Rescued: Saving Animals from Disaster [Paperback]

Allen Anderson (Author), Linda Anderson (Author), John Ensign (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 2006

The inspiration for Rescued was the tragic situation with pets during the Katrina disaster — thousands refusing to leave without their pets, and many animals dying due to official indifference to these “disposable” creatures. Extensively trained in animal rescues, Allen and Linda Anderson interviewed hundreds of volunteers, hurricane survivors, and government officials for this book. Rescued offers both hope and practical suggestions, as well as the latest information on official policy and how to help in future catastrophes. It goes beyond the recent tragedies to talk about the various rescue and sanctuary operations, what volunteers and staff do, and how to help. Using a dramatic structure and photos, the book presents the before, during, and after journeys of people separated from their animals. Rescued puts attention on an unheralded world of animal shelters, organizations, and brave individuals who made a difference during the largest animal disaster in American history.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this mix of heartrending personal stories and practical information, the Andersons (Angel Animals) explore why, out of 16,000 animals rescued in Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, only 3,000 were reunited with their families (many were adopted or taken into foster homes), and find the reasons in the loss of records, the chaotic conditions evacuees faced and euthanizing of unclaimed pets by some shelters. Directed to leave their pets behind when Katrina was bearing down and denied entry to Red Cross shelters with their animals, many residents waited out the storm at home rather than abandon their pets. The authors focus on three major organizations (the ASPCA, the American Humane Association and the Humane Society of the U.S.) that, buttressed by volunteers from all over the country, played a key role in saving animal lives. Believing that domesticated pets are family members and that by helping them one is also helping people, the Andersons detail what has been learned from Katrina and provide instructions for readers in the event that they face an evacuation. The authors stress that owners must take primary responsibility for their pets and that rescue volunteers should be properly trained. The Andersons can be saccharine, but their advice is well taken. 16 pages of color photos. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The volunteers who waded into the devastation left in Hurricane Katrina's wake came in all sizes and shapes and redefined our notion of hero. Many of these unlikely champions scooped endless shovels of poop, distributed truckloads of food and clean water, and provided comfort and kindness to animals whose world had blown apart. They worked against Brobdingnagian odds: hundreds of thousands of frightened, starving animals owners were forced to leave behind and little space in which to care for the abandoned pets. Allen and Linda Anderson extensively interviewed the men and women who came to rescue four-legged, finned, and feathered victims of Katrina. The result is a treatise full of practical suggestions for dealing with stranded animals, meeting their housing and medical needs, and, ultimately, reuniting them with their owners. Aftermath stories will change public policy, and every pet owner should read the Andersons' book and develop their own private plan for the safety of their nonhuman companions. Pamela Crossland
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (August 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577315448
• ISBN-13: 978-1577315445
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,077,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for pet lovers, November 30, 2006

By 

Ell (Saint Cloud, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rescued: Saving Animals from Disaster (Paperback)

This book is so moving, I could only read a couple of pages at a time because I was brought to tears. There are great stories and words of advice in this book. If you have pets, you have a responsibility to read it. We should be thankful to those wonderful people who stepped up and helped our furry friends when no one else would. Why is it that animal well-being was not an issue until after the hurricane? Thanks goodness there is a change in the way animals are treated before/during/after a natural disaster or any other time that they need us to protect them.

Read this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Resource, October 23, 2006

By 

horsegirlK (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rescued: Saving Animals from Disaster (Paperback)

Rescued is an amazing resource for all animal lovers. Intermingled with personal stories from Katrina rescuers are facts and statistics about animal rescue and its effect on human nature. I was already a volunteer at my local shelter, but this book inspired me to do more. It also provided me with resources to find the appropriate instruction and training needed to be an asset, not a liability in the event of a disaster. This is recommended reading for all animal lovers.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wealth of Knowledge, April 12, 2007

By 

Bobaloo (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rescued: Saving Animals from Disaster (Paperback)

As somone who was detailed to New Orleans in the hurricane aftermath and being a huge animal lover, I found this book very valuable. After seeing so many markings on the houses for animals that didn't make it, it gave me a sense of closure knowing that there were many who were saved and people there who made the animals a priority.

The book also paints a realistic picture of the steps you need to start NOW in order to be qualified to help after the next diaster and also how to prepare your own household for disasters that find their way on YOUR doorstep.