Mila's Mum

I checked this place out once and it looked very good http://www.thepinespetresort.com.au/ They have a Get Acquainted Package http://www.thepinespetresort.com.au/getacquaintedpack.htm

He doesn't only do chiro work - he also does magnetic therapy, and not sure of the other things he does. People often take their dog to him just before trials/shows etc to give them a boost. He worked on one of the dogs that won one of the events at the World Dog Games

Great idea - maybe you could write and suggest it to them

My vet did say she was going to query the initial result with the lab bec they were so specific with the diagnosis - she said normally if they aren't sure, they will return an open finding, but they didn't in this case. My girl goes back on Friday to have the stitches out so hopefully I will find out more. She's been displaying a couple of moments of odd behaviour, so I'm hoping it's just the effects of the anaesthetic wearing off

It's easy to second guess yourself after the fact. But if it was a high grade soft tissue sarcoma, then leaving it a week or two could have been long enough for it to grow bigger (making surgery harder on the dog and more expensive for you) or even may have been long enough for it to metastasise (making a cure impossible). It sounds to me like you did exactly the right thing given the information you had, and the vet probably did the right thing given the information that they got from the lab. It's just a huge pity that the lab gave an inaccurate diagnosis, for whatever reason, resulting in the unnecessary surgery. Yes hindsight is a wonderful thing as they say - thankfully this thread has given me the answers I was seeking so, while I'm disappointed she had unnecessary surgery, I'm no longer grinding my teeth - I can now understand how the misdiagnosis could have occurred.

Thank you - you summed it up perfectly

Wasn't it fortunate that your boy only had to undergo blood tests for you to find out the initial diagnosis was incorrect. Maybe if he'd had to undergo something more radical, you might want some answers as well.

For a very small mass like you have described, additional testing may not have been practical. If there was some question over the results such as the diagnosis did not fit the clinical picture, vets can take a repeat sample for comparison, or request a review of the initial sample submitted. Beyond that, we're really left with close monitoring of the lump, or excisional biospy and histopathology (which is what has been done with your dog). Thanks again for the info - maybe I should have waited a week or so to see if it went on its own. It's distressing putting your dog through such a procedure (especially an older dog), and even more distressing when you find out it was unnecessary. Thankfully this one wasn't as major as the last one, which required skin grafts. Just needed some answers to try and understand how/why a mis-diagnosis could have occurred.

There may not have been a large number of inflammatory cells in the initial sample, but other (non blood) cells undergoing an inflammatory response can change their appearance and shape. There are some changes that are common to both inflammatory and neoplastic (cancerous) processes. Thank you for your replies - this is the sort of stuff I was after - I picked up the lab reports and second test came back with neutrophils, macrophages, plasma cells and lymphocytes - she had an inflammatory response to plant matter. For future reference, is there any other procedure that could have been done to confirm the first diagnosis before proceeding to invasive surgery ?

Obviously I am grateful that she is healthy - but as I've stated I don't understand how inflammatory cells can be mistaken for cancerous cells. As I'm no expert, that's why I've posted - to try and get some sort of explanation as to why/how this can happen. Maybe if I do get a logical explanation as to how this occurs, then I won't be feeling so annoyed that she's had to have such an invasive procedure she didn't need to have.

Absolutely !! Here's his link http://www.kytana.com/index_004.htm

While my girl was at the chiro several weeks ago having a check-up, he found a lump on her left shoulder - not very big, approx the size of a large pea. He had a good feel of it and said it didn't feel cancerous or anything to worry about at that stage, that it felt like she'd had a reaction to a bite or something - and that it was just enlarged as a result of that. However, as my girl had a mast cell tumour removed 4 years ago on the same side (back left leg), I thought it best to get checked out. Vet took a sample using a syringe and sent it off for testing. Lab came back and said it was a malignant soft tissue sarcoma (spindle cell tumour). So she had an op on Tuesday to have it removed and vet also removed a small lump nearby - which she thought was a lypoma but removed it just in case. Both samples went for testing. Turns out the lump orignally advised as a STS was in fact just inflammatory cells - so there's no cancer there at all. The smaller lump was what vet thought - a lypoma. So now my girl has a big hole in her shoulder which she didn't need to have (and possibly her body would have gotten rid of this inflammation on its own and not required any surgery at all), and I have a big hole in my bank balance. So my query is - how can a lab mistake inflammatory cells (which I'm assuming are just white cells - I haven't found out yet, but will be trying), with cancerous cells and specifically spindle tumour cells. My vet said if they are not sure what a sample is, they will return an open finding - but they came back with a very specific result. Surely inflammatory (white?) cells look very different to cancerous spindle cells? Atm I'm feeling very cranky that my girl (who will be 11 in a few days) has had to go through the trauma of an unnecessary operation. Maybe the small inflammation still required surgery (won't ever know now), but if it did, the margin removed would have been a lot less than what was taken bec it was believed the lump was cancerous. Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated.

