Washington – Deep in St. Bernard Parish, just south of New Orleans, a man stubbornly refused to leave his home, insisting he must stay with the only things he had left in the world – his two bulldogs and eight young puppies. And three friends wouldn’t go anywhere without him.
So a Navy crew built a kennel at the nearby base and, with the dogs safely secured, finally persuaded the group to leave their homes. By Wednesday they were headed to a shelter in Texas – dogs and all, said Navy Cmdr. Mark Scovill, captain of the USS Tortuga.
Unable by law to enforce the mandatory evacuations being ordered by local governments, the military is getting creative to persuade stubborn residents to leave their sodden, toxic neighborhoods. And for sailors on one Navy ship, that has meant everything from erecting pet shelters and dispensing medicine to biblical pleas and old-fashioned cajoling.
“Everybody’s got a reason to stay,” said Scovill. “You just have to appeal to whatever logic is keeping them here.” It’s a delicate balance because the military troops won’t force people to leave their homes.
One winning argument, said Scovill, revolves around people’s pets, since many rescuers won’t allow residents to take their beloved animals with them.
“The guy didn’t have much to begin with, and his dogs were more important than anything he had,” said Scovill. “He would rather stay there and be uncomfortable and miserable with his dogs than be comfortable without them.”
As of Wednesday, sailors from the Tortuga had brought in about 50 pets, including dogs, cats and a few parrots, and put them in the newly built kennel at Naval Station New Orleans. After the pet owners were given food, water, medical attention and some rest, they were reunited with their animals and usually put on buses either to shelters that would accepts the pets or to meet up with other family members.
