# Would You Evacuate Or Stay With Your Pets In A Hurricane



## Gharrissc (May 19, 2012)

If you were advised to evacuate in a hurricane would you ride the storm out with your pets or evacuate leaving enough food/water for them if you couldn't make any other arrangements for them ahead of time? I know there are all types of variables that will come into play with different people. 

We have been through 3 different hurricanes and was always able to stay with the animals we had.Hurricane Elizabeth left us without power and water for 3 weeks.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Depends on the hurricane. If I were evacuating the dogs would go with. With the crates in my truck under the camper they would have a place to stay as long as we were out of the path of the storm. There is enough lead time to get away.

Grew up part of my life in Central FL on the coast. Now in upstate SC it is kind of a moot point.


----------



## BMWHillbilly (Oct 18, 2012)

There is no question I would stay with my animals. Even if it was a mandatory evac I would buck the system and stay.


----------



## TommyB681 (Oct 19, 2012)

Ill be giving her to my parents because if theres and evac Ill be with those helping with it. And I know they wouldnt leave her. Theres a very good chance Ill get caught at the prison for 2 or 3 if the Delaware River floods.


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

I would leave but take them with me no matter what, I couldn't fathom leaving them


----------



## Gregc (Aug 10, 2012)

I stay with them, or they come with me. There is no other answer.


----------



## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

jocoyn said:


> Depends on the hurricane. If I were evacuating the dogs would go with. With the crates in my truck under the camper they would have a place to stay as long as we were out of the path of the storm. There is enough lead time to get away.
> 
> Grew up part of my life in Central FL on the coast. Now in upstate SC it is kind of a moot point.


This would be the same for us however in Ohio hurricanes are unheard of. I would load Lucky dog in the truck and whatever camper and go to a campground. My biggest worry is what to do if a tornado hits . In that case its a matter of keep animals safe while its hitting but make sure we are prepared in the aftermath. We are not in a flood plane but I think about that. My plan would be take my dog(s) with me.


----------



## PatchonGSD (Jun 27, 2012)

There is no way I would leave my dogs behind. If its bad enough for me, to leave, its bad enough for my pets to leave. That being said-I also know that I have family that would take my family AND my pets in.

With the DH being more and more persistent about Florida, I guess this could be a reality for us.


----------



## Bear GSD (Apr 12, 2012)

I would definitely stay with my dog if I decided to ride a out a hurricane. I have emergency provisions which include dog food for emergencies. Although I have to say, I would more likely leave with my pet!
In the past couple of years we were required to evacuate due to wildfires and I stayed initially with my dog and then decided to leave and we found a dog friendly hotel to stay at. I had a hard time leaving the lizards behind!


----------



## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

Joey stays with us. End of story.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I imagine a Cat 1 hitting Delaware would have more damange potential than a Cat 3 hitting Florida. I would not defy an evacuation order. I only went hrough 1 hurricane (I lived on Merritt Island) where they only evacuated the beaches (not us) then figured they *should* have evacuated us but by then that was too late so we rode it out. IT was only a Cat II. (though it was way cool walking out in the front yard in the eye) East Central FL is fairly low risk.

Watching the water lap over your parents sea wall and into their yard is a bit unsettling. The lead time nowadays is so much better than it was decades ago.


----------



## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

My 3 (possibly 4 dogs if we keep this last one from this litter) and cat would go with us no matter what. My horses unfortunetly would probably have to stay. They are left out 24/7 with access to their stalls but there wouldn't be anywhere to take them and I'd feel they would be safer in their barn/field then stuck in a trailer if we had no where to transport them too.

Last years hurrican and then ice storm them month later left us without power/running water for a total for the two storms for 4 weeks.


----------



## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

Living in Florida I've been in this position several times (mandatory evacuation). The first time Hurricane Floyd was predicted to hit this area ... his winds could have destroyed a cinderblock structure ... so I evacuated with 6 or 7 GSDs to Deleware where I boarded all but two and as luck would have it Floyd completely bypassed this area and a weakened Floyd hit Deleware ... sometimes you just can't win. 

The other two times (Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne) I stayed in this area since they weren't as powerful/destructive, took Mac and Slider to a motel with me and boarded the others in the cinderblock kennel where I always take them. I stayed in the motel until the power was back on at home.

If it hadn't been for the Hooligans I would have defied the mandatory evacuation for Frances and Jeanne and stayed home!!!


----------



## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

Living in FL my entire life... this is second nature to us here.

I've always stayed. Most of my life I've been in Central FL, so we are the ones that take in family from the coast lines that get the mandatory evacuations. Though, for one hurricane, we had to evacuate and went down to my sister's home in South FL with ALL the animals (even the rabbit we had). Since it was hitting the opposite side of FL, we were safe there.

Depending on the storm of course, I will probably always stay. However, if I ever had to leave, I would NEVER leave my pets! They rely on me for shelter and safety. They've put their lives in my hands.... I couldn't just leave them to weather the storm by themselves scared and lonely. No way.


----------



## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

I live in Ottawa, ON, and have never experienced anything remotely close to what I've been reading. However, if i had to leave, so would my zoo. I'm already equipped in case there's a fire. Don't have to worry about putting the dog in a cage, just a collar / leash and then catch the cat - parrots are in cages at night so that would be easy enough (hopefully).

I'm keeping all you people in my thoughts over the next couple of days. Hope all ends well, and just lots of rain and wind.


----------



## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Living in the midwest it's tornados I worry about. We have 3 large vari-kennels in our basement. If the tornado siren goes off we round up the cats and dgos and head for the basement. The 3 cats go in one crate, the 5 Cresteds and Winnie the corgi mix get split between the other two crates and Mauser hangs with us.

The fish are on their own.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

My dogs are family. They would come with us, even if we all had to sleep in a tent.


