An evacuation center for pets and their owners in Japan -pics

[Kadie]

A woman and her son eat food as her dogs sit around them at an evacuation center for pets and their owners near an area devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, north Japan March 17, 2011.


A cat sits under a blanket at an evacuation center for pets and their owners near an area devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, north Japan March 17, 2011.


A woman holds her dog at an evacuation center for pets and their owners near an area devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, north Japan March 17, 2011.


Residents read a newspaper with their pet dog at an evacuation center for pets and their owners near a devastated area hit by an earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, north Japan March 17, 2011.


A woman takes care of a dog at an evacuation center for pets and their owners near an area devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, north Japan March 17, 2011.


A family and their pet dog take shelter in an evacuation center for pets and their owners near a devastated area hit by earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, north of Japan, March 17, 2011.


A woman shares her food with her dog at an evacuation center for pets and their owners near an area devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, north Japan March 17, 2011.


A woman shares her food with her dog at an evacuation center for pets and their owners near a devastated area hit by an earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, north of Japan March 17, 2011.


A woman comforts her dog during an aftershock at an evacuation center for pets and their owners near an area devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, north of Japan March 17, 2011.


A woman sleeps with her dog at an evacuation center for pets and their owners near a devastated area hit by an earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, north of Japan March 17, 2011.

[Solly Mack]

1. Tears

K&R

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Thanks and K&R

[femrap]

3. K and R

Remember during the evacuation after Katrina, the buses would not allow pets to board.

I couldn't understand that. F*cking idiots.

[stuntcat]

8. omg

I wish I didn't know that, I don't even wanna think about people having to make that choice :cry:

[femrap]

53. I'm sorry....

I thought most people knew. I was disgusted with the evacuation plan....but there were lots of animal lovers in NO that took care of pets.

[get the red out]

98. Me neither

I think I would have been one of the people taking my chances at home with my dog. The idea of leaving her to die alone is something I can't stand to contemplate.

Our coutry makes me sick sometimes.

[Puregonzo1188]

71. My first thoughts--very sad.

Even Cuba has an evacuation plan for pets.

[femrap]

93. We have become

a very cruel nation. I blame greedy, selfish people who call themselves 'Christians.' The hypocrisy is beyond comprehension. And I suppose I can blame other religions as well....

[BlancheSplanchnik]

95. yeah.... authoritarianism, bureaucracy, fear of thinking for oneself

ignorants in positions of petty power over others...enforcers.

Christianity and other Big God the King (and the Men who speak for him) religions work along those lines.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. So often the pets are forgotten about --

in municiple plans for evacuation centers. I am so glad for these people their fur families are with them during this tough time.

[MsPithy]

69. I would suggest we all find out about the disaster plans for our pets

where we live. If there is not a disaster evacuation center that accepts pets in your area, ask why not. And keep asking. There are lots of reputable sites on the internets that offer suggestions for a disaster preparedness plan for what ever kind of pet you love.

[alsame]

5. k&r - very humane for the people and the beloved pets. nt

[Evolve_Already]

6. Speck in my eye!

Critter comfort.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

7. Painfully touching. Thanks for posting

I'm glad they get to keep their pets with them, but damn, I feel for them. :cry:

[DainBramaged]

9. Ripped me up.......

[Call Me Wesley]

48. You old softie ...

:) Same here. Greatly touching.

[stuntcat]

10. :cry:

every one of those pictures gets me.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

11. Gulp. nt

[xchrom]

12. recommend

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

13. Thanks for sharing. I'm a basket case now...again

:cry:

[Loki]

14. I wish I could hold them all in my arms.

:hug:

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Loki]

23. I had a 14 year old yellow lab named Zen.

He was such a good boy and we still miss him every day. I'm sorry you lost your friend. :hug:

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

46. I miss my Cody , too

I sympathize with you...it is so very hard when you have shared such a deep bond. Lost our Cody almost 2 years ago unexpectedly at age 12 and a half. We camped and hiked with him all over the US. He could always sniff our path back even when we weren't sure which way to go. he always had to be the leader, so we called him Trailboss.

[xloadiex]

66. Lost my black Lab

Dewey who was also 14 almost 2 years ago. To this day I can't even picture him in my mind without crying. I'm afraid if I had to make a choice, I would choose to stay with my pets.

