Sometime during our three-week evacuation, I am sure that some dogs and cats that were left behind got together for the occasional conversation.
“What happened?,” asked the dog.
“I don’t really know,” said the cat. “All of a sudden, all the humans suddenly loaded up their car and left in a hurry.”
One of the smartest dogs in the group, who understood a little human speak, said, “Evacuation smoke from forest fires, must leave now.”
A cat who also understood a little human speak cleared its throat and murmured, “They threw us outside and said we had to fend for ourselves.”
The cats and dogs all looked at each other and sighed. They weren’t very happy. Most were hungry and thirsty, some were scared and confused. Some wondered what they had done wrong.
I hope that when the powers that be get around to doing a review of the evacuation, they spend a little bit of their time contemplating what effect the evacuation had on people. Its effect on all the people, including seniors and children. They should also look at the effect it had on the wildlife around town, including our ecosystem. And they should consider what it meant to the cats, dogs, and other animal companions.
Suddenly, people were told they had a few hours to evacuate. If they didn’t, they might risk being burned to death. Even if they were willing to risk that and they stayed, they would be fined $1,000 a day. The word was ‘evacuate’, but it might as well have been ‘flee’. Trying to pack up and depart, I am sure some people were faced with tough decisions.
Do we take the kids or the pets?
I am sure they rationalized this decision to leave their critter companions behind with the notion that they can fend for themselves. Just as not all humans are created equal, neither are critters like cats and dogs. Imagine feral cats, barn or farm cats who basically live outside and fend for themselves, with a little help maybe from the humans who stayed behind.
Now, contrast this with the life of an indoor cat which has never been outside and gets fed and watered regularly. Compare a bush or hunting dog compared to one that is so domesticated it only ever goes out on a leash.
Just imagine what it would be like if you suddenly found yourself stranded in the wilds for three weeks and you were basically alone and had to fend for yourself. It wouldn’t be easy for most people. A person who knows the bush well and what to do could do it with only a few problems and might even have a little food to spare if they were good at fishing, hunting and foraging but for many people who survived the ordeal, they would need a lot of food and grooming if they survived the ordeal.
The same is true for dogs and cats and they would be a little traumatized and probably suffer from anxiety attacks every time their owners leave them alone. It is a pity that household critters can’t talk to us to share their experiences and feelings about the forced evacuation.
Thankfully, the NWT SPCA, volunteers and those who stayed behind did a tremendous job of rounding up and looking after the critters left behind. But this is really something evacuation planners should look at. It would be interesting and important to know how children viewed the chaos of the evacuation. And even some adults will be suffering anxiety over the whole affair.
So, when the hearing about the summer events are held, I hope they really look at all aspects of the evacuation and what effect it had on everyone and everything because it is important we learn from the past and are better prepared for the future.
As the dog said to the cat, “I sure missed my own comfy bed to sleep in at night”. The cat replied, “Tell me about it. I normally got groomed or brushed every couple of days so I was having a lot of bad hair days and I sure missed my cuddles.”