Coach dog collars and leashes online

Well in advance of the holiday season, Coach, Inc. (NYSE:COH) has begun selling a new line of dog collars and leashes on its website.

Costing between $42 to $68 may seem expensive for dog collars, but these high-end pet accessories should appeal to the existing Coach customer, who might be used to paying the same amount for a keyring.

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Isaac Mizrahi and Michael Graves at Target.

Pet Evac Roundup

A rapid understanding and acceptance after the horrific aftermath of Katrina on people and pets has resulted in equally rapid movement to make things better.

In the face of Rita, preventive action was taken by informing people to get out of town and bring their pets. It has been widely reported, on CNN, the BBC, RAI Italy and the Financial Times among others, that cars evacuating Texas are full of pets this time around, unlike Katrina where many people left their pets assuming they'd be back in a couple of days.

But most hopeful is the legislation sponsored by Representatives Tom Lantos (D-Calif), Barney Frank (D-Mass) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn) that would condition state and local disaster preparedness plans on having provisions for companion and service animals. Read more here.


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PetSmart and FEMA

PetSmart and FEMA tried to work together after Katrina to help rescue pets as detailed in the Newsweek article Cash and 'Cat 5' Chaos. It didn't work out very well as FEMA dropped the ball after placing a $28,000 order.

But it's a start. In preparation for Rita, the Mayor of Galveston said pets in cages would be allowed on evacuation buses, a proactive move that should be imitated in other disaster evacuations, and one signalling a fast response to public sentiment on the issue.

Maybe privatizing disaster recovery and relief isn't a bad idea. At least companies that excel in supply chain logistics often also have people in charge with relevant experience. Instead of no-bid contracts and reductions of consumer and worker protections in the name of 'recovery' - which is a recipe for fraud - why not hire those most skilled at the task and provide incentives for quality work. This is how highway 10 in Los Angeles got rebuilt over 90% ahead of schedule after the Northridge earthquake, saving the state from losing an estimated $600,000 per day for two years.

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No-Pet Policy is "A Lousy Plan"

"A plan to evacuate and care for the victims of a natural disaster, if it doesn't include their pets, is a lousy plan."

A quote from a letter written to the Washington Post by Jim Perkins, who commanded the U.S. joint task force that evacuated 21,000 Navy and Air force family members and their pets from the Philippines after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991.

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Lesson for FEMA: feed the dog

Should FEMA, state and local agencies include pets in future evacuation plans? Some people will say that's stupid, but the fact remains that many people risked their lives - and others' - for their pets (read more from the Washington Post: Strays of Hope), dramatically highlighting the difficulties in forcefully separating companion animals from their owners.

Yes, many people view their pets as children, and yes, images of pets are easy attention-getters. But the situation in the Gulf is beyond that; after losing one's home and all one's possessions, everything except a pet, imagine being told to abandon Fido to a slow death. Besides being illegal under state law, this might just seem insane to an evacuee who has lost so much already.

Kudos to the Navy people who built a kennel and solved the problem instead, and to every volunteer out there trying to help.

As noted in the first post of this blog, the family dog is not a watchdog any more, but more like a child to many owners. And a legislative trend is already underway in the U.S. shifting pet ownership from property rights to guardianship laws, reflecting the cultural norm of pets as 'one of the family.'

This is nothing new according to pet industry statistics. In fact, a staggering 93 percent of owners said they would risk their life for their pet, according to the American Animal Hospital Association's 2004 Pet Owner Survey.

So listen up, FEMA. Or at least turn on CNN. Fido may not be a child, but sure isn't a toaster oven either.

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Pets and hurricane Katrina

The aftermath of hurricane Katrina is taking its toll on pets as well as people. The sheer number of news stories on people abandoning pets or refusing to leave them behind is telling. The Louisiana SPCA alone has rescued over 400 animals.

On Sep. 6, searching Google News for Katrina pets yielded 3,070 results. One week later there are over 6,000.

The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine has set up an emergency animal shelter to house pets, including horses, until they can be reunited with their owners. Read more in Newsweek: Pets in Peril (Sep 13, 2005).

The American Pet Product Manufacturer's Association (APPMA), one of the main industry trade organizations, has information on how to donate to shelters in need, and another section for shelters in need of donations.

Some organizations helping with animal rescue and care, from CBS News:

Humane Society of the United States
800-486-2631

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
866-275-3923

American Humane Association

Noah's Wish 530-622-9313

Searching for a lost pet? Visit petfinder.com.

Hotline only for New Orleans residents who had to leave their pets behind: 225-578-6111

Hotline for evacuees in the Houston area who need a place to house their pets: 713-802-0555

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