[Chorophyll]

70. Aw, I'm so sorry.

Just got a puppy who's supposed to be a mix but looks 99.9% Black Lab. Sweetest little face (sharpest little teeth.) :hug:

[northernlights]

16. thank you for posting this. nt

[SnowCritter]

17. We're not so different, as humans

It breaks my heart that there are those that would try to tear us apart.

[xxqqqzme]

18. OK, feeding the dog w/ chopsticks cracks

me up. That woman hugging her dog during an aftershock rips me apart.

[dhill926]

43. I'm with ya.....n/t

[Hissyspit]

19. Only one cat amongst all the dogs?

[Kadie]

50. That was the only one I found.

[Lynx]

20. I'd want to be with my cat, too

The sad truth is our local electric utility, Potomac Electric Power Company, really is one of the most abysmal in the world. Pepco utterly sucks.
In the past 6 months I have had 3 multi-day outages and many short outages, even when the weather is perfect. The last major outage, in January, was more than I could take. The inside of my house was so cold I was forced to evacuate. In fact I think I would have frozen if my cat Graycie did not prod me to get up, get moving and to a safe space. But how could I leave Graycie after all she did for me?
I had to take refuge with a friend who is a vetrinarian. He kept telling me don't worry about Graycie, she has a fur coat, as a former stray, she knows the drill.
Still, I worried, even though Graycie did fine.
There is a movement now to get rid of Pepco and replace it with an actual functioning utility. Still, I worry, about more major outages before Pepco goes down the drain. There are no local shelters that take animals.
What a civilized custom!

[shireen]

21. Thank you so much for posting that!!! Also donations links ...

http://japanearthquakeanimalrelief.chipin.com/japan-earthquake-animal-rescue-and-support

http://www.arkbark.net/?q=en/

[Dappleganger]

45. Thanks for those links!

Am sharing them on FB and Twitter.

[BrklynLiberal]

22. Allowing pets to accompany the evacuees is essential to the survival or the people as well as the

pets.

I am thrilled that there is a center that allows people to let their pets accompany them.

[anneboleyn]

74. Yes, me too. These pictures are wonderful.

[colorado_ufo]

25. A lesson in civilizaton.

Many of these people, I'm sure, have little or nothing left. These animals are essential to their mental health and maybe even their survival. "Man does not live by bread alone . . ." They give their owners a reason to go on.

[Dappleganger]

26. Love the LH doxies!

Our pets are our family so they go with us no matter what. I would die w/out my doggies. :(

[Critters2]

32. +1 If the critters don't go, I don't go. Period. nt

[Dappleganger]

34. Yes, that's how we feel about it too.

We are in a hurricane state so know where the pet shelters are located (a mile away). Each of ours have their own crate as required by county law along with their own "bug-out" bags. There's just no way we'd ever leave them and neither would our kids leave them.

[Biker13]

58. Me Too!

If my pup can't go, I don't either. She's my baby, and I'd die before I'd leave her.

Biker's Old Lady

[tpsbmam]

60. Exactly. It's so lovely to see a culture that cares about the animals and people's

connection to their pets. There is no way in hell I'd evacuate without my dogs. I'd sleep in the car with them if that was the only alternative. There isn't a chance in hell I could just walk away from them. OMG, it freaks me out to even type that! I very rarely have nightmares but when I do, it usually involves my dogs being in a dangerous situation and me not being able to reach them. In an emergency requiring an evacuation, we'll have a shared fate with me being my usual over-protective self when it comes to my dogs.

[trud]

91. where I live

they will not allow pets in human shelters in the event of a hurricane. The pets have to be left at an animal shelter twenty miles away. Can you imagine the chance that the pet will be lost in the commotion of so many animals and inexperienced handlers. I'm another planning on sleeping in my car with my pets.

[Dappleganger]

92. May I ask which county this is?

Seriously, if you think about it would it be possible to work towards changing that? Our county has two pet-approved facilities which people can use during hurricane season (see my links above, we have two of them). You can download the .pdf brochure and take the info to your county to see how they do it safely. It only begins with one person starting a change and I can bet that there are many more people who feel the same about their pets as you do. It really is a HUMAN safety issue as many people refuse to leave w/out their pets.

[trud]

101. Dappleganger

been there, done that, failed.

[Blue Owl]

27. poor babies

At least there is a safe place for these survivors...

:cry:

[MikeW]

28. too bad in the US

The shelters in Katrina and some other disasters you cant take pets.

