[StBernard] Senate Bill 607- Pet Evacuation

[Westley Annis]

To the subscribers of the St. Bernard Digest
 
My name is Jill Dolese and I'm a member of the Visiting Pet Program. My
Golden Retriever Chance and I are a animial assisted pet therapy team that
visits nursing holmes, hospitals etc.  The VPP along with the La., SPCA with
Senator Heulette Fontenot and Senator Boasso, are proponents of Senate Bill
607  called the Pet Evacuation Bill. So many residents stayed and loss their
life because they couldn't take along their pets.   Even service/guide dogs
were refused transportation/shelter during Katrina.
 
 
Chance and I visited the 2nd and 3rd graders at the  Unified Recovery School
one afternoon in January after daily classes.  It was obvious that many of
the children were missing their own pets. They hugged Chance and told their
own stories to him.
 
Our association uses dogs to assist in improving oral reading skills for
childen that need improvement in that area.  The program is called Reading
to Rover where the child reads to the dogs. 
 
Of course there are pros and cons associated with implementing such a huge
task but if you or  someone close to you is a pet lover please consider
supporting it.
 
There's an article  today in the TP  titled "Pet Owners Throw Support
Behind Evacuation Proposal"