That's no surprise when studies show that pets have found such a profound place in our hearts that they can improve our health by lowering levels of cholesterol, blood pressure, and stress. Pet owners even have fewer heart attacks than people who do not have pets. And for these people, their animals are more than pets - they are family members.
More than half of all households in the US and Canada include animals. And these folks don't mind admitting that they spend more money each year on Fluffy and Fido than on children's toys and dental plans. Almost 95% of pet owners claim they talk to their pets as if they're human, another 80% give their pets birthday or holiday gifts, more than 60% sign their pets' names on cards or letters, and 33% say that when they are away, they speak to their pets on the phone or answering machine. Surely no one can deny the strength of the human-pet bond.
Yet, after losing literally everything but their lives, stranded Katrina survivors were dealt the ultimate blow when authorities forced them to abandon their beloved pets for a seat on a boat or bus. What a cruel price they paid for their ticket out of the toxic floodwaters.
A blind lady was separated from her seeing eye dog for over a week. A liver transplant patient had to choose between life-sustaining medications and supplies or his dogs. A small boy cried until he vomited when his dog was wrenched from his arms before he boarded a bus. A 98 year-old woman was forced to leave the dog who had been her only companion for many years. These people suffered unspeakable emotional trauma.
In an article called, No Pets' Evacuation Cruel To Animals - And People, author Carol Tavani, a neuropsychiatrist and member of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine stated, "In my work, I regularly witness the powerful emotional bonds people form with their animal companions. Forcing disaster victims to abandon animals they regard as family members is likely to inflict profound and persistent emotional trauma. That's especially true for the elderly."
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