Maybe the Red Cross can take a lesson from Japan on HOW ITS DONE!!!!!

[Dappleganger]

44. There are designated pet shelters in Florida.

Just go to your county's emergency services website and see if they have them. If not, then you have a job to do and make sure there is at least one! Here is our county's emergency website--click on the links to the left side for both large farm animal and pet emergency procedures.

http://www.sjcemergencymanagement.org/
Direct link to pet brochure (pdf): http://www.sjcemergencymanagement.org/petshelters.html

[BlancheSplanchnik]

97. I agree!

just the thought of leaving my baby..... *shudder*

[adigal]

29. This is why I do dog rescue...animals can save our lives and

our sanity. I am so glad to see these people have their beloved pets with them. This can keep their spirits up, and their sanity intact. Imagine losing everything and having to leave your pet behind.

Maybe I will look at shelters in my area, and try to get them to change their pet policy.

[Dappleganger]

35. Good idea--get a start on it now.

There are several people/pet emergency shelters in our county and one is close to us, thankfully (hurricane state). All they need is one to start off with and then get the word out on the county's emergency web page.

[adigal]

36. I am going to find out who makes this policy

probably the town board or city council. You would just need a few - not everyone has pets, but some people will stay behind and die because of their pets.

[Dappleganger]

38. Here's a link to our county's emergency services.

Maybe it will give you some good ideas. They have links for large animals and smaller pets on the left hand side. Let me know what you think: http://www.sjcemergencymanagement.org/

[Dappleganger]

41. Here's a direct link to the brochure for family pets

http://www.sjcemergencymanagement.org/petshelters.html (it's a .pdf)

[adigal]

73. Thanks, I will call around tomorrow

and look at my county, too.

[Critters2]

30. This is so great!

But I can't let the beagle see these pics. When she learns they have apples, she'll want to move there!

[lukasahero]

31. Thank you so much for posting - do you have a source link?

I'd love to share this on FB and Twitter. We need to see some positive images in light of all the suffering.

[Kadie]

37. I found the pics at daylife.com

Sorry, I usually try to put that in my OP.

Other than that, no other link.

[lukasahero]

39. Thanks.

I think I've seen that before. Appreciate the reply.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

96. I found them at

http://www.globalnews.ca/world/Gallery+Pets+quake/4458162/story.html

(there are some folks I don't forward DU links to, esp. when I am at work)

[lukasahero]

100. Oh hey - you're awesome!

Thanks for that. (Yeah, I try to keep my DU life and my real life separate where necessary.)

:hugs:

[Zoigal]

33. Thank you for posting this. Made my day......z

[Norrin Radd]

40. kr

[TNLib]

42. Thank you for posting

and lifting my spirits. :)

[Call Me Wesley]

47. Gorgeous pictures. I'm glad they're all safe.

If I can't take my companion, then the bus will have some free places for others to reach safety. 'Okay' with me.

[tblue37]

55. Same here. I could never leave my friends behind to suffer and die alone. nt

[myrna minx]

49. .

:cry:

[Call Me Wesley]

51. Here's another survivor:

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2011/03/16/funny-pictures-videos-japan-tsunami-cat-survives/

[NillaWafers]

52. Heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. n/t

[tblue37]

54. It makes me so glad to see that these people, after all they have been through,

are allowed to keep their beloved pets near them for comfort. As awful as everything has been, how much worse if one had to abandon a precious friend, as our evacualtionprocedures so cruelly force people with pets to do.

[tblue37]

56. Look at how they hug their dogs. Those hugs show how desperately important

it is to them that they still have their pets to love. It is as though they are hanging onto them for dear life.

[RebelOne]

57. Wouldn't happen here.

People are not allowed to take their pets to evacuation shelters. The animals are just left to fend for themselves.

[MsPithy]

68. That policy was such a disaster during Katrina it has been changed.

Here is one link, but each of us have to do some planning ahead of time to be prepared. States are different, and not all evacuation centers can take pets. There is no excuse to not find out where to go in your town. Do it tomorrow morning.

http://www.fema.gov/plan/prepare/animals.shtm

[Withywindle]

79. Ted and Vicki Kennedy played a big role in changing that policy, btw

I can't find it now but I posted a thread about it shortly after Ted passed away. They were grieved and horrified by the stories of Katrina survivors being forcibly separated from their pets--thinking of their own bond with their dogs--and worked to change things.

