Hurricane Katrina

Top: Bandit, Eric Rice and his dogs in Annapolis, MD. Bottom: Bandit went home to Malvin in New Orleans.



Other Viewpoints

Zelda Penzel  ~  This rush to feel sorry for an old fellow is all well and good, but the welfare of the animal should be of primary concern.

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Gary Whitten  ~  I traveled to New Orleans in September and January to rescue animals left behind by their [guardians]. Some evacuees tried everything reasonable to see to the welfare of their pets. But way too many abandoned pets with little or no concern for their fates. Even awhile after the storm, as I and others traveled from all over the country to rescue animals, many [guardians] right in the vicinity (e.g. Houston, where I flew in to and rented a car to get to New Orleans) still made no effort to save their own pets.

We saw dogs chained in their own homes. One dog was chained under garbage. His chain was shorter than the high water mark, yet somehow he was alive. Many dogs rescued from inside closed houses had no visible food or water, no sign that [guardians] made any effort for them. We found a new mother dog in a closet, starving herself to keep her puppies alive. In January, we found another new mother whose [guardian] housed her in his damaged, water-soaked garage. He did not provide food/water to the mama dog or her days-old pups. We spotted the mother on empty streets, scrounging for food.

I feel that anyone who leaves pets behind (in a setting where they're likely to die) is at the very least, suspect. The burden of proof, regarding their capacity to care for any animal, lies with them. I would not rush to return an animal to someone who failed to take reasonable responsibility for the animal – until there is strong indication otherwise.

A man who leaves "a bucket of food and pail of water on the front porch for his poodle, Bandit," assuming the small dog will safely weather a category 4 or 5 hurricane in an area well below sea level did not, to my mind, demonstrate enough concern to merit the return of his dog, no questions asked. Some very admirable people had no way to get their pets out, and thus, stayed behind with them. But far too many didn't care and let others aid their pet. Then when it was all over, they wanted their pet back. I think any original [guardian's] worthiness ought to undergo case-by-case evaluation, to avoid returning an animal to someone who may place the animal in harm's way again. It's a mistake to hand over a pet without a closer look at the original caregiver's commitment to properly care for that pet. Animals should not be treated like property. There is more to consider than just legal "ownership."

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Kinship Circle  ~  Here we go again. This story attempts to vilify Voices For Animals, the group linked with Bandit's transfer to Pittsburgh. Highlight an animal-rights stereotype, rather than a message of compassion. Fear-monger readers into a mindset that all animal advocates are extremists, to shut down anything they say – even discussion of one Katrina dog's welfare. There is never anything wrong with empathy and respect. We're all alive and sentient. None of us are property or things.

When this reporter devotes several paragraphs to Voices' mission and activities unrelated to Hurricane Katrina or Bandit, he passive-aggressively invites readers to see them as "wacko fringe." It's a divisive ploy that detracts from the issue at hand: What's best for Bandit.

I personally wish Bandit and Malvin a happy future together, back in New Orleans. However, the broader point is that each Katrina custody case differs significantly from the next. No one can make blanket assumptions. And certainly, reporters ought to leave political bias out of the story.