Lost Katrina Pets: Whose Are They Now?

Full story: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/21/katrina/main1824624.shtml





Lost Katrina Pets: Whose Are They Now?
Some Survivors Sue To Get Pets Back After Animals Were Put In New Homes

ATLANTA, July 21, 2006

Christian Science Monitor) This article was written by Patrik Jonsson.


There's a spot on Army Lt. Jay Johnson's bed that is heavy with emptiness, he says, and it can only be filled with his beloved Missy.

He was in Iraq when his family broke the news to him that volunteer rescuers who scoured New Orleans after hurricane Katrina had taken away his furry Shih Tzu.


Some pets, which were rescued after Katrina, are now caught up in custody battles. These pets were saved in Pass Christian, Miss., last summer. (Christian Science Monitor)


An ID chip implanted in Missy should have ensured her return to him, he says, but instead she was allowed to be adopted by another family. Mr. Johnson hopes to reclaim his dog by suing the entity which took ownership of her after the storm: the Humane Society of North Texas.

"I fight against people who do harm to other people, and I feel it's my obligation to fight in this case," Johnson says.

He's one of about 20 Katrina survivors in the US who have sued humane societies, animal rescue agencies, or people who adopted the animals, for the return of a "Precious" or a "Bandit."


The lawsuits are efforts to reunite family members, even fuzzy ones, who have been separated by Katrina. They also raise troubling questions about whether animals should be treated as property or as members of the family, and which homes they belong in.

so I can't blame the Humane Society for what happened. But if a pet can be identified it should definitely be returned to it's original owner. If the Humane Socieity had checked for that chip that new family might had picked a dog that really did need a new home.

Either that or they should have notified people that there was a chance of the original owners showing up and having a claim on the animals.

of the hurricane and its cirumstances.

I know full well the whole story ...

If the original owner came back, it isn't a given I'd give her up.

The only way they should hesitate is if the animal was abused.

Also, dogs are pack animals, and might not be the same in different families.

I wonder if the 20 adopted families KNOW that the original owner is missing it's beloved pet?

Omaha Steve ~ it's very interesting.

AFSCME girl
:hi:

Was still alive?

They are actually adopting out Katrina dogs here in SF. People are scattered all over the country and their circumstance may be such that they have no home to offer their pets anymore.

We are owned by a dog, two cats, and a Rosella (bird). I think my heart would be broken if we had to endure what these people and animals did.

I can honestly say if I adopted a Katrina pet and an owner showed up and wanted the animal back, I would be so pleased to reunite them and wouldn't hesitate for a second. Not for a second.