----------



## VCGSD (Oct 16, 2012)

I would stay or take my 7 shepherds w/ me. I guess my husband & i would both have to drive a car.


----------



## HEINOLFGSD (May 9, 2011)

If I had to evacuate my dogs would go with me. I would NEVER leave them - EVER!!!


----------



## tropicalsun (Jun 7, 2011)

Dogs go with us and we don't delay in evacuating. I live on the water on Galveston Bay.
I had folks in my church (I am a pastor) who delayed evacuating during Hurrican Rita (right after Katrina) and they ended up stuck on the road for HOURS and pets died!!! One church members mother died during the evacuation. 
The eye of hurricane Ike passed over my house. We were under a mandatory evacuation and weren't allowed to return to our homes for a week. Fortunately, we had evacuated and were comfortably waiting with our dogs at a friends ranch. Most everyone in my community lost their home, including us.
Don't leave pets and don't hesitate to evacuate.


----------



## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

We had to evacuate for a fire once and all the pets went with. No way I'd leave them behind, but neither would I stay behind - I'd just get them all in crates (including the birds and cats) and go.


----------



## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

This might sound like a dumb question but I don't live in an area where hurricanes happen. I've heard stories of people leaving their pets behind when they evacuate so are these people who don't have vehicles? I would imagine if you didn't have a car you'd either have to stay or leave them behind? Is that what happened with Katrina? A lot of pets were left behind there.


----------



## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

Its not as black and white of "stay" or "go" with hurricanes. You see them coming, you see them start to take form, you have time to plan. 

I lived on St. Croix USVI for about two years. You didn't evac for one, you buckled down and rode it through. I will say that structure in buildings play a huge part. There was one church over 200yrs old, the only thing its ever needed replaces was some of the roofing.

Given most circumstances being on mainland while a hurricane is coming, I would pack everyone up and off we'd go. 

I have five children that come first, so if it came down to a make it or break it you have five minutes to choose, I would choose my children first, however, I can say that leaving my pets would be a LAST resort. If I leave any pets behind, it would be because my childrens safety was in danger right then.


----------



## Olivers mama (Oct 13, 2010)

We live in earthquake country. And too many forest fires. I've only been in 1 tornado & no hurricanes.

We'll be building in AR - took a couple hundred $$ to re-do the house plans (for a relatively small change I wanted) - took over $1,000 to add the dug-out basement/storm cellar. All pets will go with us to the storm cellar. In a mandatory evac, they don't enforce people with storm cellars built to code, so it was worth it to add to the house plans.

If we're somewhere else, I'd never defy an order to get out. Dog & cats come with us. "Defiers" do more than just put themselves in harm's way. The emergency personnel are also put in harm's way, trying to get the last hold-outs out of the area. IMO - I wish they'd fine these people.


----------



## Powell (Oct 13, 2006)

The dogs go with me or I don't go.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I would not defy an evacuation order but I can easily take all my pets with me so it's not really an issue. We're already setup for that.


----------



## Jo_in_TX (Feb 14, 2012)

If I really thought there was a danger, I couldn't shelter in place because I need to think about my kids.

However, there is NO WAY I am leaving my dogs. If I have to travel with a GSD on my lap, so be it. I can tolerate a lot of inconvenience for my dogs.

ETA - I know that more shelters along the Gulf Coast are allowing pets. I think everyone with a large dog who may have to evacuate should think about getting a good muzzle for their dog as I would imagine more places would accept a GSD in cramped accomodations, if other folks could feel safe.


----------



## drosado (Aug 9, 2011)

I've lived in Miami most of my life and since 1969, we have never been in a mandatory evacuation. Most of the hurricanes I have lived through were not pleasant, but they were not life threatening in the area I lived (as long as you made the proper preparations). Dogs have always stayed with us. If we had to make a mandatory evac, they would go with us. They only hurricane we should have left for even though it was not madatory was Andrew.


----------



## Gharrissc (May 19, 2012)

Hurricane Elizabeth was not supposed to be that bad in our area and it pretty much snuck up on us. So what was supposed to be a little rain and wind,turned into a big ordeal. I do remember a shelter considering taking in pets,but the idea folded because they were worried about liability.I can't believe how many people (not up here) have said that they would turn their dogs/cats loose because they their natural instincts would kick in.


----------



## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I don't think a hurricane is going to hit Chicago anytime soon. 
We have also never had any type of tornado or evacuation warning right where I live, we are not in an area likely to flood right where I am or anything, although it is not impossible for a tornado to hit it just doesn't come this far in generally.
I did get stuck in the path of hurricane Irene in New England visiting my brother though, we were supposed to go back to Rhode Island where he works and I was going to be on a plane home but opted to stay in NH where he lives and ride out the storm instead (it was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached us though.) We had the cats with us but definitely would not have left them to evacuate, we'd have gone to a hotel or back to his place in Rhode Island with them if the storm already passed there or something.
At any rate if I was told to evacuate it would be with my pets or not at all.


----------



## gaia_bear (May 24, 2012)

I don't have to worry about a hurricane here but we're preparing for the "frankenstorm", a nice little Halloween nor'easter should be interesting. There won't be any evacuations but I'm overly prepared, I hope.


----------



## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

fuzzybunny said:


> This might sound like a dumb question but I don't live in an area where hurricanes happen. I've heard stories of people leaving their pets behind when they evacuate so are these people who don't have vehicles? I would imagine if you didn't have a car you'd either have to stay or leave them behind? Is that what happened with Katrina? A lot of pets were left behind there.


Katrina caused the levees to break. Those who would normally be fairly safe during a 'normal' hurricane found themselves attempting to stay alive on their roofs. Even though many people attempted to keep their pets with them, they were lost in the floods.


