Humane societies around the country tried to send in their own people to save the pets (photo below).
The official rule during Week 2 was, "Ignore all animals and go for the holdouts/survivors" (and corpses).  I have seen many photos of dogs on the porch, dogs on the roof, watching the rescuers go by. 

I grieve to see broken bonds and betrayal, whether one mammal is betraying and abandoning another, or a government is betraying and abandoning its people.   (above)  A dog hides under the bench of a military truck on 9 September, after the evacuees have filed off.  Presumably it saw a crowd and followed the legs into the vehicle.   

(left) This dog has never seen Jane Garrison before, and it has zero language skills with which to express its understanding of the situation.  Then again.....   The Human Society of the United States had volunteers in New Orleans on Friday, 9 September, Day 12. 

Highly-trained corpse-and-survivor-spotting dogs had to be decontaminated after searching.  Here, "Georgia Search and Rescue Central K-9" is working Violet, Louisiana on 9 September.  (center)  Debbie Goebels and Ryca..  (right) Paula Chambers and Madison.  Four rescue dogs have died from the toxic floodwaters as of 11 September.  First Deputy Mayor of Baltimore, Michael Enright,  leading a contingent of 150 first-responders, has decided no to use his inflatable Zodiac boats for fear the floating petrochemicals will destroy the rubber. 

I have a friend with a trained rescue dog.  Sitting on the couch using only verbal commands, she can get the dog to stop dead in its tracks, go to the front door, sniff a new arrival,  and come to her side if asked.  But this high level of training cuts both ways.  Whenever the dog comes to your side, you must respond.  If you are working an earthquake site and the dog comes back to your side, you must follow  it to the cadaver.  If you tell your canine companion you are not interested (actions speak louder than words), you are not going to get another reminder ... or many more search reports.  

Rev 13Aug2011 better links

Rev 12Aug2011 better links, clearer sentence structure