I come from a large family of animal lovers. Both my parents have worked in shelters, and my father went on to do 7 years of veterinary school to become a veterinary ophthalmologist. My aunt and uncle who lived in NO evacuated on time and drove out just before the storm with nothing but one spare set of clothes each and their golden lab on the laps of my cousins in the back. They had trouble finding a hotel in Houston that would allow the dog, but they did manage to get out of town in a Camry with a large dog. Not sure why having a pet would be such a huge deterrant to leaving your house.