----------



## Billn1959 (Aug 11, 2012)

It would be a no brainer. If I leave, the dogs and cat come with. I've seen too many horror stories of dogs left behind and the owners not being able to come back for weeks. Besides, you WILL lose power. That means no AC or fans running. It's usually hot and very humid after a hurricane.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

The main event that concerns me is the possibility of an earthquake breaching the Jocassee Dam and the consequences of nuclear meltdown. Don't laugh; an NRC Whistleblower report said the likelihood is hundreds of times higher than what happened in Fukushima. The Western Part of the Carolinas is riddled with faults which is how we got all our pretty waterfalls. The only protection in a disaster that level would be to forget about the dogs, bend over, and kiss you sweet rear end goodbye.

Leaked Report Suggests Long-Known Flood Threat To Nuclear Plants, Safety Advocates Say

Not to mention icreased seismicity created by filling these reservoirs (FWIW Monticello also has a nuke plant on it)

ftp://ftp.gps.caltech.edu/pub/avouac/Ge277-2012/readings/Talwani-Pageoph97.pdf


----------



## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I've lived on the coast for over 30 years. I've never left during a hurricane. I've stayed behind during 'mandatory' evacuations. I've always had 3-4 horses. You can't just load up and run. Think about 100's of thousands of people all leaving town at the same time. That is hours and hours and hours in a trailer. 

During one such mandatory evacuation, my sister and her family were in her car for 9 hours and she was only able to make it 40 miles. She was able to contact an old school friend and they stayed there. There was no turning back. 

Once the cone of uncertainty narrows down, you might have 48 hours to actually get in your vehicle and head for the hills. It sounds like a long time, but in reality it isn't. Between work and family, you have to make decisions with everyone in mind. 

I stayed during Ike. I had over 40K of damage to my home and out buildings. All wind damage. We didn't flood. That was the worst storm yet. All of my animals survived without a single scratch. I know that if I had my older mare in a trailer for 9-12 hours, she would not have made it. 

Sadly, you can't just say, "Oh look, there is a hurricane in the Gulf, guess I'll pack up in the morning and head out." It just doesn't work that way. 

My animals stay....I stay.


----------



## sunsets (Oct 25, 2012)

Lillie, I assume you're near the Houston area? Yeah, you're right, there are just too many people and too few roads for everyone to up and go. (e.g. the Rita evacuation disaster)

That said, I take "run from the water, hide from the wind" seriously. I remember the horrible news story about the woman who didn't evacuate from Bolivar during Ike and who called her friends on her cell phone to say goodbye as the water rose outside. Her Great Dane drowned along with her. 

As I am out of the flood zone, I didn't evacuate for Ike. We sheltered my tenant's retriever mix and my Texas City refugee friends and their shepherd-wolf mix for a while. Losing power for a week wasn't fun, but otherwise everything was OK. The nice thing about having two big dogs in the house was that we could leave the windows open all the time and not worry about anyone trying to steal our stuff!

No matter where you live, it's always a good idea to have 3-4 days of emergency supplies and dog food on hand. You just never know.


----------



## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

One thing that really hurt New Orleans residents was alot of folks on had difficulty with decent dependable transportation so evacuation was exactly as Lilie stated not really possible. The fact is in Katrina the city of New Orleans survived the wind it was the water from the levies that did the most harm.


----------



## KatsMuse (Jun 5, 2012)

Definitely stay...lived through six (6) landfall hurricanes on the coast of NC.
Because of our jobs, we couldn't leave. 
Where we go, the dogs go...

 Kat


----------



## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

Daisy&Lucky's Mom said:


> This would be the same for us however in Ohio hurricanes are unheard of. I would load Lucky dog in the truck and whatever camper and go to a campground. My biggest worry is what to do if a tornado hits . In that case its a matter of keep animals safe while its hitting but make sure we are prepared in the aftermath. We are not in a flood plane but I think about that. My plan would be take my dog(s) with me.


I thought so, too, until a few years ago when we got the 'remainder' of that one...can't remember the name. We had no power for days. Our roof got damaged, etc. I have parrots, too, and I'd never leave any animal behind. We were about to go to the camper when we got power back.


----------



## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Jag said:


> I thought so, too, until a few years ago when we got the 'remainder' of that one...can't remember the name. We had no power for days. Our roof got damaged, etc. I have parrots, too, and I'd never leave any animal behind. We were about to go to the camper when we got power back.


Which hurrican was that ? It spawned alot of tornadoes but also had prolonged sustained winds. Im 40 miles south of Lake Erie so we didnt get anything here.


----------



## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

Samson stays with me. Period. Either I stay with him or he goes with me. No other options.


----------



## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

I've only had time to read the first of the posts in this thread so far and am getting ready to head out again.

As this deals with one of my jobs (Emergency Animal Support) I teach workshops, monitor conditions, train volunteers for emergency sheltering etc. -- NEVER leave your animals home alone except in the most extreme situations. I'm talking about grabbing your child or a pet. 

Prepare ahead of time. Shelters should always be a choice of last resort. But saying that, know which ones accept pets and what their intake requirements are. Do you need a crate ... take food for them?

Here is a link to a page of info on this from one of our websites.
Thinking of Evacuating your Pet to a Pet-Friendly Evacuation Shelter (PFS)? | Animal Services 2000


----------



## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

I live four feet above sea level. We do not evacuate. We used to when my daughter was younger because she was traumatized by Andrew when it hit our friend's house but after she got old enough to understand the precautions we took she wasn't afraid any more. We would never think of leaving without all our pets. No one can be left behind or I won't leave. Most of the time we have been lucky since after 2005. Wilma flooded our whole island then and that was the same year that Rita, Katrina, Jeanne, Francis, etc went by. The strongest was Wilma and they didn't even expect anything from it. The flood was a surprise. Since then we have only had minor storms hit or go by. I understand the horror of the people in NO when the rescuers would not take their pets that were stranded with them. It had to be a horrible experience. Since then at least they made the hurricane shelters here pet friendly. You just have to have crates.


