There's so much going on in the world today and so much conflicting information, sometimes it's hard to tell up from down and left from right. Like all of you, I'm watching the news intently and trying to balance reasonable precautions without lapsing into panic mode. Here, have a picture the dogs begging for popcorn. That always helps me: I'm not the ultimate authority on epidemiology, but I am surrounded by people who live and research in this space. I trust what they say, so I pass it ... Read more »
Disaster Response
Bosnia floods- when the world isn’t watching, donate a dollar
Massive floods in Bosnia and Serbia are the worst they have seen in 120 years. The world has been silent on this issue, in large part. In a place that is still struggling to recover from years of war, it's hard to comprehend the magnitude of this disaster. Understandably, the people in the affected regions have had little time or money to address the many thousands of animals affected by this disaster. Tens of thousands have died in landslides and floods, and thousands more are still in ... Read more »
Paws for the Philippines: The Power of One
You, right now, are needed. By now we have all seen and heard about the devastation wrought in the Philippines by Typhoon Haiyan. The stories are almost too much to bear. If you're wondering why the media hasn't been more active covering the story than they have been, it's because everyone is still trying to get there. It is BAD. Bad, bad, awful, nightmarish. My heart goes out to those many souls and I will, as always, make a donation to the Red Cross to help the human ... Read more »
Pet Disaster Relief: How It Works (hint: don’t show up without calling first)
September is National Preparedness Month, according to FEMA. It's easy to see why. A lot of bad things happen in Mother Nature this time of year; Colorado the latest in a long series of national disasters to catch the eye of the nation. Few images are as evocative as that of a stranded animal, confused, petrified, and facing an uncertain fate while we sit in front of the TV and wonder, is anyone going to help him? How does animal rescue work? Katrina According to Kim Little, my Technical ... Read more »
Community
I grew up in a small New England town, surrounded by what by today's standards would be considered 'nosey' neighbors. To this day I remember their names, the Kerrys and Kellys and Jeffreys and their parents who had no problems doling out discipline, dinner, and hugs in equal measure. I've lived in many places since then. I can't tell you what my neighbors' names were; I'm not sure I knew it even then. When I was in vet school, a five year old boy down the street drowned in his pool. When a ... Read more »
And then the rescuer drowned: Dumb Vet Tricks Part 5
Being set up in the house with all my computer equipment finally reassembled means I can do what I've been wanting to do for quite a while: fill you in on more of the disaster response trip I did with World Vets in Nicaragua. I think the last time I had left it, we had just spent a day in the classroom learning disaster response techniques and were about to put our skills to the test. Day 2 was the water course. I'm not the strongest swimmer, so this was the part I was a wee bit nervous ... Read more »
Disaster Survival 101
As Hurricane Isaac bears down on the Gulf Coast, I, like many of you I'm sure, am remembering Hurricane Katrina. The relief when it was downgraded from a 5, to a 4, then a 3. It's not going to be that bad. That relief turning to horror as the levees failed, a slow-motion catastrophe whose impact is still evident throughout the region and in the hearts of the millions affected. To those in the area, I wish you one thing, to be safe. My thoughts are with you. I can only hope that you have ... Read more »
Auction summary
One of my relatives was looking at me in befuddlement this week as I sat at the computer at 1 in the morning, tap-tap-tapping away at the keyboard. "Why are you doing this?" he asked, looking over my shoulder at the pictures I was uploading for one of the auctions. "It seems like a ton of work." I nodded magnanimously. Truth is, I was sharing the guest bedroom with my mother and she was snoring so I would have been up anyway- so it was either raising funds for the Red Cross or playing Peggle. ... Read more »
