Sunday, September 11, 2005
People, Pets & Planes
Today, we are meeting Marin Humane on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport to receive a 747 filled with 125 dogs and cats rescued from the region devasted by Hurricane Katrina. The East Bay SPCA has committed to initially take in 40 of these.Who can watch the video images of dogs stranded on top of cars, hungry and wet? Or the incessant barking of dogs trapped in homes, heard over the camera recorders as it films images of otherwise barren, water-logged neighborhoods, without feeling an enormous pain in their heart?
125. Ugh. It seems like such a small number.
They'll be more, but it's still only a few, compared to the thousands of abandoned, orphaned, surrendered and lost animals we are seeing and reading about in the media.
The Bay Area, and the East Bay in particular, is one of the few regions in the country that can actually absorb more homeless pets. Unfortunately, most of the country is still battling the overpopulation of cats and dogs in their own backyard. This tragedy is brought about the old-fashioned way: the natural disaster of not spaying and neutering.
The East Bay should be proud to have adopted a sane, humane sensibility with bold spay and neuter policies, that puts us in the position to help as much as we can. If you can foster, adopt or donate, this week, please do so.
Here's more information on our efforts.
