Friends of Animals was shocked and dismayed by a recent video taken during Hurricane Milton. The video shows a dog tied to a fence post and standing in chest-high water levels. The dog was rescued by highway patrol officers, examined by a vet, and thankfully received a clean bill of health.
Pet abandonment in any case is cruel—not to mention illegal—and to do it amidst a hurricane or flood is completely barbaric. The poor dog, who has since been named “Milton,” can be seen growling and whimpering in the video as state troopers approach it. “It’s OK buddy. I don’t blame you,” the officer rescuing the dog can be heard saying.
In another video, posted by a Tik Tok user named “Southern.Belle.”—who claims to be the owner of the animals shown—documents phone numbers being painted on her horses. In the comments, she defended the move by claiming “we do this for every hurricane,” and that they’re safer “on the open pasture than in the stables,” because she was afraid the stables would flood. It’s worth mentioning that as of Wednesday at noon, the user has since updated commenters assuring them that the horses are safe.
Southern Belle isn’t the only one leaving her horses behind. Another Tik Tok user, Nina Maddox, posted a video of her horses equipped with apple air tags and index cards containing contact information strung in their manes. The video if captioned “Air tags and contact info (check) Saying goodbye (check) Praying for the best.”It is alarming that people leave animals behind when catastrophic weather is forecasted. People wouldn’t leave their children behind but have no problem doing so with their animals. Rather than do the unthinkable, ask for help.
That’s exactly what Instagram user Marjory Berkache (@equisalesporthorses) did. She owns a farm in Daytona Beach and posted videos showing her 11 horses being transported to a fellow farm owner in Tallahassee. She said, “There is no way my horses would survive if I just let them free to try to fend for themselves in the middle of the storm,” which is a stark contrast to the videos we’ve seen from other horse owners.
“I never want to put my animals in danger. They depend on us,” Berkache said.
That is the only attitude people should have.
On Thursday afternoon, Marjory posted a video documenting her return to her farm—luckily finding the damage not as bad as she’d expected. In the caption, she added “So happy to have evacuated the horses. Knowing that they are safe and well cared for, has been a relief and is giving us the peace of mind to concentrate on fixing the farm.”
We’re so happy, too—if you wouldn’t underprepare yourself for a hurricane, then your animals don’t deserve the same laissez-faire approach.
Pet owners who need advice preparing for hurricane season should follow these guidelines provided by the Red Cross.
- Plan to take your pets with you if you need to evacuate. If it’s not safe for you to stay, it’s not safe for your pets to stay.
- As part of your plan, know which hotels outside your immediate area will accept you and your pets. Ask if no-pet policies could be waived in an emergency.
- Identify which friends, relatives, animal boarding facilities and veterinarians can care for your pets in an emergency. Prepare a list with phone numbers to have on hand.
- Make sure your pets are wearing secure collars with up-to-date information.
- Create a pet emergency kit
- Food, drinking bowls, cat litter/pan and a manual can opener if your cats eat canned food. Filling up bathtubs before the storm hits is an excellent way to ensure clean water will be readily available.
- Sturdy leashes, harnesses, and/or carriers to transport pets safely and ensure that they can’t escape.
- Medications and copies of medical records stored in a waterproof container.
- A first aid kit.
- Current photos of you with your pets in case they get lost. Since many pets look alike, this will help to eliminate mistaken identity.
- Pet beds and toys, if easily transportable.