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Evacuee Pets Find Refuge at Greyhound Track
Evacuee Pets Find Refuge at Greyhound Track
Melbourne Greyhound Track provides hurricane shelter to
650 evacuated pets in Florida.
September 14, 2004
As Hurricane Frances descended on the southeast coast of
Florida two weeks ago, a local greyhound track stepped forward
to provide shelter for hundreds of pets left behind by evacuees
fleeing the storm.
Rob Christmas, assistant general manager at Melbourne Greyhound
Park, said as many as 650 pets found refuge at the track under
a long-standing agreement with the Brevard County Office of
Emergency Management. Since 1992, Melbourne has served as
a temporary disaster relief shelter when other county animal
shelters are full. The racing season runs from November to
April, so only a few greyhounds were housed at Melbourne as
the hurricane approached.
Christmas said, "The Sarasota Kennel Club generously agreed
to take our greyhounds so we could make room for the pets
affected by the hurricane. Because this was an unusually large
mandatory evacuation, we knew the local animal shelters would
be filled to overflowing." The pets left behind are usually
dogs and cats, Christmas said, but the track can also accommodate
horses if needed.
The Brevard County emergency management web site advises
residents to take their pets with them if they are evacuating.
If that's not possible, they recommend that pet owners make
arrangements to shelter their animals at a commercial kennel
or one of the county's emergency animal shelters. When evacuees
drop off their pets at the shelters, they are asked to provide
a three-day food and water supply for them. The county also
requires that the animals have all necessary shots to prevent
disease outbreaks at the shelters. Veterinary care is available
for ill or injured animals from shelter vets or the track's
staff veterinarian.
Most of the animals held at the track were retrieved by their
owners when the evacuated residents returned home, Christmas
said. Those whose owners didn't return were scheduled to remain
at Melbourne until local shelters found room for them.
"We owe a great debt of gratitude to the members of our track
staff who volunteered to stay behind and look after the pets
sheltered here, rather than evacuate," Christmas said. "They
provided a genuine community service, and I'm sure there are
hundreds of pet owners around Brevard County who are thanking
them today."
Source: The American
Greyhound Council
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