Super El Niño is coming ... let’s not forget the animals
A “super El Niño” is coming. At least, that’s what I’ve been hearing lately. And when we get this much attention on a weather pattern set to affect practically everyone on Earth, it makes me stop and think.
And what I'm sure comes as a surprise to no one: My mind immediately goes to the animals. Hotter than usual — how will we keep cats who live outdoors hydrated? More rain and floods — how will we keep dogs safe at home?
Unseasonable or unlikely weather for a region is nothing new. Even this year, we’ve seen snowstorms and freezes sweeping parts of the country that few were expecting. (Not so much snow here in Utah though — an oddly warm winter took its place.)
Listen, we love routine. We get used to watching the seasons from the same window year after year. So when January is promising buckets of snow and frigid temperatures in unexpected regions, things can go right out that window. Routines get dicey.
Luckily, these abrupt changes to routine usually bring out the best in people. It can bring communities together. And that’s a good thing –– for each other and especially for the animals.
In Yancey County, North Carolina, winter storms can mean myriad things. Usually, it means some wintry mix of rain and snow –– nothing to write home about or even to get the rock salt out for. But this winter, they had something else coming: an unpredictable storm that ended up dumping around 20 inches of snow in some parts of the state.
Knowing that storm was coming, Yancey County Humane Society (YCHS) looked at their animals, looked at each other, and jumped right into action. Across social media, YCHS made foster pleas. Any amount of time that folks could commit to was great — a few days, a week, through the storm, whatever worked. And folks jumped at the opportunity. I imagine people looking around their living room saying: “Hey, we can’t go anywhere anyway. What’s an extra dog bed by the sofa?” or “Hey, we’ve always wanted to try having a cat in our apartment. What about now?”
And surely, they did. One family in particular was excited to bring home their foster cat, Mr. Kalamazoo, a sweet black cat with all the built-in luck they’re known for. Just as the storm started to settle in, they realized something was off with Mr. Kalamazoo. They called YCHS and got him to the emergency vet immediately. It turns out it was a couple of different infections that needed to be treated immediately. Thanks to the attentive care of his foster family, Mr. Kalamazoo was on meds and recovering in no time. And having him in a foster home not only freed up the shelter team to care for other animals, but it also gave him a quiet place to heal and relax. Well, as luck would have it, they fell in love with this sweet boy and adopted him just after the storm subsided. Thanks to a winter storm, Mr. Kalamazoo now has a home to call his own.
Sometimes it’s not just about the animals in the shelter; it’s keeping animals at home where they belong. While no stranger to off-the-charts weather extremes, Oklahoma is not known for its snowy landscapes. Well, this past winter had something else in store as the Sooner State got up to 15 inches of snow in some areas — not to mention ice and harsh, freezing conditions all around.
As soon as the first flakes fell, shelters in southern Oklahoma jumped into action. They know their communities, so when they heard freezing temperatures, they knew they would need to go out and offer support. Across their social channels, they asked for help with supplies from anyone who could donate to keep their community safe and their animals at home. People showed up in droves, donating all they could to get dog houses, hay, and all kinds of supplies stocked at shelters for whoever needed them.
Once the storm really took hold, the animals in the community were protected and safe. And the shelter had built trust with the community, opening lines of communication they had not had before. Now everyone knows whom to call when they need a hand.
And some folks just get creative with it when severe weather strikes. Pulaski Animal Control in Dublin, Virginia, is just a stone’s throw from both Virginia Tech and Radford University. Pulaski had just begun to work with both colleges on a program with veterinary students when a winter storm of chaos came knocking at their door.
For the first time, Pulaski was overwhelmed with what to do with all their cats and dogs. Staff were worried that they wouldn’t be able to come in because of road closures. So, as we’ve been learning, Pulaski Animal Control took a chance on their community and marketed their foster opportunities to college students. This was so successful that they managed to get most of their dogs and cats they had at the time into foster homes — pets weathering the storm in college apartments because these kids gave them a chance. The students even started marketing it around their neighborhoods, getting even more foster caregivers and adopters lined up.
Many of these animals have found adoptive homes since the storm subsided. But it took that little extra urgency for the shelter to get up the courage to ask for help.
It’s not rocket science. It’s not even meteorological science –– we can leave that to the experts. It’s taking what we have and getting creative with it, using social media and online community groups for visibility. It’s asking for help and being transparent about our needs with our communities.
So while we prepare for whatever El Niño or the next seasons of our lives will bring, let’s remember these exemplary communities who stepped up. Instead of imagining the worst-case scenario, these stories are a great reminder to imagine the very best.
I sincerely hope these next few months have no big weather surprises in store for us, but for now let’s be grateful that there are people out there doing the next right thing. And let’s act accordingly.
-Julie
