Rescued: Saving Animals from Disaster

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

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.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Dogs

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2006

About the author

New York Times Best-Selling authors, Allen and Linda Anderson, are pet experts, keynote speakers, and founders of the Angel Animals Network. They help people discover and benefit from the miraculous powers of animals.

Dedicated to promoting human-animal companionship, Allen and Linda donate a portion of proceeds from their work to animal rescue organizations and do fundraising activities.

The Andersons believe that whenever you connect spiritually with animals, thousands of new doors open. Through their books, newsletters, presentations, and insights, they show portals into a whole new world where animals are guides, healers, and friends.

With pets in 70% of American homes, it's crucial to consider animals as wisdom partners and appreciate the benefits of tapping into their hidden talents.

Reviews

[LibraryCin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book looks at the volunteers and organizations that went to help the animals left behind when people evacuated New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It also looks at disaster planning for animals (which was pretty much nonexistent at the time), and how that could change going forward.

I had it in my head that this would look at more than just the one disaster, but I guess there was enough for the book with just Katrina and aftermath. It was chaos. It was hard to understand why some people were turned away due to not being “trained” (so some volunteers went “rogue”), but later in the book they explained why that would be the case. And untrained people can help elsewhere (as opposed to going door to door in a boat to pull animals out of the houses). Not surprisingly, the stories of specific people and their pets were the most interesting here. Overall, it was good.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a shelter volunteer I am also not trained in emergency animal rescue, though I too hope to change that. (I'm hoping a training session comes through my area some time soon!) I also wasn't surprised at the disorganization -- I find myself on much, much smaller scale stressful incidents and see how crazy it can be, I can only imagine how much that insanity can be magnified in a true catastrophe.

This book did remind me to go out and get my cats microchipped, something I have neglected to do on the usual "well, they're indoor cats and never bolt for the door so they'll be fine" concept. Typical human nature to assume something horrific could never happen to me or that I'd surely be able to get my animals out if need be. Definitely a needed reminder.

I wasn't crazy about the layout of the book either and found myself sometimes slogging through descriptions of organization after organization. I was hoping for more rescue stories, though I won't at all discount the importance of the information presented here. It is much, MUCH more than just a book of happy (and sad) stories and has a lot of information that pet lovers should read. And if this book doesn't make you want to volunteer and do what you can to help out, I can't imagine what would. I absolutely agree with the repeated sentiment that nothing can describe the feeling when you make a difference in an animal's life. I am fortunate enough to be rewarded with that due to my volunteer work -- little miracles happen every day there.

[Lux Kronos · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most eye opening books I've read. I never knew how many wonderful people there were in this world until I read this book. I also never knew what went on behind the scenes of a catastrophe until I read this extremely interesting & fantastically written book about everyday regular people who turn into incredible heroes during disasters. These amazing people literally risked their lives to save any & all animals in danger. My heart bloomed when I read about the people who saved even the smallest of creatures. I was gripping this book tightly & was on the edge of my seat so to speak during the entire time I read it. I cried a lot while reading this book. Mostly happy tears. I could cry right now just thinking about the contents of this book ( & it's been many years since I've read it) and let me tell you, I am not a crier. I loved reading about the amazing people who put their lives, jobs & families on hold to risk it all to save all animals & to help comfort them, love them, feed them & reunite them with their families. This book is a must read for all animal lovers. ( Especially dogs & cats.) P.S. There are also some wonderful pictures of the rescued animals & heroes included!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about the stories behind animals rescued in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It was heart wrenching with both triumphs, failures, and human error mixing to give an honest look at rescue operations. A great read for any dog lover.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was wanting more rescue stories but overall a good book. I do hope with the exposure of the issues and wrong moves that were made before, during and after Katrina changes have been and will be made.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

too much "rescue plans" and "who's who" of animal welfare groups, not enough stories about people and animals

[Margaret]

I thought this was a great book with a lot of valuable information although I didn't care for the way it was organized and I thought the authors tried too hard to address everything for everyone (but I guess I'm being picky - you can hardly fault them for that).

I volunteer weekly at the Memphis Humane Society but am not trained in animal disaster recovery. Nor was anyone associated with MHS at the time of Katrina, so sadly no delegation was sent to New Orleans even though we are only 6 hours away. MHS did send food and supplies and in return received at least 6 displaced dogs. At the time of Katrina I felt bad that I was not able to help more. I am looking into getting more training to become a better volunteer.

I was not surprised when reading about the disorganization and lack of preparedness for the disaster and aftermath ... unfortunately, I have seen this same kind of disorganization among our local animal rescue groups including a lack of cooperation despite trying to achieve the same goals. I think that training and standard procedures are key issues but as the book repeatedly points out, first of all, the safety and welfare of the animals has to become a priority to those in authority. Hopefully Katrina was at least a starting point in getting this idea across.

[Schnaucl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book but at times it felt frustratingly broad. As nice as it was to see a local group like Pasado's Safe Haven ([http://www.pasadosafehaven.org/])ment... a few times, I also felt like the authors were trying to give at least a passing mention of everybody and so didn't really go in-depth on any one team or organization.

I was disappointed that this book wasn't written by someone who had actually been on the ground doing rescue work. There were certainly interviews and sometimes extensive quotes from people who were involved in rescues, but I think I was really looking for the memoirs of one person rather than a scatter shot approach.

This book also includes some practical advice for both individuals and larger organizations who are preparing for a disaster.

[JC · Rating 1 out of 5]

Someone gave me a copy of this book as I work on preparing a CART (County Animal Response Team) for Johnson County (where I live). It is one of the worst organized/edited books I've read in a long time. I'm skipping huge parts of it because it's a waste of time. I think it's really intended for the extreme animal rescuer who wants to read about their fellow rescuers and how obsessed they can all be. I don't really mean for that to sound harsh, but there are some seriously obsessed people out there, and you know it. I'm hoping to glean a little insight from this book, but so far the insight has been minimal.

[Darin Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all an good book. There were parts that were obviously hurriedly written in order to comlete the book and keep it current for the time of its publication. I kept wishing for a more indepth follow up book. As a rescuer myself I found the book interesting, but wished it had shared some more depth on some of the challenges of animal rescue.

I do think this book has enough reality in it that it should be read by anyone who loves animals.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what I expected. Did NOT like this at all. Was very boring. I thought it was going to be more about the animals themselves but all it talks about is the agencies and boring behind-the-scenes stuff.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can tell a lot of work went into making this book. It wasnt exactly what I was expecting but very informative.