This website might be worth trying http://www.petfriendlyrentals.com.au/ just make sure if you are allowed to have pets, that you get it in writing - several times I've seen people verbally approved to have pets, and once they have moved in, the real estate agent/owner reneg on the deal and say no pets.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland...1022-16xbu.html Having already saved thousands of animals from being euthanased on the Gold Coast and at Ipswich, the Animal Welfare League now has its sights set on Brisbane's pounds. Denise Bradley, the body's state president, said they had now reached a "zero euthanasing" level for healthy animals at the two regional centres. The Animal Welfare League has worked with Gold Coast City Council for more than 50 years and has helped Ipswich City Council reduce its euthanasing rates by 50 per cent. It runs a facility at Coombabah near Helensvale and charges between $250 and $350 for a wormed, de-sexed dog – below AWL estimates of $450 to $500 cost per dog to re-house. The AWL also returns most other animals back to the Gold Coast City Council after treatment for the council to rehouse. While the AWL claims to have recently reached a 'zero' euthanasia rate for healthy dogs and cats, overall 9 per cent of dogs and 24 per cent of cats are still euthanased. That is still lower than Brisbane City Council, where at their Willawong and Bracken Ridge pounds 16 per cent of dogs and 68 per cent of cats are put down. Ms Bradley today confirmed the AWL would bid for Brisbane's two animal pounds. "We have been talking to Brisbane's council for a number of years now about the benefits of working with a welfare group that can work with them with the rehoming of pets that are not claimed by their owners," Ms Bradley said. "So we are really keen to be involved when the tender comes out, but of course we will have to see what the terms are and what they are asking for." Expressions of interest will be called on Monday. It costs Brisbane City Council $2.1 million to operate both pounds and estimates show its could save between $500,000 and $1 million if the pounds were outsourced. Community Services chair Cr Geraldine Knapp said Brisbane City Council was taking in 4200 animals each year at the two pounds. "The sad reality is many of them have to be put to sleep because we can't find them new homes,” Cr Knapp said. “Results show that councils who work with animal welfare experts to run their shelters have significantly reduced their euthanasia rates - something we're very keen to address." Cr Knapp said council had not yet made a final decision. “I want to stress that this is not a done deal, however it makes sense if we can rehome more animals at a lower cost to council.” Opposition Leader Shayne Sutton warned outsourcing could cut a key council service. “Our animal shelters provide an important community service and I am concerned that outsourcing them would turn our shelters into a revenue-raising scheme with overzealous captures and exorbitant catch-and-release fees," she said. Cr Knapp said "animal welfare" would be highlighted over profit motive in the decision-making process and Jim Soorley looked at a similar scheme with the RSPCA in 1995. Brisbane City Council is prepared to let its pound facilities be leased at favourable rates to increase the benefit to the animals, a council spokesman suggested.

These lawyers deal more with animal cruelty cases, but may be able to point you in the right direction of a suitable lawyer for your purposes http://www.bleats.com.au/