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

as I said in another post, I am about 1/2 mile from LI Sound, at the mouth of the CT River..right now with Frankenstorm I amstaying put.. If we had a huge huge hurricane like my dad said we had in 38, which wiped out everything around here, and I had to evac,,my dogs/cats and YEP even my chickens would be going with me,,which would be quite interesting to say the least


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

the only natural disaster that could hit us is wild fire (unlikely), earthquake (unlikely) or tornado. And I can't take my horse with me very easily so I would probably stay put.


----------



## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

We would take Scarlett with us no matter what. If we can get far enough inland, we'd sleep in the van if we had to. When Irene threatened us last year, I had found a hotel in harrisonburg by where my son lives that would take us up to a week. I had pre-paid the room, but ended up not needing it afterall. PRE PLANNING is crucial if you have animals. 

I am not too concerned about Sandy. It does look like Hampton Roads will dodge another big storm, but even if it is bad, we aren't leaving. I don't know anyone who is. 

Still, I can "bug out" if needed, but Scarlett goes with us. Period.


----------



## Jo_in_TX (Feb 14, 2012)

The problem with sheltering in at my house is that we have no interior rooms to get away from wind and debris should a window break. Open floor plan, windows...ugh 

Never mind that three times in the past twenty years we've had _tornadoes pass very, very close by. _And the only windowless "room" on the interior of the house is a very small walk-in pantry. I have no idea how I'd get two dogs, and three or four people in there. Besides, I'm not sure we'd survive the canned goods whirling around our heads. 

If I ever buy another house, it will definitely have a room to shelter in.


----------



## Gharrissc (May 19, 2012)

There were some people who swam with their dogs just to find out that they had to leave them behind anyway when they went to get on the bus or be transported in other ways to safety.




pyratemom said:


> I understand the horror of the people in NO when the rescuers would not take their pets that were stranded with them. It had to be a horrible experience. Since then at least they made the hurricane shelters here pet friendly. You just have to have crates.


----------



## Bubbles (Aug 31, 2012)

I'd stay with my animals no matter what. Unless I died in the disaster then I'd guide them to safety as a ghost.


----------



## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

with proper planning, all of us should be able to find safety with our animals. that being said, i dont understand in times of emergency, why dogs and cats are denied access to buses and emergency shelters. i just think of the calming affect dogs have on some scared little kids, scared adults and of course our senior citizens.


----------



## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

Since I live in Michigan, this isn't really an issue for me. However, I can say I would NEVER leave any of my animals behind (ok, maybe fish if I still had them, but I would feel BAD). When we are at our place up north, we have no basement. There have been tornado warnings and we just sit there because I am sure the local 'shelter' wouldn't really allow 4 dogs and 3 birds. If they did it would be dangerous due to everyone bringing their dogs in an enclosed area. Down state we have a basement so if we ever had to take cover, the animals would definitely go down with us. Same goes with fire. I could never live with myself if I didn't do everything possible to make sure the dogs and birds got out. I would be more concerned with the birds in this situation due to their sensitive respiratory tracts and the fact that they are locked in cages and cant get out an open door like the dogs could.


----------



## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

We would all take our animals if we could I guess the question is if for some reason you couldn't, would you stay.
In our state in 2009 we had the worst bush fires in Australia's history. Over 200 people were burnt to death in their homes.....just horrific. There were stories of people who stayed for their animals and were lost.
For me i couldn't justify it. If the only reason to stay was animals and there was a big danger to my life I would have to go.....I couldn't leave my kids for the sake of my animals so I hope I never have to make that decision.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Sparra, I would have to agree with your answer *if it came down to that*. I do love my dogs, but I do value my own life and the life of my family more.

Also, I could not live with myself if my actions put an emergency rescue person in mortal danger to save my life when prudent action on myself could have prevented the need for danger. My life is my own, but the thought that someone's mother, father or child might die because of some decision I made about my pets would be something I could not live down. I think there needs to be some process where people who chose to take outrageous risks like this that can endanger others (not just in disasters) need to be told that no one will risk their life to save them.


----------



## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

sparra said:


> We would all take our animals if we could I guess the question is if for some reason you couldn't, would you stay.
> In our state in 2009 we had the worst bush fires in Australia's history. Over 200 people were burnt to death in their homes.....just horrific. There were stories of people who stayed for their animals and were lost.
> For me i couldn't justify it. If the only reason to stay was animals and there was a big danger to my life I would have to go.....I couldn't leave my kids for the sake of my animals so I hope I never have to make that decision.


Yeah, I agree. I would do everything in my power to save them but in the end I would save myself if forced to choose. It would devastate me to make such a choice of course, but that is honestly what I'd do.


----------



## Gharrissc (May 19, 2012)

This probably makes me psychotic to some people,but in an extreme circumstance where there was no other way,but to evacuate without the animals or stay,I think I would still stay. Since this would be my choice,I wouldn't expect someone to come and bail me out,especially since I had the chance the leave,but made the choice to stay regardless. I don't have any kids,but am married and so I can't say for sure that I would absolutely not go ( I'm sure my husband would have his say in it). My point is that I wouldn't be like 'oh well,their just animals' and leave. BTW, I'm not implying you meant this.

My husband loves all of our animals as much as I do,but I feel that he would demand that I left and would stick to it, if it came down to us *having no other choice*,but to leave the animals behind. If that was the only choice I had,I would leave but it would kill me to do it. 



sparra said:


> We would all take our animals if we could I guess the question is if for some reason you couldn't, would you stay.


----------



## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

There are only two choices, dogs go with us or we stay. But we hve children so I know we would evacuate. We will always have places we could go, family in other Yates, motels etc. I could never abandon my pets. They are family. "Ohana means family. And family means nobody gets left behind" name that quote. Haha. 


Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


----------



## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

We only have two dogs and no other pets. So I guess for me it's as easy as putting them in the car/truck with the rest of us and getting the heck out of there. 


Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


----------



## dgray (Feb 24, 2012)

We get hurricanes all the time. Isaac was the last one and all three cats and the dog hunkered down at my dad's house (3 miles away). I doubt we would ever leave the state because my dads house is very safe and in a good location that doesn't flood. Our house is too close to the river to stay there tho. But if we ever did have to leave, I would pack up all the critters and bring them with me. 


Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


----------



## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

huntergreen said:


> i dont understand in times of emergency, why dogs and cats are denied access to buses and emergency shelters. i just think of the calming affect dogs have on some scared little kids, scared adults and of course our senior citizens.


Because of the possibility that those dogs and cats are NOT of sound temperament and could cause physical harm to people or children.

This of Joe Public whose dog has been chained in the back yard all it's life or has never left the house - think of that dog being taken on a bus full of stressed people and other animals.


----------



## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

I would never leave my dogs behind. We'd drive away and live in the car if we had to, but they would come with us if we had to leave.

That being said, living where I do in upstate NY, we really don't get the kind of weather that would necessitate an evacuation. Plus our house is practically a bunker anyway. And we are off the grid on solar power and heat with wood, and I have an extensive pantry of preserved foods. Bring on the zombie apocalypse. So if it came down to us not being able to leave with our pets, for some weird reason, we'd stay with them and ride the disaster out.


----------



## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

We do not have hurricanes. Wild fires are probably the only "regularly" reoccurring problem we have to deal with. We've had severe ice storms knock out power for lengthly periods of time. I guess there was the ash clean up from Mt St Helen's too, but we have been lucky and never had to evacuate. If we ever had to, all animals will be coming with us.


----------



## Curious (Jul 23, 2012)

OK I have to ask, did anyone really think they were going to see an answer different from what was posted? If you’re interested enough to post on this forum then I'd bet a pay check that you would do whatever it took to make sure your pets/animals were taken care of to the best of your abilities. 

To answer the question my family and I don't now nor have we ever lived in a place where we had to worry about hurricanes. We have lived through several typhoons but living on an island there was no evacuation. Planning was key and we just had to ride out the storm. Thankfully we never had any major problems to deal with when everything was all over with. So just like everyone else my pets stayed with us and if we were someplace and had to evacuate then they would come with us.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Well, the question was originally stated IF you could not make other arrangements for the dog. Basically to me it is "are you willing to die because whatever authorities out there won't let you take the dog"

I think folks are realizing people WILL die to be with their pets and rules are slowly changing......even if it is because of the danger it puts rescuers in........and dealing with the fact that folks die.

Unless you had to face a life/death decision as originally stated I don't know you can say for sure. I do love my dogs and am a good owner but I am not going to die for them.


----------



## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

No, no way I'd leave my pets. 
I don't have kids to worry about taking care of, or I'd get out of dodge if need be. I've never evacuated for a storm, and the one time I was about to (when Tornadoes were in the neighborhood), the first thing we did was start strapping crates and tarps in the back of the pickup for the dogs. 

And I can't just put tons of food/water out for the caged animals. Several of my rats are also special-needs. My turtle needs fresh food daily, the dogs would go insane being locked up alone, separated from each other.

Nope, either they would all go somewhere or I'd stay.

I would risk my life for them. They wouldn't think twice about doing it for me.


----------



## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

I've never been faced with that possibility so it is easy to say what I would do. Being in that situation is different. 

I must be a bad person because I would not risk my life for my pets. I would try everything to take them but at the end of the day after exhausting all possibilities I would not stay. Would I like myself after, no, but I have a bigger duty to my family. 

My pets are a big part of my life, but they are not my life, my family is.


----------



## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

Not quite the same as a Hurricane but we had really bad bush fires where I live a few years ago. 
It was a huge fire storm that claimed 100s of lives. There was no warning, the fire came up so quickly and surprised a few towns as the wind changed direction rapidly - they never even had a chance to evacuate. Most of the people that tried died out on the road - it was horrific.
So many people died because they were trying to save their animals, running to get the dogs out of the kennel, going to let the goats out there was so many terrible stories  
One person was actually already in the harness getting winched up and she let go of her dog - she actually unclipped herself and ran off after it - placing herself and the fire fighter with her in immense danger. They cursed her like you wouldn't believe!
If you want to risk your own live for your animals that's fine but do not endanger other people at the same time.
Caledon I agree with you - I'd do everything possible to save my dogs and horses - but I owe it to my family to not kill myself doing it.

One thing the horse community on a forum I go to did after all this was make a list of every forum member that was willing to take people and/or their horses or other animals in if there was the need to evacuate. It gives people a safe place to go if they don't have anywhere else to go.
I personally feel if you have the chance and warning to evacuate go do it - take the dogs the chickens the cats. You will always find someone to help out!


----------



## kiya (May 3, 2010)

I could never leave my dogs behind I would take them, no matter what.


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

being in the beginnings of Frankenstorm, i have to say the majority of shelters around here are allowing people to bring their pets, which I think is a good thing


----------



## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

Mooch said:


> Not quite the same as a Hurricane but we had really bad bush fires where I live a few years ago.
> It was a huge fire storm that claimed 100s of lives. There was no warning, the fire came up so quickly and surprised a few towns as the wind changed direction rapidly - they never even had a chance to evacuate. Most of the people that tried died out on the road - it was horrific.
> So many people died because they were trying to save their animals, running to get the dogs out of the kennel, going to let the goats out there was so many terrible stories
> One person was actually already in the harness getting winched up and she let go of her dog - she actually unclipped herself and ran off after it - placing herself and the fire fighter with her in immense danger. They cursed her like you wouldn't believe!
> ...


so true mooch, in a pinch, people first. we had plenty of warning for our "storm" everyone should be prepared. the size of this storm makes getting out of the way difficult. i did consider loading dogs and family into the truck on thuresday and taking a mini vacation, but it looks like i would have to get onto 80 west and head past chicago to get out of the way.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

jocoyn said:


> Well, the question was originally stated IF you could not make other arrangements for the dog. Basically to me it is "are you willing to die because whatever authorities out there won't let you take the dog"


Here is the thing. No one knows what they will do if faced with that situation but those of us here probably do everything we can to make sure it never becomes an issue. I personally would tell any authority who told me I couldn't have my dog to go pound sand. I would sleep in my car or whever I had to do to make sure my pets stay safe and yes I would be the stuborn one putting rescuers lives at risk because frankly I can't imagine any kind of situation EVER where I would leave my dogs behind.


