Sept. 10, 2005 — As the search for the human survivors of Hurricane Katrina winds down in New Orleans, many are turning their attention to the plight of pets left to fend for themselves in part because of a government policy of forced abandonment of companion animals, according to various news reports.

An advertisement published in The Washington Post on Saturday, Sept. 10, assailed the policy, echoing the sentiments of pet owners and animal lovers around the country.

The policy is not a new one, but because of the enormity of this disaster it has been brought into the national spotlight where it has received criticism from animal protection groups, pet-loving citizens and concerned members of the media.

According to the policy, enforced by local, state and federal officials, evacuees are not allowed to take their companion animals with them to evacuation centers, so pets are typically not rescued along with their human owners.

The pet abandonment policy was carried out with often ruthless efficiency in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, according to reports.

Stories of pets being torn from the arms of sobbing children, seniors being forced to choose between their lifesaving medication and their furry companions and the blind being told that their service dogs would not be allowed at evacuation centers made national headlines.

For example, a story first reported by the Associated Press, told of a young boy who tried to board a rescue bus at the New Orleans Superdome with his dog. According to the report, a police officer took the animal away and the boy "cried until he vomited," said the Associated Press. "'Snowball, Snowball,' he cried."

Many pet owners refused to abandon their loved ones, even if it meant foregoing rescue. In one such instance, as reported by The Los Angeles Times, a mother and her son were to be rescued, but the boy refused to abandon the family pets. The mother, Patricia Penny, is unsure whether her son, Billy, survived.

Stories like this had many in the media wondering if the "no pets allowed" policy was actually contributing to the human death toll in New Orleans.

Some pet owners, desperate for a way out, were given a grim choice: leave their pets alive to possibly starve or kill them on the spot. Guns carried by rescue workers were frequently used to carry out the killings, said various news reports.