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/...6-1225942971450 A LONG and often lonely tour of duty will end happily when old war dog Sarbi is finally reunited with her original handler. The Army bomb detector dog who dodged bullets on her own for over a year after getting lost in an ambush in Afghanistan could be home for Christmas. And it will be a miraculous home-coming, fit for a hero, after an amazing story of survival following Sarbi's separation from Australian troops there. Already, a book has been penned on the back of Sarbi's return to the ranks - after having possibly been forced to bunker down with the enemy. And the RSPCA has plans to make her Australia's first Army dog to be awarded a prestigious Purple Cross for exceptional service to humans. "Sarbi's story is an amazing tale of survival while on the run for a year and with all the risks associated with being lost in a war environment," said president Dr Hugh Wirth. "The award will be presented to her as soon as the Army notifies us she's back and out and about, because we can't wait to drape that medal around her neck." After the hardship of Afghanistan, the old black Labrador can look forward to having balls - not grenades - lobbed at her. "Once she returns home and gets through quarantine, Sarbi will be adopted by her original handler, who also happens to be her current handler, and spend the rest of her days as a family dog," Defence said in a statement. Her survival story has made her a canine celeb, with people from around the world writing to her. Defence staff pen her replies. On her second tour of duty in September 2008 Sarbi went missing from her unit and was feared dead. But a US soldier found her over a year later and, recognising her special qualities, helped her to a joyful reunion with Aussie troops. She has spent the past six months in mandatory quarantine period in Dubai ahead of her clearance home. Defence has confirmed she is due to return to Australia in December, and must spend another month in quarantine here.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-...1013-16jyy.html OUR local Stasi is Randwick City Council and we lost our defence in Waverley Court against them. Our crime? Carrying our 4.8-kilogram dog - that's smaller than most cats - across 10 metres of sand. Our effective fine? $1210. Carrying your dog? Yes, because the new signs at the entry of Gordons Bay at Clovelly explicitly say, ''No Dogs on Beach or in Water''. Our dog was not on the beach. She was on the rocks adjacent to the beach and the water. The magistrate acknowledged that this was a strong argument but found that, under cross-examination, my wife had carried our dog across the prohibited sands, all 10 metres of them. Therefore the council's fine stood, for $330 plus court costs of $80, plus the council's lawyer's fee of $800. The magistrate did throw us a bone, in that he pared down the lawyer's bill from $1200. So, despite my wife's plea for reason and our record of conscientious dog-ownership, substantiated in court by the fact that on one occasion last year we collected 73 bags of dog poo that people had weirdly tied to the fence at the end of Burrows Park (who are these people?), not to mention our honesty (we could have told the ranger that our dog went to the rocks directly from the path, and was not carried across the forbidden sands), we are effectively fined more than $1200! Never mind being further penalised by a day in court, as foolishly we decided to stand up for reason. After all, we did have a fine for $330 for having our dog in a non-prohibited area. Why would we just pay up? Penalised? Yes. Our case was listed for 10am we were heard at 2.45pm. Custodial cases take precedence, so we had to sit for hours and watch the criminal flotsam drift through the courts. Assault, domestic violence, theft etc before the case of Dot the rescue dog was dealt with. We adopted Dot from Monika's Doggie Rescue to the mutual benefit of all involved and we paid $300 for her. Our fine represents four dogs not adopted. Sydney has a problem with abandoned dogs but who is going to adopt them when dog owners are targeted as just another revenue source for local government? So, as the officers of the state put down their tools at the end of another trying day as a force for good, do they have any twinges of self-doubt? They should, because effective fines of $1200 for carrying your dog 10 metres across a seaweed-strewn beach mean that a lot of dogs won't be adopted this year and that's a crying shame. Pip Willis

