When people are forced to leave their homes, they leave more than their family photos, their unfinished laundry, their entertainment systems, and the uneaten food in the freezer, they also leave their hearts: their pets. Due to a lack of space, temporary shelters not allowing animals for health and safety concerns, and not being able to locate a roaming cat, these invaluable members of the family are left behind. There is not way to convey to the unquestioning love in their eyes that you will be back as soon as you can, that you really do not want to leave them, and that you truly love them with all or your heart. And that inability to communicate is almost as devastating as leaving them behind in the first place.
In the recent Nashville, TN flooding, I am as concerned about the displaced animals as I am about their owners. Humans can fend for themselves, and so can their pets, but while humans have decades of life in which to find one another again, their animals may not even make it another year. Also, shelters and rescue centers have also be terribly affected by not only the rising waters but also the loss of power, the loss of potable water, the loss of staff members to care for them, and the loss of potential human families to come and adopt them.
Thankfully, there are many organizations stepping up, willing to help furry ones in need. Animal control is offering food and other supplies to pet owners. The Dyersburg ASPCA has sent workers to rescue domesticated and nondomesticated animals from the floods and devastation. Online news sources, blogs, and television news stations are also generously giving paper, internet, and air time to these furry hearts of many families.
More to come. But please, please, please keep the animals and their families in your thoughts and prayers.
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