----------



## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Per the NWS and MSNBC all shelters in new york and new jersey are to accept pets. 
The idea that Mooch mentioned about people getting together to create a list of people to help shelter horses sounds good.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

jocoyn said:


> Well, the question was originally stated IF you could not make other arrangements for the dog. Basically to me it is "are you willing to die because whatever authorities out there won't let you take the dog"
> 
> I think folks are realizing people WILL die to be with their pets and rules are slowly changing......even if it is because of the danger it puts rescuers in........and dealing with the fact that folks die.
> 
> Unless you had to face a life/death decision as originally stated I don't know you can say for sure. I do love my dogs and am a good owner but I am not going to die for them.


Yeah that's kind of how I read it, but it really is an unfair question, like asking a parent "IF they HAD to shoot one kid, which one would they choose?" I've put a lot of effort into making arrangements for my dogs in a number of different scenarios so I don't HAVE to leave them behind. It's not really a fair question. No, I'm not going to stay behind if there is high risk of death and I'm not going to leave my dog there either.


----------



## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

Liesje said:


> Yeah that's kind of how I read it, but it really is an unfair question, like asking a parent "IF they HAD to shoot one kid, which one would they choose?" I've put a lot of effort into making arrangements for my dogs in a number of different scenarios so I don't HAVE to leave them behind. It's not really a fair question. No, I'm not going to stay behind if there is high risk of death and I'm not going to leave my dog there either.



You've touched on how I feel about this. With kids and dogs, no matter which I choose some people are going to look at me as making some sort of wrong decision. <sigh>

I now have five children (my four and now my younger sister), my husband, and pets. If I can keep from leaving my pets behind, I'll do everything I can. I've tried to prepare, but if it comes down to it, I will leave them behind to save my children.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Yeah it's hard for me to put myself into a position of stay and die or go and leave pets behind. We have two vehicles so we are able to leave our home at any time, one is a van that is *always* equipped with dog kennels, all of my dog supplies and training equipment, food, jugs of water, a large dog/human first aid kit, basic tools, lots of blankets and towels, my hiking boots, 16" tracking boots, winter jackets, gloves and hats, electrical cords.....just all kinds of training/outdoor/survival stuff. So why would I ever STAY behind or leave anyone behind? I wouldn't and I've spent a lot of time getting my van together (I'm talking years of reconfiguring kennels, adding to my gear, building a good first aid kit) so that I would never have to. But of course I can't say *for sure* that in the event of an emergency my van would never do something like spontaneously combust.

I don't have kids yet but if someone was holding a gun to my head I'd choose a child over a dog, but again what is the likelihood of that scenario?


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

if i had to evacuate the dog, cats and smaller animals
are going with me. if i had horses, cows and larger animals
i would let them loose.


----------



## Gharrissc (May 19, 2012)

It is what it is.I don't see anyone's decision about what they would do or think they would (since we are speculating) as wrong. Everyone's decision is their own.I create some of the topics I do up here because I like seeing differing opinions.




GSDolch said:


> You've touched on how I feel about this. With kids and dogs, no matter which I choose some people are going to look at me as making some sort of wrong decision. <sigh>


----------



## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

we Left for Hurricane Katrina (lived in Biloxi, where the eye of the storm hit), but we took our animals with us


----------



## Daydreamer (Jan 25, 2010)

*Would You Evacuate Or Sta with pets*

I know most of you will not understand this but I did have to leave my pets behind one time. Back in 1999 when Hurricane Flyod hit my area we felt we had no choice but to leave the pets behind (very hard thing to do). We have ridden out many hurricanes with no problem but this one had a surprise in store. The hurricane had pretty much passed over and we thought everything was fine until we heard a radio announcer asking for people to pray for those in our area! We had no idea why. Then our phone starts ringing with friends and family checking to see if we were alright. They told us we had to get out now because the river was rising at a crazy rate. Our daughter was 10 at the time so she was our first concern. We loaded everyone up in our truck and tried to get out. Fast moving water in every direction. We go back home and unload dogs (left them in my inlaws 2 story house - they weren't home but live next door). My husband managed to get to our canoe, me and DD get in and he pulls us out. No way we could have safely taken 3 dogs in canoe. He is 6'4" and the water was chest deep on him. He pulled us about a half mile to higher ground where a farmer with one of those tractors with the really tall tires took us to safety. We spent that night away, made sure our dauhter was safe then next day managed to get back to our canoe and paddle back home to check on the animals. So very thankful everyone was ok. We felt we had no choice but we did not just abandon them to fate. Our pets are much loved members of our family but my daughter came first.


----------



## Anitsisqua (Mar 25, 2012)

Well, last time a hurricane came this way, we loaded up the dog, cat and snake into the car and brought them with us. We had to leave the cow behind, and I was just eaten up with guilt over it...

Fortunately, she was ok!


----------



## Maggies Dad (Aug 15, 2012)

The last litter we raised we held up in a hotel with three adults and 13 Basset Hound Puppies hiding from Hurricane Katrina when we lived on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.
The hotel was AWESOME about our stay with all those critters! And hated to see us go back home.