http://vimeo.com/13394773 Several weeks after seven puppies were rescued from the woods, Karma Rescue returns to catch their feral parents. The dogs were completely unapproachable, running away at the first sight of humans. Karma Rescue borrowed a trap and returned to the golf course each morning to see if the parents took the bait. Watch the true nature of Pit Bulls unfold as they come into contact with humans for the fist time in almost 2 years.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/10/04/3028861.htm The Animal Welfare League of Queensland has achieved an Australian first - avoiding having to euthanise a single healthy dog or cat on the Gold Coast for more than 12 months. So how did they do it? AWL Strategic Development Officer Joy Verrinder says the achievement is a result of the AWL's 'Getting to Zero' program which combines many different projects, all playing their part. "It's a very complex process to reduce euthanasia rates in any city. It isn't just any one thing, it's a combination of things," she says. "First of all it involves a big focus on the prevention of stray and abandoned animals." These preventative measures involve offering discounted micro chipping and desexing for pet owners. "Desexing helps prevent that oversupply of animals being born with no homes to go to, so that's a really important program." But inevitably, despite even the best preventative measures, there will always be unwanted animals. This is where the AWL's re-homing program comes into play. "We have a really high re-homing rate - that's because we do a lot of promotion of our animals, we make sure we have beautiful photos of them on our website and we do lots of advertising. And the general public have been fantastic in coming forward to adopt from us so that helps an awful lot as well." The AWL also have their own community vet clinic which means they can look after more sick animals on site. "Some places, like pounds, don't have their own vet clinics where they can treat animals that come in that are a little bit sick or need an operation before they can be re-homed. So that allows us to increase our re-homing rate too." Finally, Joy says they have a very strong community education program. "We actually explain to people how many abandoned animals there are on the coast and we work closely to make sure people are aware how to prevent it through desexing , training, and keeping animals safe in their own backyard." Obviously this combination of projects is working, with the AWL's achievement being an Australian first for a population of this size. "We've been positive about getting there - we're just so happy to be leading the way for a whole city in Australia. "The biggest thing was to save all the healthy and sociable cats and dogs, which we've now achieved." But Joy says the team already has its sights set on another feat. "We're working really hard now at saving all the treatable animals as well. "Basically our research shows that over 90 per cent is the number we need to say we're saving most of the healthy and treatable animals in any city." This figure takes into account the reality that euthanising some animals is unavoidable. "There'll always be some animals that come in that will either be too sick or unfortunately some dogs come in that have just not been cared for appropriately and are too aggressive to be re-homed. "We do a lot of work with the animals that come in that are a little bit timid and we work with them to encourage them and rehabilitate them, so that means we do already re-home a lot of treatable animals , both cats and dogs, and we treat a lot of the health conditions. "But there'll always be some that you can't treat so we're just aiming to get to 90 per cent of all cats and dogs. "At the moment we're at 85 per cent which means we don't have very far to go."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/cutestuf...ew-doggy-tricks An unwanted puppy is teaching Wellington Zoo's young dingo how to be a canine. Four-month-old dingo Wolfrik has lived with carnivore team leader Paul Horton and his family at the zoo since being separated from his litter at Colong Station in Australia at the age of six weeks. The only animals he had contact with were chickens and while his socialisation with humans was excellent, his canine skills were lacking, Mr Horton said. Enter Percy from the SPCA, who will help teach Wolfrik basic skills such as when a bite is too hard, important dog body language and confidence in new situations. "Hopefully if Percy displays complete nonchalance in an environment that would be scary for dingos, it will rub off on Wolfrik," Mr Horton said. Both animals moved to their new zoo enclosure yesterday. They will live together for about a year. Percy, a mixed-breed from an unwanted litter, was picked for his social, confident nature and his previous work in SPCA animal therapy programmes. He has visited kindergartens, hospitals and retirement homes. The five-month-old dog has been registered with Wellington City Council as an honorary dingo, according to SPCA animal care and adoption manager Nicholas Taylor. He said Percy had caught the hearts of zoo staff, and the two canines interacted well when they moved in together yesterday. "Percy will have lots of people's attention all day and a very new best friend." Mr Horton said the zoo hoped eventually to get a female dingo to breed with Wolfrik, and Percy would then be adopted by one of the zoo staff.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/cutestuf...lamb-as-his-own They say a dog is a man's best friend, but in this case it is a lamb's best friend. Snowdrop the lamb and Quanto the dog were brought together in a time of chaos. Born in the midst of one of Southland's heaviest snowfalls on September 19, Snowdrop is lucky to be alive. Otatara resident Brogan Campbell said when the lamb was born at her grandparents in Tisbury, she brought it inside out of the snow in a hypothermic state. While the lamb warmed up in front of the fire, the household pet, a 5-year-old male german shepherd, cared for the lamb, cleaning her and treating her like his own, Miss Campbell said. When the lamb was back on her feet, she was taken outside to her mother who rejected her instantly, most likely because of the dog's smell, Miss Campbell said. "Her mum rejected her so she got hypothermia again and had to be brought back from the brink of death." The dog took the lamb under his wing, and they followed each other like they were joined at the hip, she said. "Quanto thinks he is the lamb's mother and Snowdrop is quite happy to accept that as well." The unusual pair will be together for a while longer until the lamb could handle it back in the paddock, she said.

