In the response to Hurricane Harvey, is there too much focus on animals?

Yesterday morning as I drove to work, talk of Hurricane Harvey, the storm’s tragic impact and the country’s tremendous response in philanthropy and volunteerism was on the radio. That was the topic at the start of the show StandUP with Pete Dominick on Sirius XM Insight.

Although I was only listening for a few minutes before arriving at the office, part of the host’s thoughts on the topic included his impression that an outsized proportion of the disaster response and donations are going toward animals. He’s certainly not the only one to hold such views, and this is not the only occasion in which we hear it expressed that perhaps animals are getting “too much” charitable attention.

In Rockport, Texas, a cat was photographed as she wandered through debris left by Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 28, 2017. (Eric Gay/AP)

It’s troubling to me for a number of reasons, the first of which is that it’s simply not supported by facts. The most recent numbers on American charitable giving, as reported by Giving USA for 2016, show that causes supporting animals come in next to last in overall receipts of charitable dollars. And because of grouping for reporting purposes, we don’t know precisely what ratio of the overall 3 percent of giving to “Environment/Animals” is given to organizations in the field of animal welfare.

While photos and emotional response shared over social media might give the feeling of an overwhelming outpouring of support for rescuing animals, those impressions are not borne out by the numbers. But what is it behind those feelings? Begrudging the efforts, resources and funding that go into saving animal lives is the response of some who believe more should be done to address human suffering. However, that view is misguided and treats compassion as a zero sum game.

As this resident evacuates from rising waters in Lumberton, Texas on August 30, 2017, volunteers help him get his dog on board a boat. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)

Seeing these animals who cannot comprehend the events that have left them stranded in Harvey’s floodwaters and lack the agency to change their situation inspires rescuers to take action. But that does not diminish the work and funds raised to address the suffering of humans after this storm. Those cumulative acts of compassion will add together to help Texas recover from disaster. The only valid criticism is of those who do not act at all.

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Tabitha Treloar is the director of communications for the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

Comments

[Amy]

I believe that any responsible pet owner sees their pets as family members and feels the same kind of fear and pain when they are in danger. Some may question how one can feel such extreme emotion for "just an animal", but I think there are enough people out there who understand. When we choose to bring animals into our homes, we take on the responsibility of keeping them safe, healthy, and happy. We have graciously earned their trust to do so and in return, we get so much more.
If I was somehow unable to reach my animals in a disaster and some kind soul came in and rescued them...if one person, or a group of people contributed to that effort, the depth of my gratitude would be immeasurable.
So many things seem to be viewed in a polarized manner lately. If I care about this, then I can't care about that. If I put effort into this, I don't have room to put effort into that. So many selfless people are stepping in of their own volition and helping any way they can and all anyone should be doing is saying thank you.

[Chris reed]

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated
Mahatma Gandhi

[Cheryl Crawford]

I don't see relief efforts as an 'either or' situation. it seems the ones who offer criticism are the ones who suffer from'whataboutism' whenever a topic comes up that they are personally opposed to. I just don't feel it necessary to justify where I spend my money, and have already given to animal relief in Texas. I have wondered if our SPCA will be taking in homeless animals from the flood area.

[Casey Williams]

I appreciate this article and will be sharing the link on FB. We cannot overlook the fact that once humans decide to have domesticated animals (or to hold wild animals in captivity) we enter into an implicit covenant to take responsibility for them. There dependence on us renders them unable to protect themselves during natural and unnatural (war) disasters. Humans created and perpetuate this situation and so the animals cannot be forgotten during crisis.

[Tabitha Treloar]

Hi Cheryl,

I apologize for not replying to your comment sooner. In the immediate aftermath of Harvey, the Richmond SPCA reached out to both the HSUS and the ASPCA, two organizations we've worked with in emergency response in the past. We let them know that the Richmond SPCA was able and willing to assist, and this also applies with respect to animals now affected by Hurricane Irma. So far, we have not been told how or when our offer may be activated, but we will certainly share any developments with our supporters.

Thank you for your love of animals!
Tabitha Treloar
Director of Communications