When we got home we decided this was our last hurricane with puppies since it wasn’t our first!!


----------



## Maggies Dad (Aug 15, 2012)

juliejujubean said:


> we Left for Hurricane Katrina (lived in Biloxi, where the eye of the storm hit), but we took our animals with us


Ocean Springs!
Got tired of the seasons so we moved to Ohio


----------



## EchoGSD (Mar 12, 2010)

My pets stay with me. We stay together, or we leave together. I also have contingency caretakers out of state in the event it becomes necessary. No way would I leave them to fend for themselves. No way.


----------



## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

Liesje said:


> Yeah it's hard for me to put myself into a position of stay and die or go and leave pets behind. We have two vehicles so we are able to leave our home at any time, one is a van that is *always* equipped with dog kennels, all of my dog supplies and training equipment, food, jugs of water, a large dog/human first aid kit, basic tools, lots of blankets and towels, my hiking boots, 16" tracking boots, winter jackets, gloves and hats, electrical cords.....just all kinds of training/outdoor/survival stuff. So why would I ever STAY behind or leave anyone behind? I wouldn't and I've spent a lot of time getting my van together (I'm talking years of reconfiguring kennels, adding to my gear, building a good first aid kit) so that I would never have to. But of course I can't say *for sure* that in the event of an emergency my van would never do something like spontaneously combust.
> 
> I don't have kids yet but if someone was holding a gun to my head I'd choose a child over a dog, but again what is the likelihood of that scenario?


The fires I was talking about in my earlier post are the same ones Mooch was talking about.......no Australian is going to forget Black Saturday 2009.
This was a fire so not a hurricane......where you have lots of time to get out. Some idiot lit up the bush that day......48 degrees Celsius and gale force winds......the conditions were horrendous......these people had no warning. Friends left with friends, neighbors with neighbors strangers with strangers......animals did come a second to room in cars......so in this situation a lot of pets simply could not go......so people died for them.....two young teenage girls stayed behind for their horses and were lost.....so many horrible stories. This was truly a situation where even the most prepared gave up space in vehicles for neighbors instead of pets....we hope never to see a day like it again......


----------



## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

Well 9 years ago we had fire storms all over the state raging at the same time, I was at work and was alerted to a fire moving in my direction, I left work and when I got home to gather up my dogs and cats and wait for my friends to help me load up my horses a Police officer came and ordered me to leave immediately, I told him I was waiting on some horse trailers, he ordered me to leave and I flat out refused, I said to red tag my house which means I refused to evacuate, as I didn't expect the Fire Dept to risk their lives for my decision , he told me it was my life, and if I wanted to die over animals it was my right, I explained he was right, but in my mind I would much rather die trying to save my horses, than live the rest of my life knowing I left them behind to burn to death, luckily for me my best friends feel the same way, they assisted me at 2:30 in the morning with flames closing in and ash heavy in the air, we rescued my 6 horses, 6 dogs and 4 cats and 2 rabbits that night, it was terrifying, but I would make the same decision today if I had to, fortunately I now have a trailer of my own which helps a lot.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

sparra said:


> This was truly a situation where even the most prepared gave up space in vehicles for neighbors instead of pets....we hope never to see a day like it again......


That sounds horrible, but I'm sorry to say if it came down to my neighbors or my dogs, the dogs would win. They are family!


----------



## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

I think you never know what you will do in such a situation until it happens - you have no way to know how you will react when something like this happens.
The way I look at it, how would you live with yourself knowing your next door neighbour died because you decided to take your dog - how will you tell his wife and his child - sorry but my dog was more important than your father/husband.
No one leaves their animals behind by choice!!!!!! I would have squished everyone and every dog in the car - but sometimes it's not possible - dogs ran off terrified, people didn't manage to get to the outdoor kennel to let them out etc etc.

I live in the town where the first part of those fires started. 
I refused all my friends that were going to come with trailers to get my horses out. We only had one small country road with lots of blind spots lined all the way by trees - I was terrified that we would get stuck on that road or that a horse would panic in the trailer in all the smoke and we'd die out there. 
My boss came up just with the car before I got there, he had just ignored my request that none should endanger themselves ( I had taken the dogs away for the weekend and was frantically racing home) and had the horses caught when I go there.
My neighbour was there as well putting his cattle in the "safe" (grazed out bare dirt) paddock so I put my horses in there with them. We humans had an escape route as my house backs onto the freeway and me would have been able to drive down the embankment if nesseccary (but not with a horse trailer on).

I tell you what, walking into your own house thinking you may only have a few minutes to get stuff out - there is not much you actually want to take - I grabbed my papers, my laptop and some cash. Everything else would have been replaceable.

In hindsight I was glad I had help and I would NOT have let a cop stop ME from getting to my house and my horses, especially if the dogs had been there as well - i would have tried everything to save them - as would my partner.
I do admit that we left the cat behind - I was crying and upset but we could not find him anywhere. 
I still thank god that the wind changed direction and spared us, our animals and house - but that wind change cost the lives of many people and totally destroyed 5 towns ;(

For some reason this picture to me sums up the horrors much better than all the other shocking pictures of melted cars etc that were used in the papers.

http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog...ustralian-“black-saturday”-bushfires-of-2009/

After getting through this unscathed - on days of total fireban - the horses get put in the safe paddock and the dogs go to work with me. 
If we ever get a forecast like that again I'll put the horses in the trailer that morning and I kid you not drive to the coast or if I have nowhere else to go a suburban supermarket carpark or I'll stick them into the backyard at work. Too many people died because they could not get out!


----------



## Mishkas_Mommy (Oct 29, 2012)

I would evacuate my pets and if that couldn't happen, I would tough it out with them!