Awesome - love hearing stories like these Daisy's a special dog BY TANYA PATTISON 20 Sep, 2010 12:00 AM SHE may look like your average Jack Russell, but this unassuming little pooch is actually a lifesaving hero. Daisy is a Lions Hearing Dog and last week she was introduced to her new owner, Griffith mum of two, Cassandra Watt, who is profoundly deaf. Daisy has been specially trained to alert Cassandra to sounds in the home by touching her with a paw. Things like knocks on the door, a baby crying, a whistling kettle or the phone ringing. Most importantly, she will alert her to lifesaving sounds like the smoke alarm. Cassandra's partner Tony Crompton and dad to Savinna, 3, and Damikita, 2, said Daisy was a very welcome addition to the family. "It just gives Cass a greater feeling of safety," he said. "Just the other night Daisy helped out with the girls - she heard them crying in the bedroom and she ran in and let Cass know. "I do shiftwork so when I'm not here it is good to know Daisy will be her ears. She will be more confident now. We can't thank Mission Australia and Griffith Lions enough." Lions hearing dogs are trained at a centre at Verdun in the Adelaide Hills. Trainer David Horne was one of two who spent the week in Griffith training Daisy. He said it was important that the Griffith community understood the important role Daisy will play. "You may see Daisy in places where dogs are not usually permitted," he said. "People are used to seeing guide dogs for the blind but these dogs are all different breeds. Daisy will have the same access rights as guide dogs and will be identified by her bright orange collar and lead. "Nearly all our dogs come from either the RSPCA or the pound. "The Griffith Lions Club sponsored Daisy's delivery and they will also do follow-up training with her." Cassandra thanked the Griffith Lions Club and Mission Australia for helping make her new companion a reality.

My father got sick and tired of someone constantly letting their dog poop on his front lawn - he spoke to the owner on several occasions, but the owner's carefactor didn't register. So my father gathered up several of the dog's deposits, put it in an envelope and put it in the bloke's letterbox - no more poop on the front lawn Small town, so I guess he could get away with it.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion...6-1225926060764 MY relationship with dogs is a little soured by the fact that I was bitten by one as a toddler. No great physical damage was done, although I clearly remember the panic, the hospital fuss, the injection and the stitches, but I am decidedly wary around dogs to this day. When people let their mutts run off-leash on public paths or assure me that their family treasure would lick me to death rather than bite me, they have no idea how it spoils my day. And, given the number of dog attacks reported, I reckon I'm not alone. Sensible people don't scare the crap out of nervous passengers by putting their foot down and I wish otherwise reasonable people would accept that not everyone shares their trusting affection for the family pooch. However, enough about my phobias. What about the seven people who are reportedly attacked by dogs every day in Queensland? That's an incredible 2555 dogs attacks a year, not taking into account a number that never make the official records and might be dealt with by summary execution in the bush. You read the papers so you know the attacks range from a fairly harmless - although possibly terrifying - nip on the ankles to life-threatening maulings. As reported last week, canine home invaders are not exactly unknown and the most innocent of perambulations can end in a welter of yelps, tears, blood and sutures. According to council figures on attacks and regulated or dangerous dogs, the worst offenders are staffordshire bull terriers, followed by cattle dogs and german shepherds. Right about now, all the staffie owners will start howling about how unfair it all is, how the baddies aren't purebred and how they'd trust their dogs with a newborn. Maybe, but the figures aren't on their side. It's human nature that everybody's kid is an angel and everybody's dog is a darling. But maybe we're looking at the wrong end of the leash. Maybe it's staffie owners who are at fault. Or blue dog owners. Or shepherd fanciers. Is there something about certain breeds - their toughness, their aggressiveness, their bravery, their ferocity - that attracts a certain type of person? I don't know, although I confess that while sidling around some dogs and their owners I have thought the studded collars were on the wrong beast. But, seriously, if you look through the various council dog regulations, you'll find a lot about breeds, about identification, about desexing, about how many you can have and how much it will cost you. You will find precious little about your responsibilities. Unless you have a court record for animal cruelty or running illegal dog fights, nobody much cares, so long as you have a buck in your pocket. So long as you don't run a pack of wolves, nobody much cares if you know how to care for your dog, how to train it, how to love it, how to stop it making the neighbours' lives a misery or how to keep it from sinking its fangs into strangers. Nobody much cares if you see your dog as a pet, a comfort, a security beast, a counter to your own inadequacies or a projection of your own character faults. And your ignorance, sloth or irresponsibility becomes an issue and a matter of record only when it is too late and someone is scarred for life or too frightened to step outdoors. Like so many other presumed civil rights, the right to own a dog comes before any consideration for the animal or for other people. Dog ownership is a privilege that brings with it great comfort and joy for most people but for others it is nothing more than another manifestation of thoughtlessness and selfishness. Just about everything in life demands some qualifications - except, it seems, breeding children and owning animals. [email protected]