You'll always get a few people saying, "They're just animals" but for those of us who've actually lived with and loved them, we know better. Especially true of people who have just lost everything else.

The caption on one of the pics in the OP says "woman comforts dog" but it looks more like the other way around to me. They ask so little of us and give so much in return - including all sorts of literal lifesaving.

[mopinko]

59. that last one really gets me.

i have been having some family problems, but the one good thing is to really have my animals with me all the time. my 2 little terriers sleep with me, and my boxer sleeps right next to the bed. (and steals my blankets!) it has been so healing. it brings me so much peace.
they are very lucky to come out with their pets. i agree with others that it would leave such a hole in your heart to loose a pup in this, as i am sure many did.

[Obamanaut]

85. #7, the woman feeding the dog, is the one for me with the last one

a close second.

I get up in the mornings much earlier than does Miz O, and after making coffee I go look in on her. She will still be asleep, surrounded by five fur kids - four under 10 lbs, and the other one close to 40. It is pleasant sight, and I vote myself a very lucky man.

Good thoughts to you from our house.

[get the red out]

99. The opposite here

After our run I will often find our dog, Layla, has curled up in bed with my still sleeping husband after her exercise. We call her "our baby" and we can't even stand to not know where she is in the house, let alone just leave her in a disaster.

[ZombieHorde]

61. Recommended. nt

[tpsbmam]

62. Incredibly touching. As I said above, it's so nice to see a culture that gets how

important people's pets are to them and their well-being, and that values the furry animals as well as the human ones.

Thanks for posting, Kadie.

K&R

:loveya: the people and their furbabies

[DeSwiss]

63. I LOVE THESE PICS!!!!

- K&R

[MadMaddie]

64. I am glad that they have this refuge

I would be at a similar place with my dogs if something happened here.

[emilyg]

65. Sob.

[Kurovski]

67. K*R

[kestrel91316]

72. I really feel for the cats. They bond so tightly to their familiar environment......

[Flaxbee]

75. kicking

thank you for the photos, Kadie.

[Scurrilous]

76. K & R

:thumbsup:

[MissDeeds]

77. Beautiful

K&R

[pengillian101]

78. K&R Thanks for the pics, even though they got all blurry as I went.

Just touches the heart.

[calimary]

80. I'm so glad people with pets have a shelter in the midst of this madness.

People need their pets. It feeds the soul.

[Withywindle]

81. K & R

God bless the beasts and children.



I keep thinking of the horror stories of Katrina, and people being forced to part from their pets is one of the worst of the countless cruelties of that time. Disaster survivors were treated so grudgingly, as if their needs were an imposition and their animals (who were all that many of them had left) some kind of "luxury" they didn't "deserve." Hadn't they been traumatized ENOUGH? Apparently not, according to the * regime.

We should never forget that, we should swear "never again," and thank you for posting these pictures as an example so we know it is very possible to do at least a little bit better.

[nadinbrzezinski]

82. Realize from a story last night

people are almost back to war time rations... so sharing is amazing. I know I would... my kids are special.

[StarryNite]

83. OMG *sniff*

These are the lucky ones.

[suffragette]

84. K&R

I'm so glad they were able to stay together.

[hlthe2b]

86. Thank God they are being allowed the comfort of their pets...

The anguish of the woman holding her dachsund through another aftershock just had me in tears.

May they find some peace together.

[pecwae]

87. These photos move me a gentle smile

and along with the story lifts my heart. The people have all saved a precious part of their normal lives and love. The animals are at home where ever their human family is and the bonds survive. It's how it should be.

[Paper Roses]

88. Every few dollars will help organizations like this:

http://www.globalanimal.org/2011/03/15/how-to-help-japan-pets/32243/

Thanks to all who might consider a donation.

[suffragette]

104. Great link

I have a combined assistance thread, if you want to add it there:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x673176#678697

[malaise]

89. I congratulate the Japanese on allowing

their citizens to have their pets with them - comforting indeed.
Truly sad. :cry:

[Stinky The Clown]

90. Awwww . . . that dog in the first picture looks identical to our newest

12 lbs of exuberant love.

[tridim]

94. I thought I was the only one who fed my dog rice with chopsticks

And I'm not even Asian.

[swilton]

102. Who was it that said

you can tell the depth of the humanity of a nation by the way it treats its animals?!!!

Thanks for posting! :hi:

[Liberal_in_LA]

103. Thanks for this. saving this thread with pics to my computer