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Mooch said:


> I think you never know what you will do in such a situation until it happens - you have no way to know how you will react when something like this happens.
> The way I look at it, how would you live with yourself knowing your next door neighbour died because you decided to take your dog - how will you tell his wife and his child - sorry but my dog was more important than your father/husband.


Oh I could live with it easy. I like animals a lot better than most people. 
When we moved in the guy down the street came over introduced himself and said the reason we all get along here is everyone minds their own business and no one talks to each other. Wow! Ok No problem dude. The other neighbors shoot loose dogs and the one time one of my dogs got out, shot at mine. They shot a beautiful spring spaniel who crawled down the block to my house and died. Needless to say, I called both animal control and the cops on them. Their son is a meth-head who burned down a trashed up mobile home at the end of the block and who shouts obsenities and lets his pit run lose. Frankly I'd save the pit and leave him behind. No remorse. I could look his dog shooting POS parents in the eye and say oops didn't have room had to save the dogs. Thankfully we live out in the middle of nowhere and don't have many neighbors.


----------



## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

I've said it before but I'll say it again.My animals go where I go no matter what. Once when leaving for Hurricane Georges in '98 which was predicted to be a direct hit here (and was) I was packing a rental car because we had no vehicle that was reliable enough to try to evacuate over 100 miles to the mainland. My daughter was young then and still having PTSD over Andrew which didn't even hit us but I was determined to take her to a place she felt safe. I packed my daughter, my animals (5 cats, 2 dogs), my photo albums, and my computer. As I walked out the door knowing there was a big possibility that I would never see the stuff I left behind again I looked back and realized that at that moment it became just stuff, not important as life. Now I don't place a huge emotional value on things. We were lucky enough to not lose our house during Georges but it sure put things in perspective for me. I haven't had to evacuate since then as no hurricanes were big enough or close enough to think we had to but then Wilma surprised us by flooding the island in 2005. Life is the most important commodity to save during emergencies. Things are not that important.


----------



## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

shepherdmom said:


> Oh I could live with it easy. I like animals a lot better than most people.
> When we moved in the guy down the street came over introduced himself and said the reason we all get along here is everyone minds their own business and no one talks to each other. Wow! Ok No problem dude. The other neighbors shoot loose dogs and the one time one of my dogs got out, shot at mine. They shot a beautiful spring spaniel who crawled down the block to my house and died. Needless to say, I called both animal control and the cops on them. Their son is a meth-head who burned down a trashed up mobile home at the end of the block and who shouts obsenities and lets his pit run lose. Frankly I'd save the pit and leave him behind. No remorse. I could look his dog shooting POS parents in the eye and say oops didn't have room had to save the dogs. Thankfully we live out in the middle of nowhere and don't have many neighbors.


 
Well my neighbors are not as horrible as yours, we live on spread out acreage as well, and I have to admit that if my neighbor died because he chose to not evacuate, well that is on him not me, I wouldn't feel bad about it forever, the fact is in my situation we were told to evacuate, I chose not to and told the rescuers I did not expect them to save me and my horses and relieved them of that responsibility, my horses were my problem, rightly so, I can't be responsible for the choices my neighbors make, I am responsible though for my horses, I bred and raised them and put them in the situation they were in, so yeah, while I was scrambling to save them and me, my thoughts were not on what neighbors may have chose to stay and needed saving.


----------



## sirius (Dec 15, 2010)

That's the one thing I like about living in Atlanta, Georgia. I've only lived on this earth for 15 years, but I don't think we've gotten a 'huge' natural disaster. Every now and then, we get a tornado warning, but 98% of the time, nothing happens, it's just a storm. (At least, the part I live in.) A few years ago, was the first time I've heard of it actually doing damage, but compared to a lot of other states, it was barely anything. I don't know if anyone died, I don't think so... A few buildings, however, not so lucky.

If I did live in a state/was put in the situation, I'd *try* and take all of my animals with me. It's me, my parents, and my 9 year old sister... We have 10 animals. (4 dogs, 4 lizards, a bird, and a cat.) Actually, if I had enough time, I'd probably just let the lizards go and hope for the best.


----------



## sparra (Jun 27, 2011)

shepherdmom said:


> Oh I could live with it easy. I like animals a lot better than most people.
> When we moved in the guy down the street came over introduced himself and said the reason we all get along here is everyone minds their own business and no one talks to each other. Wow! Ok No problem dude. The other neighbors shoot loose dogs and the one time one of my dogs got out, shot at mine. They shot a beautiful spring spaniel who crawled down the block to my house and died. Needless to say, I called both animal control and the cops on them. Their son is a meth-head who burned down a trashed up mobile home at the end of the block and who shouts obsenities and lets his pit run lose. Frankly I'd save the pit and leave him behind. No remorse. I could look his dog shooting POS parents in the eye and say oops didn't have room had to save the dogs. Thankfully we live out in the middle of nowhere and don't have many neighbors.


Haha......thankfully not all neighbours are like yours!!!
We live remotely too and it is the opposite around here.....everyone drops everything to help his neighbour out.....that is how communities like ours survive.....it is really great.....sorry you have such horrible neighbours!!!!!


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

sparra said:


> Haha......thankfully not all neighbours are like yours!!!


Right?!! Althought they are not all bad. We do have a very sweet older lady at the end of the block that I would not hesitate to help.


----------



## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

Yeah we live in a small country town as well - good community and yeah bit like Sparra said everyone will help everybody - maybe it's an australian country town thing 

LOL your neighbours sound horrible shepherdmom and I think you have a valid point in not going out of your way to help them if they are like that.
LOL I work in retail - trust me I MUCH MUCH prefer animals to people


----------



## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

I would take them because many areas have laws requiring animals be cared for in that situation. In New York, for example, public transport (taxies, etc) MUST allow pets during evacuation. 

I would never put myself and my family in danger staying behind with a pet, and I would never leave a pet behind because there are [almost] always options.


----------