recommendations to enhance companion animal emergency management in New Zealand http://disasters.massey.ac.nz/pubs/misc/Re...nimal_EM-NZ.pdf Below are some passages from this report In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States of America. In its wake, it left US$110 billion in damage and 1,836 people dead making it the third deadliest disaster in US history (Kurpis, 2009). This disaster also highlighted the importance of companion animal emergency management with over 50,000 pets being left behind during the evacuation of New Orleans and 80-90% of these pets perishing. What was anticipated to be over within a few days turned into a disaster beyond comprehension and triggered the largest animal rescue operation in US history – an operation that rescued approximately 15,000 pets supported by some 5,000 volunteers (Shiley, 2006). Following Katrina, in reaction to public outcry over the thousands of pets that died the Senate passed, by a landslide 349 to 24 vote, the Pet Evacuation & Transportation Standards (PETS) Act 2006, which included the requirement for local and state emergency management agencies to have companion animal emergency management measures in place. In contrast, New Zealand has very few mechanisms to protect companion animals during a disaster. In jest, some emergency managers believe shooting pets is the solution. But with no funding or evidence based advice available to emergency managers and animal care professionals the opportunity to protect companion animals and by doing so, protecting the human population is lost or simply put in the too hard basket. This report has been developed to act as a catalyst to encourage dialogue between emergency management actors and support the development of tools and guidelines that will enhance New Zealand’s approach to companion animal emergency management. It has been compiled with the assistance of international and domestic subject matter experts and over 150 references have been reviewed as part of its compilation. Aimed at both emergency managers and animal care professionals, this report provides 60 recommendations for national and local authorities to consider. Whether emergency managers have a liking of companion animals or not, the reality is that failure to protect companion animals during an emergency actually puts human life at risk and there is substantial research to support this reasoning – whereas there is no evidence found to support further inaction. The importance of the human-animal bond should not be under estimated. Following Hurricane Katrina (2005), people were just as likely to suffer from depression from losing their pet as they did losing their home (Hunt, Al-Awadi, et al., 2008). Research has clearly identified the negative impacts of pet loss, especially during traumatic times such as in a disaster. Pets are treated as members of the family and pet owners often experience negative psychological impacts following the loss of their pet (Edmonds & Cutter, 2008; Gerwolls & Labott, 1994; Hall, Ng, et al., 2004; Heath, 1999b; Hunt, Al-Awadi, et al., 2008; Leonard & Scammon, 2007; Lockwood, 1995; Mort, Convery, et al., 2008; Orr, 2005). In 2010, an online survey of pet owners living in Wellington and Taranaki (n=92), over 63% of respondents identified their pet as an important psychosocial coping mechanism (Glassey). Social services need to understand the importance of ensuring pets are evacuated and accessible for disaster victims. During Hurricane Katrina, one of the reasons why emergency service officials refused to take pets was that they were operating inflatable rescue boats and feared that the animals could bite or scratch the vessel and thereby place themselves and evacuation operations at risk (Anderson & Anderson, 2006). During Hurricane Katrina, “despite pleas from dog owners in writing scrawled across the walls of a middle school, fourteen dogs, left by their owners in hopes of returning to them, were slaughtered, shot in the body cavity, forcing the dogs to suffer a prolonged death. All were found dead at Beauregard Middle School in St. Bernard Parish, New Orleans”(Pet-Abuse.com, 2006). This action caused serious negative public reaction as well as a criminal prosecution (Shiley, 2006). According to Glassey (2010) 59% of 92 surveyed pet owners in Wellington and Taranaki, indicated that that emergency service officials should not be able to destroy pets left behind in the evacuation zone, a further 22% were unsure, leaving only 19% in agreement of shooting pets if required. Not only does shooting pets potentially create criminal liabilities, it also creates significant political and media risks for emergency management officials and should not be considered lightly.