The DRM Guide to Disability Resources on the Internet: Sponsors

	DISABILITY RESOURCES ONLINE
	Monitoring, Reviewing and Reporting on Resources For Independent Living
	Updated 3/2007
Back to Home Page

Rescued: Saving Animals From Disaster; Life-Changing Stories And Practical Suggestions
By Allen & Linda Anderson
New World Library, 2006. Softcover, 346 pages, $16.95.
Not Left Behind: Rescuing The Pets Of New Orleans
By Bob Somerville; photography by Troy Snow
Yorkville Press, 2006. Hardcover, 95 pages, $19.95.
No, you have not reached the wrong website. Although you might find yourself wondering what two books about rescuing animals from disasters have to do with disability, I am here, as a book reviewer with multiple disabilities and multiple animals, to tell you: quite a lot

I would wager that a fair amount of individuals reading this review are service or guide dog handlers or know someone who is. I would also imagine that even more of the people checking this website for information have animals they consider as members of the family. Those of us with disabilities have traditionally had a strong connection to animals, whether the animals who share our lives assist us in their capacities as working canines or provide companionship and emotional support. Whatever the case, our animal friends deserve consideration and full care when any type of disaster strikes. That disaster might be a fire, natural disaster, or terrorism. In all cases, the need to evacuate should include a plan for all animals in our care. The books noted below speak to this concern.

Perhaps no other two people have done more over the last decade to celebrate the human-animal bond than authors and animal advocates Allen and Linda Anderson. Through their Angel Animals Network and their accompanying anthologies, the Andersons have promoted the benefits of sharing our homes and hearts with animals. In Rescued, the couple address the important issue of helping animals during disaster relief. Using the devastation of Hurricane Katrina as a backdrop, this comprehensive volume not only tells of the heartbreaks and joyful reunions of that national disaster, it is also a call to individual and collective action, including disaster preparedness tips for animals.

The bond the Andersons honor on an individual level is one that Best Friends Animal Society, the nation's largest animal sanctuary and educational network, promotes worldwide. In the immediate aftermath of the devastation in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, Best Friends was the first animal welfare organization to reach the thousands of animals in need. Not Left Behind by Bob Somerville and Troy Snow depicts the tragedy and the rescue effort in vivid photography. After reading this work and Rescued, all of us who live with animals will realize the necessity of disaster-readiness for them and plan accordingly.

-Reviewed by Sally Rosenthal


About the reviewer: Sally Rosenthal, a former librarian and occupational therapist, regularly contributes to publications and websites on the topics of animals and disabilities.