British Sentimentality or Responisibility?

We were watching a programme a few nights ago about Hurricane Katrina and what happened to all the pets that were left behind. People were told to leave their pets with food and water as they would only be gone for a few days. They were told they couldn't take them with them as there would be no room for them at the evacuation centres. The reality was of course that they were not allowed back for weeks and rescue operations had to be mounted by the various SPCA organisations in the vicinity to get the pets out of the abandoned homes

We were talking about this afterwards. I know that people were instructed not to take their pets with them, but I think British people would simply have ignored that. Certainly if we were told to evacuate our dogs would be going with us. The thought of leaving them behind would not even occur to us. No threat or attempt at coercion  the authorities could make would have any effect on that. Perhaps the British are overly sentimental about their pets, or perhaps we just take our responsibilities seriously. Who knows? But I can remember seeing a programme about a British Coastguard helicopter having to winch people from a flooded caravan park and a very elderly lady refusing to be winched to safety unless her dogs were taken first. The helicopter crew hadn't even argued - of course the dogs were going to. That's the British way .... and long may it continue !!