My GoFundMe account was modest, but other friends made payments directly to Pooches, and this went a long way toward paying for two weeks of boarding. I appreciated these practical demonstrations of support. Don’t get me wrong. I loved the flowers and the homemade soup and the rosescented lotion and the warm socks and all the other comfort gifts, but I valued the commonsense assistance with my pets, too.
I had a small emergency, but I began to think of the pets in need where there is a great calamity—a wildfire, hurricane or tornado. I know that national organizations exist to rescue pets left behind when their owners are forced to evacuate and flee the disaster. They rescue house pets, farm animals and even help wildlife. But what are those organizations? Shouldn’t I consider donating to them because I now know how I would feel if my dogs and cats were abandoned and left behind.
I have not—and let me correct that to say, I have not yet—made a donation to an organization thatrescues pets in a catastrophe area, but I’ve begun researching. Here are some that I have found. I don’t know of anyone who has supported them and can offer testimonials, but basic information is a start.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supports local efforts to search for and rescue pets after a disaster, according to its website (fema.gov/helpingpets). The site also offers tips for instituting an emergency plan before a disaster. This includes such practical recommendations as having up-to-date pet tags fastened to collars; having a current photo of you and your pet for identification; making a pet emergency kit; having a secure pet carrier, leash or harness; and identifying shelters in advance that allow pets.
When pets are displaced by a disaster, they are often kept in local shelters. In addition to local animal welfare organizations, the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (narsc.net/) might assist in locating pet shelters. FEMA works with a number of national animal welfare organizations to search and rescue lost pets after disasters: the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMATS).
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) dispatches emergency response teams to areas around the world where animals are in distress. This includes natural disasters of fires, floods, hurricanes, tornados, drought, earthquake, tsunamis and volcanos. IFAW was in Moore, Oklahoma, after the 2013 tornado. The organization also responds to human-made disasters such as oil spills, nuclear reactor accidents, financial crises, armed conflicts and rampant animal cruelty or neglect such as puppy mills, dog fighting or pet hoarding.
The United States Search and Rescue Task Force website offers advice for you and your pets during emergency evacuations. It is wrong, the website tells us, to leave pets behind, thinking their natural instincts will save them from harm. Red Cross disaster shelters cannot accept pets, it goes on to say, so plan ahead with a list of shelters and hotels/motels outside your immediate area that welcome pets.
The Petco Foundation is devoted to animal welfare across the country, including the support of partner agencies after disasters. “We stand ready to support longer-term recovery and relief efforts as they unfold,” Petco Foundation said after emergency aid in California. In the wreckage left by Hurricane Harvey, the Petco Foundation worked with the Rescued Pet Movement, a transport partner in the Houston area, The SPCA of Brazoria County, Texas, and Bayou Animal Services, which served the Texas cities of Dickinson, Clear Lake Shores and Sante Fe.
I’m sure there are many more emergency relief agencies for pets. Perhaps such a directory exists, but I don’t know about it. Assembling a detailed directory for our area would be a good project for a service organization such as the Girl Scouts, a volunteer group or a school classroom.
Beyond short-term emergencies—like a broken leg—or a natural disaster, planning for the care of our pets after our death is essential but often overlooked. After Jay’s sudden death, his dog Zeke was welcome at my house. A policewoman on-site was relieved to hear it. That is not always the case in unexpected deaths. “Oh, the stories I could tell you,” she said. I don’t want to hear them.
My friend Patti and I visited the Cohn Pet Care Facility at Oklahoma State University. Cohn offers a permanent home for animals when owners can no longer care forthem. An upfront endowment provides shelter, food and veterinary medical care the for the life of the pet. At the least, we should make provisions in our wills for the pets that survive us. I have, although it is embarrassingly modest compared to a wealthy woman I knew whose estate allowed her Westie named Biscuit to continue to live in the home with a caretaker until the dog’s natural death.
Thoughtful planning for our pets in emergencies and after our own death is common sense for those of us who consider our pets part of our family and a permanent responsibility. Still, it is a responsibility that is easy to overlook.
I hadn’t planned on a broken leg or being hauled off to the hospital, leaving my pets home alone. Thank heavens for pet-loving friends. Jay would agree, laugh and say, “There’s still time to send a ham!” ■
